3 Highlights:
1. Breakfast at Robin’s (omelette with way too much meat, but I kept it down!)
2. Friendly hitchhiking encounters
3. Stunning views of aspen trees
Daily Summary:
• Distance hiked: 24 km
• Starting point: Marshall Pass, km 3120
• Ending point: SG Mesa Trailhead, km 3144
• Weather conditions: Sunny
Daily Reflections (challenges, insights, musings):
Started the day with some much-needed coffee and gear planning. Amazon decided to mess with me again—account closed, chaos ensues. I swear, if I don’t get my order soon, I might just hike to their headquarters. Anyway, breakfast at Robin’s was a win. Omelette packed with enough meat to feed a small army, but for once, I kept it down. Small victories, people.
Hitchhiking luck struck early—a guy, fresh off a meal and heading a few miles down the road, picked me up. Not quite to the pass, but hey, close enough! I wasn’t picky. Next up, gold digger Tim. This guy was living the dream—or at least chasing it—scrambling for gold in these mountains and making about $8,000 this year. I should probably drop the hiking and pick up a shovel. He took me about halfway up the pass.
As luck would have it, two adventurous senior ladies came to my rescue, giving me a ride the rest of the way. These gals were about to hike a nearly 14,000-foot peak. I barely made it to Marshall Pass yesterday and they’re out here tackling mountains 30 years my senior. Respect. The conversation covered everything from Sweden to Switzerland to all 50 states. Good times.
Once I started hiking, it was like a motorbike parade out there. The trail was packed—cars, bikes, and motorbikes galore. I think I got passed by 20 motorbikes in the first kilometer. At some point, I bumped into James and Sparkle. I was thrilled as James is a very agreeable and relaxed man. Sparkle I had just met once at the start in East Glacier and needed to befriend some more. They said they were taking it easy and ushered me along. I got the sense they were not needing a third wheel on their journey. Can’t blame them – a romance was bubbling up.
Set up camp at what feels like the coldest spot on earth, way up at 3575 meters. I’m freezing, but I guess this is practice for the San Juan mountains, which promise to be even more fun. James mentioned they’re doing 48 km days for the next two days. Meanwhile, I’m just trying to survive the night without becoming a popsicle. Wish me luck!
