Will hold packages indefinitely.

Subject: 9/13, day 140, 19.8 mi, 7020'
plus 2 miles to get to the trail

Indian Summer with red or gold colors showing in the ground foliage is a new hiking high. Forest scents include pine, herbs, berries, mushrooms and other tantalizing scents that I can't identify. Too short days are warm and sun filled, nights are crispy cold.

We're in the Bob Marshall Wilderness rock hopping a dozen creeks (cricks) and following the West Fork of the South Fork of the Sun River (seriously!) to the Chinese Wall. We talked to hikers # 14 & 15 in 800 MT miles. They were on their way out and gave us leftovers of tomatoes and a cucumber. They were immediately eaten as were the wasabi peas. We also shared the trail with pack trains of ridiculous length setting up camps for hunters since hunting season starts this weekend. We are hurrying to get out of the way.

As we lie in our tent tonight we can hear the elk bugling. They are safe here in a wildlife refuge, but just over the divide the hunters are preparing for the hunt.

... Gottawalk

Subject: 9/15, day 142, 25 miles
We hiked up over the divide from hunting areas to the game preserve for the 1st day of hunting. As we came down we reached The Bog of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. We are in forest so dense that I don't think the sun ever reaches through the high canopy and multi levels of under story to the mud. Add seeps, streams and creeks and the trail gets gooier. Like Eskimos that can name dozens of ice or snow we can identify 77 kinds of mud. They range from quick mud where a hapless hiker is sucked knee deep and two hikers need fast reaction time to save the hiker and shoes. The other end of the spectrum is mud that looks slimy wet but is stiff enough to allow a skinny hiker with big feet to pass by but causes deer and elk to posthole. We haven't had dry feet for days but have soft skin and no calluses on our feet.

... Gottawalk

Subject: 9/16, day 143, 23 miles,
Our campsite was beautiful last night, with the added benefit of warmth. We saw the moon rising through a ridge of trees above steep scree.

The trail took us back into the forest and mud, a slow up and down as we approached Badger Pass. We see hunters on the trail but no animals. We asked the last four hunters the weather forecast and they gave us the good news of sunny and warm;

... Gottawalk

Subject: 9/17, day 144, 17 miles, 6000'
The weather today was overcast and it sprinkled on us a few times. Guess our string of good weather is behind us. We had hoped for about 6 more days!

We hiked to the southern border of Glacier today then came into East Glacier to get our mail. We still need to hike the 15 miles into East Glacier. Tomorrow we will try to get our permits for GNP campsites and do the 15 miles.

Ate supper at a Mexican restaurant. On the way out we saw the Amtrak train across the street. Exciting to think that we will be on that train in 10 days.

... Gottawalk

Subject: 9/18, day 145, 15 mi.
Our motel owner gave us a ride back to Marias Pass so we could continue where we stopped yesterday. The clouds were so thick and misty that we put on rain gear. Once we left the pass the gear turned out to be wind protection and the clouds passed by. Hiking on trail on the shoulder of Summit Mtn was a nice way to spend the day. The trail wove in and out between trees and open brushy areas. Hiking was easy as we rolled gently up and down to small creeks. Near the end we left Glacier NP and hiked onto the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and then into E Glacier.

Dinner was at a yummy Mexican restaurant where he food wasn't as hot as that in NM.

When we get our permit tomorrow we can hike the last 103 mi.

... Gottawalk