Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Lewis and Clark Country
07/27/04
Our earliest start yet: 7AM. We walked along the Divide in gentle dappled sunlight in the morning. Our first destination was water. Spur and I got off the trail a bit, and Apple Pie got ahead thinking Spur and I were ahead. Luckily we met up at Puttee Creek (MT54).
The next stop: lunch at a high spot with views to the east. After lunch we moved into fields and hillsides abloom. The base color was yellow, with purples and blues breaking the bounds, all on the Divide.
We dropped down to Lemhi Pass, historic because of the Lewis & Clark's passage on their westward trek. Lots of new improvement at Lemhi Pass, including a pit toilet and new signage. A woman doing some work in one area agreed to take our excess trash, which in my case was quite a load.
We dropped down to Sacajawea Memorial Camp, which does not allow camping, but does have a spring.
We are counting the miles to the next town, which is Leadore (Lead, like the metal, and Ore). This stretch has felt long and a little harder. So the pass represented a milestone closer to town.
Since the only place to stay in Leadore has only three or four rooms, I was a little anxious because I wanted to sleep in a bed. The pass was a good place to ask for some help. The first guy thought I was an axe murderer, but was polite within that impression. The second guy agreed to make a reservation for us.
We'll see if he remembers.
The improvements and volume of people are because of the bicentennial of Lewis and Clark's journey through this part of the country. Sacajawea was their guide in these parts.
Most of the walking we did today was on roads, none of them paved. Many miles of road were on the Divide, which sometimes meant we were in the trees, and other times presented with great views.
As the sun set, we were walking through wide open spaces with huge, mature white bark (?) pine trees perfectly placed in the landscape. A landscape artist could not do better. We walked facing the rising half moon, scaring cows and their calves.
Tonight we are camped out on the Divide in the loveliest grassy open area with dramatic trees and ever-present wind. I am most fond of this camp site.
