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07/25/2017
Trail Journal
Day 10 part 2... The trail down was on the west side and brutally hot! Once off the summit, the cool wind stopped and we continued to descend through open, arid, shadeless stretches. One interesting thing about the hot sun is that it bakes the smells out of the trees and plants. Some are good, some not so much. In a few places, it smelled just like someone was baking a huckleberry pie! We reached Turner creek about 3pm and decided to cool off in it - very nice. Checking the maps, we still had 10 miles to go which included a 1600foot climb during the hottest part of the day and possibly no water until the end. Yuch!!! Since we are already a couple days ahead of schedule, we stopped here at Fish Lake for a very short (but strenuous) day. The climb will wait for tomorrow and we will need to do a 25 mile day in order to complete a dry ridge and find water - see a pattern here? I did see a huge owl silently swoop through the trees in front of me, being chased by a small, screeching bird of some kind. Oh, almost forgot, last night in camp around 10 or so, some large animal visited. It crunched out in the brush making a very strange noise, not like a whoof of a bear, more like a horse huffing and more high pitched than I'd expect a bear to sound. Anyway, we both grabbed our bear spray and waited until our tired eyes took over again.
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Posted: 07/25/2017
Posted: 07/25/2017
Day 9: Miracle Puddle
![](http://hikingdude.com/i/blog/1355.jpg)
I traveled about 26 miles today.
7/21/17 Josh checking in today! (Dad's looking at tomorrow's routes at the moment, so I'll jump into the spotlight). Sticking true to our recently self-imposed morning routine, we got rolling bright and early at 5:30am. Started hiking from Jeremy and Nikki's backyard down the main street, leeching all the free WiFi that we could from outside the stores as we strolled by. Made our way past some tiny convenience store along Lake Koocanusa, so I bought a snickers bar and twinkie (mostly so that I wouldn't feel crummy about enjoying the luxury of their clean bathroom and water refill in the sink. I love getting water without having to filter it!!). We knew that water sources were going to be tricky today, so we chugged a bunch before refilling and pressing onwards. While still fresh from all the rest yesterday, we quickly cranked out 17 miles of road walking and found ourselves at the bottom of Mt. Webb just minutes before 1pm. We nearly witnessed a family of deer get obliterated by the highway traffic, but luckily it didn't go down that way cuz we very well might've been in the splashzone! Feeling good about our pace in the pleasant low-temp hours of the morning, we began ascending Mt. Webb, which we had heard about plenty from the folks last night. The further we climbed, the more the incline seemed to steepen, and the hotter it felt like the sun was shining overhead. Conserving water was at the forefront of both our minds, and to accomplish this we needed to maintain a steady, yet efficient pace to minimize our exposure to the sun beaming down on our side of the mountain. We zig-zagged up to the top by 3:30pm, stopping once to nibble on some huckleberries; we were cutting it close with a few drips of water to spare, and at least 2 more miles until the next water source that we could see on the map. We hiked the trail along the ridge line as it flattened out, expecting to see a pond to refill with....
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Posted: 07/25/2017
Posted: 07/25/2017
Trail Journal
Part 2 of Day 9... But we could see nothing but forest. Huh. Water was the number one priority for the moment, so we made a mental note of our location and hopped off the trail to begin wandering downhill where any rainwater might pool up. After 10 minutes of climbing over, under, and around downed trees (that place could benefit from a forest fire to clear it up one of these years... Knock on wood) we made it to what I like to call the Puddle of Life. Or miracle puddle. Both get the point across - I was very happy to see that water. Admittedly it was more the size of a pond than a puddle. We got our water, navigated our way back to the trail, and pressed on to a creek about 5 miles further where we set up the tent, ate our calorie-dense dinners, and did the calculations to realize we had just finished our third marathon day of 26 miles. We're gonna have to slow down so we get to our destination on time!
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Posted: 07/25/2017
Posted: 07/25/2017
Done Hiking Today
![](http://hikingdude.com/i/blog/endofday.gif)
I finished hiking for today. You can check out my current location on the map and I'll post about my day when I am in coverage.
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Posted: 07/25/2017
Posted: 07/25/2017
07/24/2017
Done Hiking Today
![](http://hikingdude.com/i/blog/endofday.gif)
I finished hiking for today. You can check out my current location on the map and I'll post about my day when I am in coverage.
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Posted: 07/24/2017
Posted: 07/24/2017
07/23/2017
Done Hiking Today
![](http://hikingdude.com/i/blog/endofday.gif)
I finished hiking for today. You can check out my current location on the map and I'll post about my day when I am in coverage.
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Posted: 07/23/2017
Posted: 07/23/2017
07/22/2017
Done Hiking Today
![](http://hikingdude.com/i/blog/endofday.gif)
I finished hiking for today. You can check out my current location on the map and I'll post about my day when I am in coverage.
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Posted: 07/22/2017
Posted: 07/22/2017
07/20/2017
Day 8: Eureka!
![](http://hikingdude.com/i/blog/1349.jpg)
I traveled about 11 miles today.
a long roadwalk.
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Posted: 07/20/2017
Posted: 07/20/2017
07/19/2017
Day 7: Trail Angels
![](http://hikingdude.com/i/blog/1348.jpg)
I traveled about 27 miles today.
es from Eureka. Real food again tomorrow!
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Posted: 07/19/2017
Posted: 07/19/2017
Day 6: We Walked
![](http://hikingdude.com/i/blog/1347.jpg)
I traveled about 26 miles today.
38 degrees when we got up at 5:30 this morning and there was fog rolling off the little lake. We were on the trail by 6:05 with full water and rested bodies, and it's a good thing! This12 mile section had no water at all and, even though it looks like a nice ridge walk on the map, was up and down STEEP peaks and saddles all morning. The first fresh spring on the trail at 6000 feet after dropping into the Blue Sky Creek drainage was beautiful to see. Mt. Locke was a killer climb. From the spring on, the trail was relatively easy all day so we added some extra miles of roadwalk on at the end. We saw our first PNT trail registry out here and signed it - a map page someone no longer needed in a box. Saw that 'Parks' signed it today before us so maybe we'll find him on trail. Other than that, all entries were days or weeks old. So, today we walked. And had great views of the mountains!
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Posted: 07/19/2017
Posted: 07/19/2017
Day 5: A Little Rest
![](http://hikingdude.com/i/blog/1346.jpg)
I traveled about 15 miles today.
With sore legs and feet from the long dusty roadwalk yesterday, we planned to have a short day today and rest a bit. Another reason our day was short is because there is supposedly a 14mile stretch with no water just ahead and we didn't really want to do 30 miles, or carry enough water for the distance plus an overnight. Bear grass is in full bloom and the pollen is thick. We brush past it much of the day and are covered at times, but it is beautiful. So, here we are spending a very relaxing afternoon and evening at Red Meadow Lake campground. The lake is wonderful and I spent a long time swatting flies and throwing them in for the trout to eat. A pit toilet, easy water, and towering mountain view make this a great spot to rest. The trail here today was uneventful. A very long steady climb up old logging roads followed by a short stretch of recently maintained Trail 26 was the day. Whoever maintains this section did a ton of work this summer digging tread and even pounding rocks. We met a few mountain bikers at the campground who are riding an approximate continental divide route. Then at the end of the day, Alex from Australia rode in. He started in Banff and is heading south along the same route. It was nice to talk with him a bit. We met no one on the trail today - but it is Monday I guess.
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Posted: 07/19/2017
Posted: 07/19/2017
Older Posts Newer Posts
All Comments:
Feb 13, 2020 - Jason Berklund
Hey hiking dude I have several questions planning my first north to south trip
from 270 all the way down. I kind a know what to wear what to eat all that
important jive. I am in relatively good shape definitely Not concerned about
where in tear. 45 years old going with a 21-year-old nephew. My question is
I have friends in Duluth that I don’t want to burden with driving me what’s the
best way to get up to otter Lake Road that’s not gonna cost a crap ton. We
were thinking 15 miles a day. We were also thinking hammocks. Let me
know what you think please. I have read so much and look at so much and
heard so many opinions but You seem to be very realistic on your
comments. Thank you
Feb 13, 2020 - Hiking Dude
@Jason - Hammocks work fine - most campsites have lots of trees.
15MPD is realistic, and you'll probably do more than that many
days.
Getting to the northern terminus is expensive (in my mind). If you can schedule correctly, Arrowhead Transit is cheapest to Grand Marais, but then Harriet Quarles is the only shuttle I know of. You might find a good ol' boy in Grand Marais willing to drive you the 35 miles to the end for a few $$$.
It's a 3 hour drive from Duluth - that's 6 hours and 300 miles round-trip. Maybe your friend would like to drive up the north shore for a day.
Getting to the northern terminus is expensive (in my mind). If you can schedule correctly, Arrowhead Transit is cheapest to Grand Marais, but then Harriet Quarles is the only shuttle I know of. You might find a good ol' boy in Grand Marais willing to drive you the 35 miles to the end for a few $$$.
It's a 3 hour drive from Duluth - that's 6 hours and 300 miles round-trip. Maybe your friend would like to drive up the north shore for a day.
Feb 04, 2024 - John
Me and my fiance are going to Costa Rica for our honeymoon and we
are so excited!
May 02, 2024 - Zeke Mead
Has anyone cycled this Camiño? Sounds like the trail is a road
and if trucks are able to do it, maybe bikes too?
May 03, 2024 - Hiking Dude
@Zeke - Someone could certainly bike part of the Camino de Costa
Rica, but other parts are simple trail that would not be passable
by bike.
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