July 26, 2021
Miles: 29.1 miles
Steps: 58,559
Woke up at 4:15am and thought I was going to get hiking soon but I got my bear hang rope stuck up in the tree. I ended up climbing most of the way up, probably not the best thing to do just waking up and in the dark. Managed to save as much of my rope as possible. It was probably a good thing as I had too much rope and it was always tangled.
Got to hiking by 5am in the dark and had mostly downhill to Bannock Pass. Got to see the sun come over the hazy mountains.
Got to the pass around 7:15am. I knew I wouldn’t see much cars at that time but the more time there the better my odds of getting picked up.
Their was a trailer there and a guy came out soon as I got there. He was very nice as he offered me some food and water. He was heading north otherwise he said he would have given me a ride south to Leadore.
After about 2 hours and only 5 cars to pass by I finally got a ride into Leadore.
The town of Leadore is not very big, only a few shops. I went straight to the post office to pick up the shoes I mailed from Yellowstone. Then went across the street to the gas station and little grocery store to get some food and resupply to get to Wisdom. Had a hotdog for breakfast as that’s about all the warm food they had ready at 10am.
Right as I was packing up a guy came by and asks if I’m hiking the CDT and if I needed a ride back to the trail. I jumped on that real quick.
Got back to the pass around 12pm and crossed into my final state of Montana. I had been hiking right on the border of Idaho and Montana mostly since leaving Wyoming. Now I’m completely done with Idaho.
I started my long road walk headed down the pass. My first stop would be the town of Grant, about 22 miles. I filled up on 3 liters of water before leaving town which should get me all the way there. On the map it shows some creeks but not sure how they are flowing.
The first 7 miles were on a gravel road and it was mostly flat so easy hiking. Then it turned into a paved road and made it easier. I was hiking around 3.6-3.7mph all the way to Grant.
About half way to Grant there was a rest area with picnic tables, pit toilet and some history signs about the area. Hung around the pit toilet for about an hour as there was shade, surprised didn’t smell.
Got back to hiking and a few miles later a US Forest Service truck stopped by me. Asked how I was doing and gave me a cold Gatorade.
Got into Grant around 7pm, just in time for dinner. Not much in town but a restaurant/hotel. They also allow camping which is a plus as I had no idea where I could camp. I also got to take a shower and wash clothes. I’ve been sweating a lot these last 3.5 days with all the climbs so getting clean felt good.
Onward to Jackson, just 41 miles, but it’s all road walking.