CDT – Montana (Southern Montana / Idaho) (2/2)

Mellow Montana

Getting back to the trail from Augusta usually means paying some guy 20 or 30 bucks to drive you down a dusty road squeezed into the back of a truck. We decided to try hitching instead and managed to pull it off in three rides. After the second one we got dropped off and spotted this ranger waiting by the side of the road. His truck had broken down. He had a trailer with a few horses inside and was just waiting for help. We sat with him for a bit. He wasn’t really chatty but we got this pretty iconic picture out of it.

After the first couple of weeks the hiking in Montana changed. Glacier and Bob Marshall were done and now we were into rolling hills Montana. Slightly easier terrain but that also meant more exposure, more heat and longer water carries. A different kind of challenge. But the scenery changed and I really really enjoyed that.

At this stage hiking in Montana just felt relaxing. If we were doing less than 40 km a day that was a recovery day. Obviously a joke but it did feel easier in comparison. Cowboy camping, sleeping anywhere on or off the trail, just having a great time.

As with every long journey I had a job interview during this one too. Woke up at 5 am, ran to the closest road and hitched to the town of Lincoln, Montana. That’s where the Unabomber was from, by the way. On the way I saw a bear with multiple cubs. No idea if it was a black bear or a grizzly but not a bad way to start an interview day. Didn’t get the job though. Didn’t even make it to the next round.

The llama ranch

The CDT runs close to the Great Divide bikepacking route and hikers figured out that if you take a small detour near Helena, the capital of Montana, you can get to this ranch that caters to bikers riding across the country. They start in Banff, Canada and go all the way south to New Mexico. Pretty epic.

We heard about it and ended up at this place called Llama Ranch where they actually grow llamas. They usually make sandwiches and have sodas for people passing through. That day so many hikers showed up it got a bit hectic. Some stayed, some just passed through. I drank some sodas, took pictures with the llamas and just chilled.

Already getting some pretty spicy tan lines

The saga continues

The remaining stretch of Montana going south wasn’t the most exciting hiking ever. But there was something nice about the simplicity of it. Getting into the flow, being surrounded by people, seeing small town communities. It did feel wild in its own way.

Hard to compare to the PCT honestly. Different thing entirely. But overall I really enjoyed it. No injuries, life was simple, life was good and we just kept going south towards Mexico.

Anaconda

Anaconda, not the snake, just the town’s name. It’s pretty cool. There’s a hiker hut where you can just show up, charge your electronics and camp in the park. You can also sneak into the local swimming pool for a shower or just jump in. I don’t know if you’re supposed to pay. I didn’t and nobody said anything. There was a local festival going on too. That’s small town America and it’s amazing.

Injuries catch up eventually. Here’s a picture. You be the judge.

Idaho?

Technically this section is called Idaho but not really. You’re just walking along the state line between Idaho and Montana back and forth many times. So yeah, Idaho on paper but mostly still Montana.

Of course, sometimes you gotta show some leg to get that hitch to town :))

We kept picking up people and seeing familiar faces from a week or two back. That’s what I love about thru hiking. There’s this natural dynamic where you hike with people for a bit, lose them, catch up again and somehow end up at the same pace. Even when you thought you’d be too slow or too fast. It just evens out.

Leadore, Idaho

Getting to Leadore, Idaho meant we couldn’t just hitch. The road is too unpopular so we had to satellite message someone to pick us up at noon. Leadore has a population of 98 people as of 2020. Services are pretty limited. We resupplied at the gas station which actually had a small section set up specifically for hikers passing through. Really nice of them.

Leadore has one small motel / Airbnb. We couldn’t afford it so we camped literally 10 meters from the gas station in their backyard. They allowed it. At some point a car stopped and someone offered us money, genuinely thinking we were in need. We had to explain that this is what we chose to do. We chose to hike and be miserable. This is what we wanted. We didn’t take the money. Looking back we probably should have.

Southern Montana

Moving forward we hit one of our bigger storms. Being at 10,000 feet and hearing lightning and thunder all around you is not the place you want to be. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. We hunkered down and waited it out.

Below are just the remaining pictures of southern Montana. I’ll let the pictures tell the story and hopefully that inspires you to hike in Montana. It’s really nice and hopefully a part of the CDT. And only go SOBO, southbound. Do not start in Mexico. The CDT is meant to go south.