Posted by 14.4 miles
Another easy half-day, one step closer to Canada.
Similar to yesterday I was in no particular rush this morning. 14 miles would be a short day and I had an entire day to complete it going at an easy pace. I slept well, alarm off and waking with the rising sun
The Two Medicine general store would open at 8am. With a hot coffee front of mind I planned my departure from camp to arrive at the store just after opening so I could purchase one. I needn’t have bothered. Thinking I might be able to get a half decent cappuccino or latte, drip coffee was all that was on offer. I grabbed one anyway but couldn’t get through it, pouring more than half out. I can’t wait to get home back to the real stuff.
Parks are currently rebuilding the main campsite at Two Medicine and a trail detour remains in place around the new construction works and requires a wide creek crossing. So even before getting onto the trail proper I found myself bare footed, wading across the shallow outflow creek from Two Medicine Lake to preserve dry shoes. I was greeted also by a sign stating mountain lion activity had been high in the area and hiking solo was not recommended.
The trail was quite flat for several miles, following the Dry Fork Creek through short corridors of trees. It was dark under the canopy. Crossing Dry Fork Creek over a footbridge the creek was surprisingly, well, dry. I imagine when it flows it really flows.
Soon the grade would rise leading towards Pitamakan Pass. Looking up all I could see was a wall of rock. The map showed a series of switchbacks so there had to be a path through somewhere. I started up passing a few day hikers along the way. My trail conditioned legs love the uphills now and my ego continues to love blowing past day hikers while I carry a full pack.
Being in a national park the switchbacks were all perfectly graded so while you knew the path was leading uphill it wasn’t too strenuous. The views were incredible and I couldn’t wait to see what was over the other side of the pass. Reaching the top the views continued out the north looking across Pitamakan Lake.
I stopped on top to take a relaxing break, in no hurry, and was soon greeted by another hiker coming up from the other side. Seeing the CDT tag on my pack he introduced himself with a fist-bump, a CDTer from 2025. Unfortunately I can’t recall his trail name. He had also hiked the Te Araroa Trail. We spent the next 20 minutes talking trail before his hiking partners kicked him into gear to keep moving. They would continue uphill over another pass. My route would lead down towards Morning Star.
They altered me to a dead mountain goat on the trail just past the Morning Star Campsite. I recall Jan talking about a live mountain goat in the same spot just two days prior that would not let her pass; and when she did try to go around encountering a grizzly mum and cub. The goat had obviously died right on trail in the last day or two and still being in one piece, predators, including Jan’s sighted griz, obviously hadn’t found it yet. (I would later learn that a temporary trail closure was in place for about 24 hours due to this carcass.)
I took every precaution as I approached the goat’s location including wearing my bear bell, calling “hey bear” through thick vegetation and remaining on high alert. Getting closer to Morning Star I would get a bit of a fright encountering another day hiker headed up hill through heavy vegetation. We both mistook each other for a bear, spray in hand and both laughing when human faces popped out through the scrub. One of those relief laughs you make when you know danger has passed, you know everything is alright and you see the funny side if a situation. We chatted for a few minutes and he confirmed the carcass was still there.
It was located on a corner of the trail near a foot bridge that crossed over the North Fork Cut Bank Creek fed from the Morning Star Lake. I ended up being able to take a shortcut across a beaver dam just at the lake outlet to cut off the corner of trail where the goat was located. So I never did see it in person. Photo is from a WhatsApp CDT chat group.
My pace remained relaxed through the afternoon continuing on flat ground. Stopping at Atlantic Creek to top up my water for the night it was only a short 0.5 mile to the campsite.
With my tent set up I lazed the afternoon away reading a book I’d purchased from the Two Medicine general store, knowing there would be a few short days ahead.
It was a fictional crime mystery based around the Yellowstone National Park ‘zone of death’, the 50 square mile area where they say you can commit any crime and get away with it. It all comes down to a legal loop hole, the Vicinage Clause, a provision of the 6th amendment to the constitution. Yellowstone NP being federal land, crimes committed inside the park cannot be prosecuted under any state laws.
The constitution states that any person is entitled to a speedy and impartial trial by a jury pool consisting of members of the community in both the ‘state’ and ‘district’ where the crime was committed.
For this area the State is Idaho but the court district is actually Wyoming which covers the entire Yellowstone Park including the sections of Idaho and Montana. Wyoming is the only district court that has jurisdiction over multiple states.
With no-one living in this small area inside Yellowstone NP it is impossible to pull a jury together. Fascinating and a great central theme for a crime novel.
A group of 4 day hikers came into camp later in the day and we shared some interesting conversations over dinner before all retiring before the sun went down.
Mick Beckers 