Enjoying a lake, stopping early to bathe and wash clothes. The clouds and mountains reflected in the lakes. The silence and sense of deep peace. Missing Jenn. Learning guys I met and taught how to use/carry bear spray got grizzly-mauled later same day. Steep ups/downs. Some scary ridge walking. Not looking down and talking self…

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From Helena to Whitehall By Mary Anderson What I’ll remember: The smoky views. Feeling like I am walking in an eclipse due to the smoke. Having to keep changing my route because of fires. Setting out for maybe 200 miles cross-county by myself. Feeling strong and satisfied with my walking pace. Feeling accomplished and okay…

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The views out here are really affected by the smoke. The sky is hazy and I no longer have the far-reaching spectacular views from the ridgetops. I admit, I am a bit disappointed. There is less reward each time I reach a summit. As a result, I’ve decided to change my focus. Since the fires…

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I’ve heard it said that the older you get, the harder time you have adjusting to new situations. If that is the case, then hiking will keep me young, at least in my mind. I am constantly having to adjust out here. First, there are the minute changes that happen often each day. When climbing…

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Both times I hiked the Appalachian Trail, trail angels did not really exist. Nor were they present for me on the Pacific Coast Trail. There were people who were kind to me and fed me and even housed me at times. But they were few and far between. We hikers had not yet coined the…

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When I hike a trail like the Continental Divide Trail I find it useful to gather information from people I meet along the way. They can tell me if there are a lot of blowdowns or what the river crossing will be like. Sometimes I take what they say with a grain of salt, knowing…

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