Wednesday July 31, 5.8mi/9.3km

Sullivan Lake campground (34.7alt/2631ft) to Metaline Falls (347.1/2077ft) (WA)

I packed up a dry tent (yay!), and started the couple hours of roadwalking into town.

It was a paved road the entire way, but very few cars, a nice quiet morning.

As I got closer to town, I picked up phone signal and made some calls and organized some logistics for the next section. Just before town was an old mill!

I arrived into Metaline Falls at 9:30am, and went straight to the Cafe for 2nd breakfast.

Mmmm… second breakfast. Milkshakes!

I went across the street to the Post office to get my new socks, and then checked into the Washington hotel at 11am. Tiffany was so nice, and let me check in early!

I spent the rest of the day eating and relaxing. I met a couple of other Thru-hikers, Ryan & Alison. And Emily arrived later in the afternoon! (I had last seen her in the bushwhack three days ago). It was a fun evening of socializing with all the hikers in the hotel’s lounge/living room. And tomorrow I’ve decided to take my first zero day of this trail!

Tuesday July 30, 24.0mi/38.6km

Shedroof Divide Jct (10.7alt/5551ft) to Sullivan Lake campground (34.7alt /2631ft) (WA)

I was woken by the sounds of a large animal crashing through the brush, it was just a deer! I packed up, retrieved my bear bag, and hiked up the last bit of the climb. I love being up on the ridges.

The trail wound its way thru passes and around small mountains, and the morning flew by.

I came to a dirt road crossing, and I was expecting to see a PNTA trail crew, but sadly they weren’t around.

The road cut thru the pass in a rocky area, so I hung out for a few minutes, and the marmots came out of hiding!

I returned to the trail and savored a couple more hours of the blissful ridgewalk hiking.

It’s just so good!

Even in the burn areas, the contrast of new greenery and charred black stumps is cool.

Finally, near mid-afternoon, I started descending towards Sullivan Lake.

Three thousand vertical feet later, I was down at the lake. I stopped at a campground to refill my water and empty my trash, and continued the walk along the four-mile long lake.

Along the lake, I crossed paths with Patch, who is a PNTA trail crew volunteer, and also a former AT and CDT thru-hiker. We talked for a bit, and he gave me advice on a good camping spot a couple miles past where I was planning to camp. So, I went an extra two miles, past the end of the lake, to a spot near the Sullivan Lake campground.

I washed up in a nearby river, made dinner, and got into bed by 8pm. Tomorrow is a town day!

Monday July 29, 23.8mi/38.3km

Lion Creek campsite ID (283.0/2522ft) to Shedroof Divide Jct WA (10.7alt /5551ft)

The others were still sleeping, so I packed up quietly and hiked back to the spot they picked me up from, 1.5miles up the road. Then, I ate breakfast and started my mileage for the day. It was tempting to swim in Priest Lake, but it wasn’t very warm at 9am.

The forests in this part are full of green, it feels like a wetter climate than before.

I hiked around the eastern side of Upper Priest Lake too, and there were frequently views of the water.

I decided to stop early for lunch, so I could also have a swim. I definitely didn’t wait 30 minutes after eating, I’m not even sure what that “rule” was supposed to prevent anyway.

At the lunch spit, there was also a surprise cave! It turns out it’s actually an old mineshaft, but either way I didn’t go in..

For a couple hours after lunch, I walked thru a forest with huge trees, and it felt very ancient.

This section is also part of another long trail, the Idaho Centennial trail. It runs from thru Idaho north to south for 1000+ miles.

After leaving the forest and the Centennial trail, I was on a hot dirt road for an hour. Then, back in the forest! I’m not sure why this trail had a speed limit.. I’m certainly not exceeding 5mi/hour!

This part was all uphill, hiking up to the Shedroof Divide, a low mountain range on the Idaho-Washington border. Halfway up, I hit the border!

The last hour into camp was slow, as this part of the trail was overgrown. I setup camp at 7pm, and enjoyed the nice views of the sun setting on the valley below.

Hello, Washington!

Sunday July 28, 18.9mi/30.4km

Parker Mountain campsite (264.1/6640ft) to Lion Creek campsite (283.0/2522ft) (ID)

I watched the sun rise up over the granite peaks, and when it got high enough to shine into my tent, I packed up.

The morning hiking was up on a high granite ridgeline, and the first part was a slab traverse! Fortunately there was a thin trail sliced into the rock.

The scenery in this area is surprising, it looks almost like the Sierra in California.

With alpine meadows for miles…

And of course, no ridgeline traverse is complete without a talus field to negotiate. It was very short, and I had fun with it.

I could see many alpine lakes below me, I think this one is Pyramid Lake.

And I walked right by Ball Lake. This was a nice lunch spot, before I started the 5mi/8km bushwhack.

And then, the bushwhack! This is the first of several bushwhack sections on the PNT, and they are slow going. I expected to average about 1mi/hour, and it was pretty close to that. It started out in pretty open terrain, nice and easy.

And as I descended towards Lion Creek, the vegetation became very thick. I was using fallen logs as passageways thru the bushes!

After four hours of that type-2 fun, I finally emerged onto a nice dirt path at 4:30pm.

I stopped for a nice swim break at Lion Creek slides, a natural water slide in the granite rock of the creek. There were probably a dozen locals there too, as there is a road nearby.

I ended the day on a short roadwalk, and a nice couple from Spokane offered me a ride to their campsite. I went with them, and Brandon and Miranda drove around the state park and gave me a tour! Then, we got to their campsite, I setup my tent, and had the first campfire of this trip!

Saturday July 27, 18.1mi/29.1km

Hwy 95/ Bonners Ferry (246.0/2531ft) to Parker Peak campsite (264.1/6640ft) (ID)

I was almost packed up, and a man in a van pulls up to our camp spot. Apparently Emily had arranged a ride back to the trail, and I asked the man if he had room for one more. He did, and at 8am, we were on our way!The first nine miles were easy roadwalk, and Ghost and I had some good conversations along the way. It was nice having another hiker around.

We crossed the Kootenay River, our lowest elevation for the day.

At lunchtime, we left the road, and took a break at the last water source for 5mi/8km, Parker Creek.

And then, the climb UP ! 5000ft uphill over 7mi/11km, most of it exposed to the sun.

And shortly after, the injuries started. There was a fallen log across the trail, and I vaulted over it as usual. I cut my hand, and dug out the first aid kit to clean and bandage it. This is the view from my first spot:

Then, the burn area continued, with lots of fallen branches to step over and around.

I cut up the back of my legs a bit, as sticks kept getting caught in between. There were so many trees and sticks, I started bushwhacking straight up the hill, cutting all the switchbacks. Of course, I tripped multiple times, and now my arms had dozens of bleeding scratches too.

There was a spring near the top of the climb, where I washed off the dried blood, charcoal dust, and pollen. My arms and legs had layers!

The trail left the burn area, and became much nicer after the spring. But I didn’t trust the improvement would last, so I kept my first aid kit in an outside pocket!I got to my planned campsite at 6pm, setup my tent, and admired the view before passing out.

Friday July 26, 15.8mi/25.4km

Fiest Creek Restaurant (230.2/2520ft) to Hwy 95/Bonners Ferry (246.0/2536ft) (ID)

It felt strange to be camping, but also next to a restaurant. I wanted to get up the big climb early in the morning while it was still cool, so I headed out at 7:30am. I passed a big fish pond and the waterfall as I left the restaurant.

For the next 5mi/8km and two hours, I climbed UP 3400 feet, ouch! The trail was nicely switchbacked , but it was tiring nonetheless.

At the top of this monster climb was Brussard Mt, and it was perfect weather to be up there. Looking south, down into the valley with Bonners Ferry:

And Northwest:

The next three hours was easy downhill, all the way to the highway. It had some really nice bridges, and someone had left handprints on one of them.

The handprints reminded me of the PCT, and “bridge push-ups”, a game that Cheshire Cat and Bonus Miles had invented. Ha!

One part of the descent trail was pretty trashed by dirtbikes, fortunately this was short-lived.

And the last few miles were on a dirt Forest Service road, with zero cars. Nice!

I got to the highway at 2:45pm, spent about 25 minutes hitching, and got picked up by a rather entertaining fellow with a passion for religion. It’s a topic I usually ardently avoid, but he was my ride for 15 miles into the town of Bonners Ferry. The town is very spread out, so I opted to camp at the RV park across from the Safeway (grocery store here). I even met two other PNT thru-hikers, Ghost and Emily. Other hikers do exist! We socialized after dinner over ice cream and… 2nd dinner? Meals are hard to classify on these hikes! So, food. And then bed!

Thursday July 25, 24.7mi/39.8km

Midge Creek Campsite MT (205.7/4852ft) to Fiest Creek Restaurant ID (230.2/2520ft) +0.2mi road to restaurant

I was planning on a longer day today, so I was moving down the trail at 6:30am.

The 2000ft/600m climb went by easily in the cool morning temperatures, and I was on the ridge a couple of hours later. It was neat to see the valleys below me still blanketed in fog.

The ridgewalks were a little rocky, but not slow. And marmots everywhere!

Around lunchtime, I came to a junction with multiple trail registers. This is where some hikers choose to do a bushwhack alternate route. I stuck to the trail.

An hour later, I crossed the state line into Idaho, leaving Montana! My first state is done. Sadly, there were no signs, markings, or even stones on the ground. But I had consolation views!

On the descent from the ridge, I crossed a couple of small dirt roads, and each had this “hikers crossing” sign.

Which got me thinking, why is the first hiker bigger than the second one? Is it supposed to represent parent/child or male/female? I guess I need to find the Forest Service employee who designed the sign…

More views before the final drop into the Moyie River valley!

I arrived in the valley and followed a paved road for ten minutes, and I was at the Fiest Creek Resort. It’s a nice restaurant and bar, with waterfalls in the back.

And the owner, Cliff, is super nice to hikers! After my meal, he let me setup my tent in the yard. I didn’t realize the time zone change when I crossed into Idaho, so I’m going to bed and it’s only 8:30pm!

Wednesday July 24, 21.7mi/34.9km

Yaak River Road (184.0/2992ft) to Midge Creek Campsite (205.7/4852ft) (MT)

I slept in until 8am, since Mike said he could give me a ride into town at 9am, after breakfast of course. After a nice meal of eggs, toast, and fruit, we all got in the Subaru and made the 20 minute trip into “town” (it’s like 4 buildings). Mike dropped me off at the Mercantile, and he continued down the street to the firehouse to check on some issue at work.

I asked for my box that I had mailed myself, and dumped it into my food bag. Because of the big thunderstorm and wind last night, there was no electricity today in town. So I didn’t get to buy any ice cream… so sad! The saloon across the street wasn’t open yet either. Also, it had a great name for a bar, “the dirty shame”. Haha.

Mike came back 30 minutes later, and we went back to his house. I said my goodbyes, and started walking. It was already 11am, so I wasn’t planning on going a full mileage day today. The first 14 miles were a dirt road walk, so it went by quickly.

It climbed up to a 5000ft ridgeline, but very gradually over 10mi/16km. It hardly felt like going uphill! At the top, it went into a nice pine forest on a smooth trail.

I noticed at the end of the ridgewalk, a cluster of trees that couldn’t figure out how to grow straight. Weird. I think there is a name for this phenomenon?

The view, looking north into the valley.

On the way downhill off the ridge, I passed the 200 mile mark! Now it’s starting to feel like I’m actually getting somewhere.

The last 6mi/10km of the day was on a dirt road. Only one car passed me, so it was a relaxing walk. I couldn’t find any good camp spots along the road, so I just hiked until the road ended, and camped at the trailhead. Perfect!

Tuesday July 23, 29.2mi/47.0km

Webb Mountain Summit (154.8/5988ft) to Yaak River Road (184.0/2992ft) (MT)

It was already very warm when I woke up at 7am, and becoming hot by 7:30am when I started down the trail. Thank goodness for all the trees, it’s so much cooler in the shade!I hiked a couple of ridgelines all morning, and up here at 6000ft elevation, the wildflowers are still out.There were plenty of lakes today, but they were all down on the valleys… no water up here. Which meant I had to carry double the water that I usually do – 2 liters today! Looking down on Boulder Lake :It seems the PNT is well marked at junctions, and almost never in between them. This was a funny junction with a tree arrow.I reached the high point of the day, Mt. Henry, after 2pm. It was early, so I took a nice long break at the summit tower.Afterwards, there was a loooong descent from 7200ft elevation down to 3600ft. The distance flew by, but my knees weren’t happy. At the bottom was Turner Falls, so I stopped and took a river bath. The water was cold, but it felt good in the 90F air.There was another smaller climb up to a ridge, where I planned to camp. But when I got up there, I could see thunderstorms gathering in the distance. Darn, gotta keep moving, and get downhill. I got down off the ridge, and it started hailing. I kept walking, looking for a nice flat spot to camp… nothing.Eventually, at 7:30pm, I hit the road to town (which I was planning to hitch tomorrow afternoon), and decided to try hitching into town tonight. No cars going my direction, but one going the opposite direction stopped. Mike chatted with me for awhile and offered me a place to sleep in his old camper. Awesome!Mike is a retired mechanic from the SF Bay area, and moved up here to “the Yaak” valley 12 years ago. This is such a different place from California! More rain is expected to come tonight, so I’m happy to be inside!

Monday July 22, 22.7mi/36.5km

Eureka MT (132.1/2674ft) to Webb Mountain summit (154.8/5988ft) (MT)

I accidentally slept in, and I didn’t get out of the motel until 9am..oops. I had some errands at the post office, and the Forest Service office. I checked on fire reports and bear reports – none! The only bear is the grizzly in the lobby:

I walked thru the rest of downtown Eureka, it’s a cozy feeling town.

I saw a diner that specialized in milkshakes, so I had to try it!

After leaving town, the PNT followed a rails to-trails for an hour. It seemed not quite finished, since some of the rails were still there!

Eventually the rail-trail ended, and I was back in a nice open pine forest. I was thankful that it was an overcast day, since traversing this valley is known to be brutal in the heat.

And then, more roadwalk. Like, 7 miles of paved road. Bleh. At least the scenery was nice.

A huge bird nest!

I noticed that most states seem to have these differential speed limits, except back east. It seems like such a good idea, come on atlantic states!

Lake Koocanusa, in the distance:

The lake’s name is a combination of three things – Kootenai, Canada, and USA. It is a man-made lake a half mile wide, and like 60 miles long.

I crossed the bridge over the lake, it is the longest and highest (215ft) bridge in Montana.

After the bridge, I finally re-entered the forest.

And did a 3300ft/1000m climb…the biggest on the PNT so far. Ouch.

I arrived at the top two hours and 4 miles later, to the summit of Webb mountain. It had a lookout tower!

I went up to check it out, it was unlocked, so I relaxed inside for a bit. Great views!

I made dinner and watched the sunset, not a bad finish to the day. 😁