Day 83 Dubois

19.1 miles 

Today was a very uneventful day. 

There was around 19 miles to hike on the Blue Line alternate to reach a highway that would take me into Dubois with a hitch. The Blue line here is the old CDT route. I’m not quite sure why the trail was rerouted however since a fire impacted the area several years ago must hikers have been taking the old route to avoid the fire area. Although now an alternate route the Blue Line still has many of the original CDT markers in place. This certainly helped with navigation. 

Much of the morning required crossing open grass lands with the faintest of food pad visible underneath all the summer growth. It also meant another wet foot day with last night’s rain still clinging to the vegetation brushing off onto shoes as they passed through. 

In the later half of the morning the trail lead out to a series of old logging roads, winding their way through a mixture of fresh cut and regenerating forests. The mud on these roads was intense making for heavy shoes as it accumulated underfoot and slippery on several hills. Occasionally I’d have to walk through grass on the edge to clear the mud or, given shoes were already soaked, walk straight through creeks to wash the sticky muck off. 

Early afternoon I’d reached the highway and stuck my thumb out. It took around half an hour to secure a ride into town. As so often happens a car initially passed and turned around to come and collect me. A young couple from Lander, the driver had hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2018 and knew the reliance thru-hikers have on hitching rides thus turning the car around to pick me up. 

In town shortly later I headed for the Black Bear Inn to see if they had a room available for two nights. I was out of luck in that regard however in the reception area I noticed they sold Sawyer water filters and promptly snapped one up. I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to replace my lost filter knowing there was not outdoor gear shop in Dubois and was thinking I’d have to order one online and have it shipped to a town ahead, relying on chemical treatment until I could pick it up. Problem solved. 

Another motel just next door had an available room which I grabbed. I’d take a day off tomorrow. 

The afternoon was spent avoiding storms, drying gear inside and chasing down quality food.