I think I say this every time, but it’s really hard to leave town. Even just running water is a nice treat after a long time on trail. I didn’t get any chores done the day before so I had to get up early and do them before checking out of my hotel.
First I ordered new shoes to a town about 200 miles away. I would love new shoes before that, but I think I would beat the shoes to the next town. Next I went to to the laundromat to clean my clothes. While I was waiting I walked to the grocery store and bought my food for the next few days. I ran into the sobos from the night before at the laundromat and we talked a bit more.
As I was leaving the laundromat I saw that Caddyshack and FeelGood had made it to town. We met up for breakfast and then I packed up everything and was ready to head out. The owner of the hotel offers rides up to the trail so me and two other hikers took him up on it.
The trail today was actually spectacular. There were some big climbs, but it was a stark change from the dirt road in the forest I had been hiking on the two days before.
I climbed up and over Targhee Pass before heading out into the plains a little bit.
The trail followed the rolling hills and practically went through the backyards of a few people. It was getting late and I needed to find a campsite.
I was getting close to a highway crossing and the only flat areas looked close to the road. I didn’t want to hear cars all night so I started looking for sites on the hillside.
Just as I was about to head down to the road, there was a trail junction with a fairly flat spot for me to pitch my tent. The view was great and I can barely hear the road. I also have cell service! I didn’t make it quite as far as I wanted today but I made it far enough.
When I looked at the map I found out I was camped directly on the Montana/Idaho border. I don’t know if I’ve ever done that before.