Missoula got a record 2 plus inches of rain today and we drove in a car! The drive down Interstate 90 was fun and different ... and kept us dry.

Patty at Mullan PO was so helpful sorting out what we wanted now and what we'll pick up next week. The hiker register was signed by Kevin and Tucker who wrote us a note. Somehow they figured out that we are behind them. While we are hiking the ICT route from the ICT website K&T are using an earlier guidebook written by Steven Stuebner so our routes differ in places. I would like to read an account of their hike!

Rain really poured when we returned the car. We got a shuttle to a motel for another shower before we put on our new shoes.

I had my annual steak for dinner tonight. I just read at Trail Forums that the CDT ruined eating beef for other hikers like it did for me.

Ken ordered another replacement Tilley hat. His fifth under Tilley's lifetime guarantee. He told the clerk about all the replacement hats but the clerk didn't react at all. We also got a new bandana, a replacement knife and socks at REI. Plus a few food items and minor medical supplies.

What a good zero day spent out of the rain!

We ate our motel breakfast and asked for a shuttle ride out of town but were told that that was not a service provided. Ken made two signs "Lolo" and "Wilderness Gateway" thinking that the ride was so long that we would have to do it in stages. We picked up sandwiches from Safeway (earning gasoline credit), crossed the street and got a ride to Lolo Pass. Shad, the very interesting driver, offered additional distance and ended up driving us all the way to Wilderness Gateway. He is taking a photography class and was also looking for areas good for assignments. Thank you Shad!

More rain was possible so we decided to stay at the campground for a dryer night. The CG program tonight was a banjo player. I helped out by playing washboard. No, I did not volunteer!

Tomorrow we ...

Five hundred feet above us mist hung on the mountains as we left the campground. We pushed our way through wet vegetation and climbed into the mist.

We found a day hiker at the Lolo Road, the Old Motorway. He assured us the the weather was clearing. When we turned towards Liz Butte two dirt bikes passed us going the opposite way. The second driver stopped to talk and said he was trail crew and the FS uses them frequently on trails. He thanked us for using trails that he worked on!

The trailhead where we left the road actually said Idaho Centennial Trail, the first time we've seen that designation. We were back on trail cleared of fallen trees but still overgrown with bushes. The only flat place for our tent was in soggy grass. We'll be wet with humidity in the morning.

Another wet day, adding to the water we collected last night. I am eager to climb higher to get out of the vegetation and the wet meadows. We lose the trail in the vegetation when the trail is completely overgrown. Hiking is doubly slow with stopping to figure out exactly where we want to go, feeling for trail with our feet and the extra effort of pushing through the interwoven bushes. The FS should mark the trail through these meadows with tall posts since clearing the vegetation from the trail is not plausible.

Trail has changed since the data we used to prep and the junction and trail moved to a lower elevation. We hiked to 4th of July Creek. Then we climbed to Switchback Hill. Trail was good all the way. We bypassed Lookout Peak so we did not get distance views. Hiking was kind of like the AT's long green tunnel.

We decided to stop a little early tonight as we started down Switchback Hill. We thought that the terrain would be too steep to find a flat tent site. We climbed back up to use a tiny site that was big enough after we moved some rocks.

Yesterday we thought we might get to Old Kelly Work Center to camp. As we walk expectations for amenities grow. First we just wanted a flat tent site. Then a picnic table seemed plausible. A privy was added to the list and the a garbage can. People and sodas made the list.

Today at lunch we still hadn't gotten to Kelly. But we did walk through an outfitters developed camp that had everything except people and sodas. The tiny outhouse had a porcelin toilet that flushed!

Before the outfitter' s hunting camp we were on the ICT and reached an unsigned junction. The left trail immediately deteriorated with huge trees across the trail. The right fork looked like a horse trail around the downed trees. We tried both forks and a quarter mile later it was apparent that we were on an outfitter's trail that was cleared for horses. We stayed with this better trail down to Cayuse Creek Landing Strip, then walked the road to Old Kelly Work Center. The drawback was wading shallow but very wide Cayuse Creek. We walked back to the ICT and on to Kelly Creek Trail. The ranger at Kelly said that our trail up Hanson Ridge no longer exists. He recommended staying on Kelly Creek all the way to Stateline but our map doesn't show that they connect. That route is also longer which makes a difference with food. Other choices were Little Moose Ck Ridge or Bear Ck.

Camp was again squeezed at a tiny informal trail junction that showed off a great sunset.

Our tent barely fit on the junction of two trails between the mountain and Kelley Creek. We are both eager to climb higher to get out of the wet bushes and humidity. We chose Bear Creek trail instead of waterless Little Moose Ck Ridge...and ended in the bushes again! Our junction started at an outfitter's hunting camp. The sign said Bruin Hill 6 miles, Fish Lake 10 miles.

After slow bushes, navigation stops, down trees across the trail and a long climb we got to Bruin Hill. The gps said 10 miles and Fish Lake came in at 16 miles.

We hiked in rain the last few miles. We were astounded to find atv trails and developed campsites at Fish Lake but we were happy with our accommodations.

We reached the Stateline Trail today which leads along the MT/ ID border and will be our route for several days.

We thought that the rain would clear but heard rain on the tent as soon as we went to bed...dang.

Rain continued...we waited. When it didn't seem to abate we packed up. We hiked quickly without stopping in the cold rain and mist along the Stateline Trail. Occasionally, we caught a glimpse of great views when the mist briefly blew away.

As we switchback down to Goose Lake we thought we saw a privy in the trees on the far side of the lake. We decided that was our destination for the day.

When we got into the trees we realized that what we had seen was a corner of a trail crew's tent. They had three tents and a huge rain fly set up in the trees. Nobody was there, so we set up our tent on dry ground under the rain fly. We were ready for a cold night by the lake.

Just as we were dropping off to sleep we heard critters gnawing and rustling. We got up to check on our food and the trail crew stores. Back to bed and rain soon woke us. We got up to gather gear that we had hung out because it was too wet to bring into the tent. More rain...brrr. What a cold night!

The rain had stopped until we hefted our packs to step out from under the dry rain fly. The rain, wind, mist were the heaviest and coldest yet. We dashed along the Stateline to stay warm. The trail follows the peaks and saddles. At one peak the trail widened at a photo opportunity overlook. Ken wanted a photo from the same spot that every other hiker got a photo...his is a rocky foreground dropping off to all white mist. 

We dashed on, agreeing that it was time for another warm, dry town stop. We could get to Superior, MT from Hoodoo Pass. I didn't see any hoodoos, or rock pinnacles, at the pass. We started down the road toward town just to stay warm. After a few miles we rode the remainder of the way with a family bailing on their wet and muddy camping trip.

I had planned on checking for phone service at Hoodoo Pass but it was raining and too hard to get the phone out.

So we are at a motel draped with smelly, dirty, wet gear.

Note: On past hikes we have used PocketMail for journals and email that uses phones. This trip we are carrying the lighter LG Nv2. I have to go through so many extra steps to compose text that it is less convenient to use while, for example, Ken filters water. Besides, on this hike neither method would have frequent sending/receiving opportunities.