July 6, 2018. Eureka, MT to stealth camp near Boulder Creek.
Last night in the motel, I was presented with an interesting scenario. On one side a young family checked in. At first the baby was giggling, but eventually got fussy and cried. I have been in their shoes. On the other side, an older couple checked in and they were hard of hearing and thus spoke loud and had the television cranked. I will be in their shoes soon enough.
I walked out of town early, about 6:30. I was loaded with 6 days of food plus water. Watching a town wake up is always interesting. At the last gas station before leaving. I grabbed s cup of coffee.
For a small, tourist town, Eureka had a gem of a hiking / biking trail. It was well maintained and several miles long following the Tobacco River, then, roughly the shore of Lake Koocanusa. I saw two bald eagles along the river.
All good things must come to an end and so I eventually cut over to the freeway. A hot 11 mile walk as RVs, logging trucks, and motorcycles whipped by. Thankfully, I had my MP3 player so I listened to an audiobook most of the way.
It was a pretty boring hike. I was walking along Lake Koocanusa which has a pretty blue undertone. The name is a mashup of Kootenai county. Canada and USA. It is a river dammed several years ago and it stretches 40 miles crossing the US /Canadian border
I did rile up an osprey in her nest. She initially took flight and circled me and her nest. Eventually she settled came to roost down and settled down to her chicks.
I crossed the steel bridge to get to the other side. Thankfully, there was a pedestrian walkway. As I age, I am increasingly nervous about heights. About halfway across the winds started making a weird sound rushing through the railing bars making a bizarre sound. The rest of the way I closely hugged the inside railing.
There was an interesting “shrine” a bit further on the western side. It was unclear whether the honoree died at that spot or was simply honored there. Homage was in the form of beers, bullets, and quarters. Atop was a tasmanian devil in a dress. I’m not sure how I’ll be remembered when I’m gone, but this would not be my first choice.
Finally, I reached the base of Mount Webb. On a hot, dry afternoon it was a 3,300 foot climb in a few short miles. It was an exposed ascent. I had brought 2 and 1/2 liters of water, but it was soon evident this was not enough.
I eventually reached the old lookout station. It too could be rented, but was not occupied. I walked around the catwalk. It was windy. I think staying overnight could be absolutely beautiful with panoramic sunrises and sunsets or a sheer trip through hall in a windy lightning storm.
All of my water was gone. It was 7:00. I still had over a mile until the next water source. Of course, the trail I was on was the Thirsty Mountain Trail.
After I guzzled down a liter of water, I filled my two liter container and then tried to find a place for the night. The forest was a mix of tall, older trees with very little room in the understory and it was steep.
Finally, I found an area that had been trampled by cattle when grazing had been allowed. There were cow pies, but they were at least two or three years old. In a hurry, I put up my tent and ate my dinner. The mosquitoes here were numerous but dumb.
I climbed into bed about 9:30 and almost fell asleep instantly. Later, I was awaken by on and off sprinkles even though there were stars clearly visible.
I was pleased I had managed to crank out a 26 mile day, but my feet and legs were protesting.
backpacking over the hill 