Only 137 Miles To Go

Hello Everyone from Eureka, Montana.

It's hard to believe, but we only have 137 more miles to go till we cross the Continental Divide and reach the Chief Mountain Customs Station along the Canadian border where we started the Continental Divide Trail last year.

From Northport we made our way 156 miles to Bonner's Ferry, Idaho with ever-changing beautiful scenery with vistas and mountain peaks where we could see for hundreds of miles in all directions. From Abercrombie Mountain we could actually see Idaho to the east of us and the Grand Selkirk Mountains towering majestically and proudly to come.

The trail even brought us to Seattle City Lights Boundary Dam which came with a special tour of the underground complex where the energy produced is equivalent to half of Seattle's energy expenditure.

And from the top of the Salmo-Priest Wilderness we witnessed the Priest Lakes nestled below the sculpted Selkirks. The Upper Priest River Trail introduced us to some of the most beautiful low elevation red cedar forest the Pacific Northwest has to offer. To enter the heart of the Selkirks themselves, we followed an ancient trail, when possible, that was maintained partly by deer, bear, elk, and moose and bushwhacked across and through White Rhododendron brush to witness the finest sunset of the entire trip while a thunderstorm lit the skies to the east.

Fires from Washington State blurred our views out of Bonners Ferry enroute to Eureka. With miles and miles of prime huckleberry picking along the route, we feasted our way into Montana. The Northwest Peak Scenic Area was our most enjoyable cross-country route, however, our usual infinite views were limited to ten miles or less with high winds bringing smoke to our nostrils from some unseen source so many miles away to the west.

As Naturalists, we enjoyed witnessing the successional stages of emerging new forests from past fires along the Vinal-Mt. Henry-Boulder National Recreation Trail. Staying high within the subalpine was a pleasant contrast to the 90 degree temperatures of the open lowlands in the scenic valleys between the alternating mountain ranges we crossed.

Moose and and a Mountain Goat were some big game highlights in this segment while learning the languages of the birds continued to entertain us along our Way. With each step we take, there seems to be a lesson to be learned.

Tonight, we are invited to a potluck being given by a local PNT Chapter in the beautifully preserved historic part of town. It has been fun to get to know the differing personalities of all the towns along the way and the special people that have crossed our paths and brought happiness into our lives.

Only six more days of hiking and it will be time to take Amtrak back to Seattle.

Enjoy the Moment!