I'm currently waiting in East Glacier. Why waiting? Well, my hiking poles, ice axe, and bear spray that I sent off last week has not arrived at the Post Office. It was supposed to arrive Monday, but no luck. For me, the phrase SNAFU comes back to mind. How else do my thru hikes begin?! Waiting has been the theme the last few days. There were long waits in between trains from Northern California to Glacier. The train was great overall though. It was like taking a trip down memory lane on the PCT. I was privevledged to see Mt. Shasta, Crater Lake, Mt. Thieson, the Columbia River, and the Bridge of the Gods again from the comfort of the train's lodge. Huge windows allowed for fantastic sight seeing. I met some great people as well, including a couple who also are just beginning their southbound thru-hike of the CDT. Their names are Littlebug, and Aaron. They should be hitting the trail this afternoon.
My luck took a turn for the worse this morning. As I was departing the train and saying goodbye to the pretty girl I was sitting next to, I stood up too fast and smashed my head on the overhead compartment, created an awkward departure. The train was late so I could not take the shuttle to secure my hiking permits at the ranger station. When I arrived at the post office, it was closed for two hours for lunch. Of course when it re-opened, as I mentioned above, my package was not there. It was becoming clear I was going to have to say goodbye to Littlebug and Erin and decline the ride they offered to the ranger station in St. Mary's as a result. I attempted to find a stealth camp spot outside of town, but was quickly swarmed by mosquitos. The CDT motto is to "Embrace the Brutality." I think I'm ready to embrace the brutality, just not mosquito brutality just yet. As a result, I had to get a room in the local hostel. It's a great place, I was just hoping to stay there after finishing the first few days of trail, not the day I arrived in the area.
Not all is lost however. There was a BRUTAL thunderstorm that rolled through the area, dumpuing torrential amounts of rain, wind, lighting and thunder, and dropping the temperature about 20 degrees. I would have died if I was out there in those conditions on day 1. So, for now, I still have a roof over my head and all is good. Hopefully my box arrives tomorrow. I'm not sure what to do if it does not arrive by Friday...
Mark, at least you didn't die in the storm on the first day. When they made the TV movie, I'm sure the scene from the train, bumping your head just before walking into the wilderness to die, would have been embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it's a good omen. Our Colorado trip started with you bumping your head on the overhead compartment in the plane. We did well on that trip afterwards! Keep your chin up, but your head down.