Sat., May 28 - Greetings from Princeton University (for me at least) - weekend of annual reunions - well over 20,000 alumni come back to campus - everyone except Jim!! At least I have my priorities in order and I am here representing the Gregoire family.
I talked to Jim briefly at 10:15 as I was walking to my first event on campus - he was thrilled that I was there! He was up at 5:30am and on the road by 7 with a high probability of rain anticipated. We talked once more in the afternoon during the festivities and he was still doing well, other than the terrible wind. We had a longer conversation when I got to my hotel at 5pm. When he left this morning, he was headed to the diner about a mile out of town - he heard they had great french toast. Sad to report, they were closed on Saturdays. Fortunately about 1/10 of a mile further was a Subway shop so he was able to get a breakfast sandwich. He left there about 7:45 with all of his rain gear on - skies were looking worse & worse. He walked about 7 miles on a gravel road to the town of Zap, ND - nothing there - he was able to rest a while on a bench. He encountered a few sprinkles, then some light rain. At that point he was back on Rt. 200 (much of the hike is on this paved route). The traffic was light today, but the wind was brutally strong. At times, he could barely move forward - he hasn't felt wind like this since the mountains in NH and ME. He arrived at his planned destination of the Saddle Sore Saloon in Golden Valley at 1:30 - really looking forward to a beer after a tough day - and they were closed! He set up his tent in the town park up the hill from the Saloon - quite a nice park, with picnic table, a water pump and two port-a-potties. Hiking today was incredibly slow - not his favorite day at all. I was able to check e-mails and told Jim that I had received two e-mails from people along his route - Ron the bartender in Beulah and Joanne, a ranger at Knife River National Historic Site. They are now following Jim's adventures.
Miles Today - 17.....Total Cumulative Miles - 127
Sun., May 29 - We talked at 9am and things went better last night after we last spoke. He decided to walk down the hill and sure enough, Saddle Sore was open. As it turned out, it had opened about a half hour after Jim was first there, but no sign indicated hours. He spent a while there and had a nice conversation with a man at the bar and filled his water bottles. Next door was a steak restaurant that was now open so he had a wonderful steak dinner last night. As he was walking out, a couple nearby asked him to sit down so they chatted for a while and he gave them the blog address. So last night he decided to call the two places on his schedule for Sunday - a restaurant and a bar (unfortunately no church in Golden Valley). The bar person said she thought that the restaurant was going to be closed, but they were open now so call and check. She said if they were going to be closed, just ask the restaurant woman to send some food over and she would warm it up for Jim - can you imagine! Actually, it was going to open, but only until 2pm so that meant he had to head out early today.He was up at 5am and out by 6:30. So far today there has been very little traffic - his feet are doing very well.
We talked again at 3:30 and Jim was at his destination of Halliday, ND - his legs are very sore from yesterday's brutal walk in the wind. Fortunately it was not windy at all today, but the forecast is for high winds and much rain tomorrow. Jim may not make it as far as planned for our meeting spot - I may just have to drive a few more miles than planned. When he got there he found the nicest park you can imagine - did not show up in all of his research - a great surprise! There were numerous covered picnic tables and real restrooms. He did make it to Jodeo's restaurant in plenty of time for a great lunch. At one point, a woman (Loucinda) at a nearby table asked Jim to sit down at said "what's your story?" Of course, Jim was quite happy to tell her his tale of hiking. She and her friend now have the blog address! Back at his tent site, a man wandered over and it turns out it was Duane, the cafe owner. He said he lives a block away and has a camper. He told Jim that if it got nasty out tonight to come over and he could sleep in his camper - people sure are amazing! Then he gave Jim his cell # and said if he had any problems further along on his route, just give him a call and he would help him out. Jim told him that was a comforting thought, especially as he goes through the Badlands (I've blocked that part out of my mind). He is planning to meet Duane later on at the bar - sure hope Jim buys him a drink!
We talked again briefly at 5pm after I received an e-mail from Joanne at Knife River. She was concerned about the North Dakota flooding and hoped that I would be OK driving tomorrow to meet Jim (wasn't that nice of her). Jim seems to think that I will be on high enough ground - sure hope he is right. When we talked it was raining, but he was fine since he was sitting at a covered picnic table. He was watching a tree stump that had a bird's nest on it - couldn't tell if it was eggs or baby birds, but the mom and dad kept taking turns on the nest. He is quite chilly, so he will head to the bar to warm up. I heard from Jim at 8:30pm via text message (no cell reception, but the texts came through). To quote "no reception, in tent, raining, yuk". Packing up his tent tomorrow should be unpleasant - at least he has a covered picnic table.
We were able to talk a little after 9pm and it was still raining. Jim had a nice couple of hours at the bar with a man named Zach - no food though. He came back to his tent and had snacks and a slice of spam (UGH). I am sure he'll re ready for some good food when we are together in Dickinson (no spam for me, thank you!).
I will fly out of Philadelphia (here now at an airport hotel) tomorrow morning, heading to Bismarck (thru Minneapolis).
Miles Today - 16.5.....Total Cumulative Miles - 143.5
Monday., May 30 - HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY! Well, how do I begin today's adventures? I guess this day will start with a "Jane Journal", because an adventure it was!! My day began with a cell phone call at 4:45am (in my Philly hotel) and Jim says "can you hear the deluge outside my tent". Well, I certainly NEVER heard such a sound of water. If it stays like this, there is no way that Jim can walk from Halliday to our meeting spot in Killdeer. The visibility would be too poor and definitely unsafe walking conditions. We arranged a Plan B for me to meet him in Halliday. My 8:20 plane was delayed until 9am for a part replacement (always an encouraging start). I was apprehensive about making my connection in Minneapolis, but the pilot really made up time well and we seemed to have plenty of time as we were approaching Minneapolis. But.... then we were forced to circle for an incredibly long time due to thunderstorms. We finally arrived with about 15 minutes for me to get to the next gate for my 11:15am flight - of course at the other end of the terminal! The sight of me running through the airport was not pretty and I arrived at the gate 2 minutes after they closed the door - UGH!!!
There were three more flights to Bismarck - 1:10, 3:05 and 5:25. The first two were sold out so I got a confirmed seat on the 5:25. That didn't make me happy since I knew I had a little over two hours to drive to Jim once I got to Bismarck. I did get on the standby list for the 1:10 flight and sure enough got one of the last two seats on the plane - yea! However.... after a bit of a delay on the plane, they announced mechanical difficulties - they tried to correct, but were not successful, so we had to deplane. We were told just to hang out at the gate and wait for news. All of these planes were small 50 passenger ones. They told us they were trying to locate a larger plane that could accommodate all three flights (cancelling the 3:05). Finally about 4, they announced they had done this. Getting new boarding passes was a bit of a nightmare, but all was well when we got on the plane. One last glitch was that they boarded us before our pilot and co-pilot were there because they knew they were due in shortly from San Francisco. Because of this, we didn't actually leave until about 6pm. I arrived about 7:15 and rented my car and was on my way by 7:45 - finally picking up Jim about 10pm.
Now back to Jim's day... I was able to talk to Jim several times, so at least he knew of my delays. He said he had torrential rains overnight, but he did stay dry in his new "Big Agnes" tent. Although he thought he might have to stay all day in Halliday, the rain did stop and he headed out about 9am. The wind was from the east, giving him a tailwind. After a mile he got to Hwy 200 and he had a great morning with the strong tailwind pushing him westward. There wasn't much traffic early, but that changed as the day progressed. By mid-day the traffic was getting pretty heavy, with much of it being oil tankers carrying a load of crude from the wellhead to refinery or pipeline. These tankers would roar past him at something in excess of the posted 65 mph. By early afternoon the weather began to deteriorate - first a fine mist, then a light rain. No problem, his rain gear can handle that fine, But now the passing oilers were showering him with a blast of dirty water! He said he felt like he was in a car wash (except not clean water) with each passing tanker. His face and clothes soon became soggy and gritty. At 3:15, having walked 21 miles, he got to the major intersection of Rte. 200 & Hwy 22. He headed north on 22 toward Killdeer, hoping to find someplace to spend the several hours he knew he needed to wait for me to arrive much later than originally planned. Within 1/4 mile he came to a bar & grill, the unusually named "2 7/8 Steakhouse". The bar was pretty busy but the steakhouse was a cook-your-own place. He sat at the bar and immediately started talking with a group of three: Tim, his 91-yr-old father and Karen. They were real interested in his trip, so he gave them the blog address. When they left, he moved to a table and ate some bar food. After he was there for 6.5 hours, I finally got there to pick him up and walked over and said "this sure is a long way to come for a date"!! He certainly was real happy to see me! He very graciously offered to drive the 35 miles south to Dickinson to our hotel. Needless to say, the shower was the first thing to capture his attention! Jim said that today's hike brought him to the edge of the booming oil and gas section of ND. There are no economic problems here - the unemployment rate is only 1% and people are streaming in to get jobs. All this is great economically for the state, but there are obvious negative impacts as well. Tourism is being hurt as there are no available hotel rooms from Killdeer north. And the roads are clogged with hundreds of oil tankers. For the next three days Jim will be risking his life by walking on Rte. 200 to Watford City. The truck traffic will be fierce and there is no decent shoulder to walk on. So he and the trucks will just have to share the road. With the only alternative route to northeast Montana closed due to flooding, he really has no choice but to take this route and hope and pray for the best. He says that his feet and legs are faring well and the two days of rest here in Dickinson will help even more.
Jim's biggest near-term challenge may be finding enough water. The forecast for Thurs. and Fri. is for temps in the high 70's and sunny. He saw no lakes or flowing streams in his map research. He may have to carry an extra liter of water to stay adequately hydrated, clean & fed. Zach (the man at the bar in Halliday) did say he will be driving a tanker on Jim's route and he offered to bring him a gallon of water - he will probably need it - thanks, Zach!
Miles Today - 21..... Total Cumulative Miles - 164.5
Tues. & Wed., May 31 & June 1 - Two days of rest for Jim with me in Dickinson, ND (2 hours west of Bismarck). We woke up on Tuesday to fierce winds - you could actually see even the grass blowing from the hotel window. When we went out to breakfast, it really felt brutal - quite chilly all day. Jim said he was sure glad he wasn't hiking today! The main thing you notice here is how absolutely filthy all of the vehicles (mainly pickups) are. They are just coated with dried mud - really disgusting - brown is the most common vehicle color (no matter what the original color was)!!! Tuesday we just pretty much hung out for Jim to relax, read the NYTimes online, write his journal, read the hike blog, etc. We were also able to go to a WalMart to replace Jim's torn waterproof pants - very handy that they were here and had his size. Today (Wed.) we walked around the local mall and then went to the Dakota Dinosaur Museum here in Dickinson - quite interesting actually. The weather today is quite different from Mon. & Tues. - much warmer and sunny with quite a bit less wind - feels quite pleasant outside. We ended our visit with a fantastic meal at Brickhouse Grille - we highly recommend it if you are ever in Dickinson, ND!!!
Jim says he is ready to get back on the road, feeling very refreshed - this was a great break for him.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Days 5 thru 8 of North Dakota - Montana Hike
Tues., May 24 - We talked briefly this morning around 8:45 and Jim had just left the state park heading to Washburn, ND. He slept well last night although it was very cold. He kept fairly warm in his winter sleeping bag. This morning is very cloudy and he is all bundled up - numerous layers (3 shirts, fleece vest, rain jacket & pants). He should stay warm enough as long as he keeps moving. We talked again around 5pm and he was standing on a grassy flat area, which is quite rare for this area - he will set up his tent here since he is tired of walking for the day (little toe a little problematic). The weather was heavily overcast all day but no rain - really blustery and cold until mid-day when he was finally able to take off his jacket. His "uninvited unwanted constant companion is the wind." He did have nice views today - from time to time he was able to see the Missouri River. He mentioned that somewhere in the first 5 miles he went by a 5500 acre parcel owned by the Nature Conservancy - apparently numerous historical and archaeological sites from early inhabitants. He saw 4 animals in the fields - looked like just blobs sleeping so he yelled at them to get up and sure enough they did - they were buffalo!!! Today was a very frustrating day. He had planned his route for a 3.5 mile (translates to 7 miles round trip) off track detour to go into Washburn to visit the "Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center". When he went in to pay his $7 fee, the lady said "before I take your money, the Lewis & Clark exhibition is closed for renovation". He quickly changed his mind - all that way for nothing! The good news is that he had a great lunch at the L&C Cafe in Washburn - so not a total loss. The second frustration (more serious) is that he wasn't able to get any water since the cafe. So he is in camp with only about 26 ounces of water. He has decided not to cook anything so he can conserve his water for the warmer day expected tomorrow. He will eat spam and snack items - UGH!! The grass here is full of ticks - apparently not the Lyme disease type - not sure how you tell the difference, but I guess that is geographic. Today he crossed a half-mile bridge over the Missouri River coming into Washburn. He is noticing lots of soil erosion on the riverbanks.
We talked again around 9:30pm and he was watching the sun go down. He is settled between the train tracks and the road and saw a few trains go by. It is quite chilly but not as cold as last night. At one point the wind was actually rattling his tent but it had died down when we talked.
Miles Today - 20..... Total Cumulative Miles - 65
Wed., May 25 - We talked about 9am and Jim got on the road about 7:30 and it was terribly cold. His fingers were really cold folding up the tent, since it was soaking wet from the heavy dew. He opened the conversation with "I have a really sad story to tell you" - I really need to tell him not to do that - my imagination runs wild! About 3/4 of a mile into today's walk, he comes across a beautiful pond at a small state recreation area - it would have been a perfect place to camp last night with plenty of water - oh well.... It is a beautiful sunny day today, but still really cold - all of his clothes are on his back, so his pack is a bit lighter! Last night around 9 he saw a deer approaching and the deer yelled at Jim - so Jim yelled back and this went back and forth for a while. I guess Mr. Deer did not want Jim in his territory. He said he was awakened this morning by a coyote howling - such charming places he stays! As we talked, it was warming up slowly - hopefully he will soon shed some layers.
We talked again around 2pm and Jim said "THIS IS MY LUCKY DAY". He walked into the smallest town you can imagine - Stanton, ND. Low and behold there was the bustling Cafe DuMonde, which was not found in his pre-hike research. He got there just before the crowd and soon enough the place was jammed. He had a great big lunch, charged his phone and filled his water bottles. He really enjoyed the hour's rest. Plus he really needed the calories, since he had dry cereal this morning in order to conserve water. He said the temps were a little warmer - about 60 - he had finally shed his fleece vest.
We talked at 9:45pm and Jim had just crawled into his sleeping bag to try and get warm - REALLY COLD! After lunch Jim walked as planned to the nearby Knife River National Historic Site. This is a site that the National Park Service runs for free. He started with a short movie that explained that the Hidatsa Indian tribe lived here on the banks of the Knife River. This was the tribe that kidnapped the Indian woman, Sakajawea from the Shoshone Indians. She later married a French trapper who talked his way onto the Lewis & Clark expedition, along with Sakajawea. This was the way that she eventually got back to her tribe in the Rocky Mountains. These Indians lived in round framed huts - 15-30 in a hut, depending on the size. Jim found it fascinating to learn all about this culture - very few of them remain, due to smallpox epidemics. After the movie, he went into the museum which had loads of artifacts (like birch & buffalo hides, tools, etc.) and many pictures depicting that time. After an hour plus visit, he started back on his way. He crossed a bridge over the Knife River onto a gravel road. His plan was to walk 3 miles and find someplace to camp. Well, after 5.5 miles, he had found absolutely nothing suitable, since much of the area is flooded - much too wet. He was beginning to get concerned, when a man in a pickup stopped and asked Jim if he wanted a ride. Of course, he said no, but as is his way, he said "what I really need is a place to pitch my tent for the night". The man (Chad) said he was headed to his brother's house, which was 3 miles up the road. He said his brother was visiting in New Mexico and he was going to his place to do chores. He said Jim was welcome to pitch his tent in the back yard. He gave Jim directions and then went on his way - just before Jim got to the house, Chad came back just to make sure Jim didn't get lost! Meanwhile, Chad had mowed a good-sized patch of the lawn for his tent site - UNBELIEVABLE! Before Chad left, he showed Jim how to work the well pump - plenty of good water! He even left Jim his cell # in case he had any problems. This was the longest hiking day so far, so Jim was so relieved to have such a perfect place to spend the night. Chad said there was a resident barn cat who was friendly, but Jim had not seen him yet. With today's long mileage, it is good that tomorrow is a planned short day, heading into a motel in Hazen, ND.
Miles Today - 23.5..... Total Cumulative Miles - 88.5
Thurs., May 26 - We talked briefly at 10am (while I was on a very cloudy and chilly NJ beach - it was supposed to be sunny!). He said he sat on the back steps of Chad's brother's house to eat his breakfast and the cat finally came to socialize - he had just the coloring of our older cat. When Jim got onto the road, he had an encounter with a bull in the middle of the road. He didn't seem to want to move, so Jim just walked around him. Jim did leave a message on Chad's phone, telling him about the bull, in case it was his brother's and needed to be brought back to the barn. We talked again at 11:30 and Jim was already settled in the Roughrider Motor Inn. His room wasn't ready, but there was a very nice lounge - comfy couch and table and chairs and even a washer & dryer. He was relaxing - reading and doing sudoku puzzles. The temps were warmer today, but it is still very breezy. He has passed many farms that are not planted yet - it is just too wet - sometimes even pools of water in the field. He feels really bad for the area farmers.
We talked again at 5:45 and he had a productive afternoon. After taking a shower he walked a mile to a cafe to get lunch (he will also get breakfast there tomorrow). Then he did his laundry and made a cup of tea and relaxed again in the lounge. Tomorrow is another fairly short day, heading to his first post office drop in Beulah. We talked again at 8:45 after Jim had a very good supper of a made-to-order hot sandwich from a local convenience store - even a table to eat at! It started to rain while he was there so he made a run back to the motel.
Miles Today - 8.5.....Total Cumulative Miles - 97
Fri., May 27 - We talked briefly at 8:45am and Jim said it really felt good to sleep in a real bed last night. It was currently sunny but the advance forecast is pretty ominous - potentially 3 days of rain, on and off - we shall see. We talked again at 2:15 and Jim said that today's wind was HORRIBLE - the 11 miles walked felt more like 20, since he was battling the wind the entire time - really brutal. He left the motel at 8:30 and had breakfast on the way out of town.
When he called, he was at the Beulah post office picking up his re-supply package. He also had three letters (one from me) - thank you Carol G & Christy W!! Jim was really appreciative of these notes. Before going to the P.O. he stopped at the Parks Dept. (as previously arranged) to get his $10 permit to camp in the town park. He met a lovely woman name Bridgette (she wants her name in the blog). He mentioned to her that other town parks that he has stayed in didn't charge a fee. Well, Bridgette's husband & son were there and they apparently shamed her into giving him back his money! The weather was not as forecasted - it was nice and sunny and about 64. We talked again around 6pm (still sunny) and Jim was all set up in the park - a really nice one - restroom facilities, including a shower - and a covered pavilion with numerous picnic tables. The only bad part is there is no water turned on in the restroom. He went back to tell his friend Bridgette and she told him she would check it out and get back to him on his cell. She later called back and explained they were working on the sprinkler system and forgot to turn the water back on. She said someone would take care of it in the next couple of hours. Jim said he spent a couple of hours this afternoon at the Nite Owl Bar, where he had some wonderful conversations. Ron the bartender and several of the customers were fascinated by Jim's story - very friendly people. Several of them wanted to know why Jim was doing this. He said "because I can walk into a town like Beulah, ND and meet up with really nice people like you". Jim has been craving good conversation so this was a perfect afternoon for him. One of the customers said he was the cook at a steak house a couple of miles away. He asked Jim to come on over, but he said he didn't want to walk that far. The man said that maybe his brother might pick him up, so we shall see. If that doesn't work out, then there is a restaurant about a mile away that he will walk to. The people at the bar told him that his route for the next few days - Rte. 200 - is full of oil truck and fast traffic - he is not looking forward to that. When he leaves tomorrow he will be on a gravel road that goes through Zap, ND. Apparently there is almost nothing there now, but back in the 60's there was a rowdy festival there , much like Woodstock - police had to be called, etc. He called again at 7 to tell me one more story. He was sitting at a picnic table under the cover of the pavilion and there was brief shower - didn't affect him since he was under cover. All of a sudden, a car pulls up and it is Jeff, Bridgette's teenage son (who Jim had met earlier). He said "I think the weather might be getting you down, so here's a coke to cheer you up" and then he drove off - people are so kind...
We talked again briefly at 9:15pm. Jim never did get picked up for the trip to the steak restaurant. Instead he walked about a mile into town and had a great fish dinner. No one ever came to turn on the water, so I guess no shower tomorrow. He had a few sprinkles of rain tonight, but just on and off. If it is raining in the morning, at least he has the pavilion to pack everything up.
Miles Today - 13..... Total Cumulative Miles - 110
We talked again around 9:30pm and he was watching the sun go down. He is settled between the train tracks and the road and saw a few trains go by. It is quite chilly but not as cold as last night. At one point the wind was actually rattling his tent but it had died down when we talked.
Miles Today - 20..... Total Cumulative Miles - 65
Wed., May 25 - We talked about 9am and Jim got on the road about 7:30 and it was terribly cold. His fingers were really cold folding up the tent, since it was soaking wet from the heavy dew. He opened the conversation with "I have a really sad story to tell you" - I really need to tell him not to do that - my imagination runs wild! About 3/4 of a mile into today's walk, he comes across a beautiful pond at a small state recreation area - it would have been a perfect place to camp last night with plenty of water - oh well.... It is a beautiful sunny day today, but still really cold - all of his clothes are on his back, so his pack is a bit lighter! Last night around 9 he saw a deer approaching and the deer yelled at Jim - so Jim yelled back and this went back and forth for a while. I guess Mr. Deer did not want Jim in his territory. He said he was awakened this morning by a coyote howling - such charming places he stays! As we talked, it was warming up slowly - hopefully he will soon shed some layers.
We talked again around 2pm and Jim said "THIS IS MY LUCKY DAY". He walked into the smallest town you can imagine - Stanton, ND. Low and behold there was the bustling Cafe DuMonde, which was not found in his pre-hike research. He got there just before the crowd and soon enough the place was jammed. He had a great big lunch, charged his phone and filled his water bottles. He really enjoyed the hour's rest. Plus he really needed the calories, since he had dry cereal this morning in order to conserve water. He said the temps were a little warmer - about 60 - he had finally shed his fleece vest.
We talked at 9:45pm and Jim had just crawled into his sleeping bag to try and get warm - REALLY COLD! After lunch Jim walked as planned to the nearby Knife River National Historic Site. This is a site that the National Park Service runs for free. He started with a short movie that explained that the Hidatsa Indian tribe lived here on the banks of the Knife River. This was the tribe that kidnapped the Indian woman, Sakajawea from the Shoshone Indians. She later married a French trapper who talked his way onto the Lewis & Clark expedition, along with Sakajawea. This was the way that she eventually got back to her tribe in the Rocky Mountains. These Indians lived in round framed huts - 15-30 in a hut, depending on the size. Jim found it fascinating to learn all about this culture - very few of them remain, due to smallpox epidemics. After the movie, he went into the museum which had loads of artifacts (like birch & buffalo hides, tools, etc.) and many pictures depicting that time. After an hour plus visit, he started back on his way. He crossed a bridge over the Knife River onto a gravel road. His plan was to walk 3 miles and find someplace to camp. Well, after 5.5 miles, he had found absolutely nothing suitable, since much of the area is flooded - much too wet. He was beginning to get concerned, when a man in a pickup stopped and asked Jim if he wanted a ride. Of course, he said no, but as is his way, he said "what I really need is a place to pitch my tent for the night". The man (Chad) said he was headed to his brother's house, which was 3 miles up the road. He said his brother was visiting in New Mexico and he was going to his place to do chores. He said Jim was welcome to pitch his tent in the back yard. He gave Jim directions and then went on his way - just before Jim got to the house, Chad came back just to make sure Jim didn't get lost! Meanwhile, Chad had mowed a good-sized patch of the lawn for his tent site - UNBELIEVABLE! Before Chad left, he showed Jim how to work the well pump - plenty of good water! He even left Jim his cell # in case he had any problems. This was the longest hiking day so far, so Jim was so relieved to have such a perfect place to spend the night. Chad said there was a resident barn cat who was friendly, but Jim had not seen him yet. With today's long mileage, it is good that tomorrow is a planned short day, heading into a motel in Hazen, ND.
Miles Today - 23.5..... Total Cumulative Miles - 88.5
Thurs., May 26 - We talked briefly at 10am (while I was on a very cloudy and chilly NJ beach - it was supposed to be sunny!). He said he sat on the back steps of Chad's brother's house to eat his breakfast and the cat finally came to socialize - he had just the coloring of our older cat. When Jim got onto the road, he had an encounter with a bull in the middle of the road. He didn't seem to want to move, so Jim just walked around him. Jim did leave a message on Chad's phone, telling him about the bull, in case it was his brother's and needed to be brought back to the barn. We talked again at 11:30 and Jim was already settled in the Roughrider Motor Inn. His room wasn't ready, but there was a very nice lounge - comfy couch and table and chairs and even a washer & dryer. He was relaxing - reading and doing sudoku puzzles. The temps were warmer today, but it is still very breezy. He has passed many farms that are not planted yet - it is just too wet - sometimes even pools of water in the field. He feels really bad for the area farmers.
We talked again at 5:45 and he had a productive afternoon. After taking a shower he walked a mile to a cafe to get lunch (he will also get breakfast there tomorrow). Then he did his laundry and made a cup of tea and relaxed again in the lounge. Tomorrow is another fairly short day, heading to his first post office drop in Beulah. We talked again at 8:45 after Jim had a very good supper of a made-to-order hot sandwich from a local convenience store - even a table to eat at! It started to rain while he was there so he made a run back to the motel.
Miles Today - 8.5.....Total Cumulative Miles - 97
Fri., May 27 - We talked briefly at 8:45am and Jim said it really felt good to sleep in a real bed last night. It was currently sunny but the advance forecast is pretty ominous - potentially 3 days of rain, on and off - we shall see. We talked again at 2:15 and Jim said that today's wind was HORRIBLE - the 11 miles walked felt more like 20, since he was battling the wind the entire time - really brutal. He left the motel at 8:30 and had breakfast on the way out of town.
When he called, he was at the Beulah post office picking up his re-supply package. He also had three letters (one from me) - thank you Carol G & Christy W!! Jim was really appreciative of these notes. Before going to the P.O. he stopped at the Parks Dept. (as previously arranged) to get his $10 permit to camp in the town park. He met a lovely woman name Bridgette (she wants her name in the blog). He mentioned to her that other town parks that he has stayed in didn't charge a fee. Well, Bridgette's husband & son were there and they apparently shamed her into giving him back his money! The weather was not as forecasted - it was nice and sunny and about 64. We talked again around 6pm (still sunny) and Jim was all set up in the park - a really nice one - restroom facilities, including a shower - and a covered pavilion with numerous picnic tables. The only bad part is there is no water turned on in the restroom. He went back to tell his friend Bridgette and she told him she would check it out and get back to him on his cell. She later called back and explained they were working on the sprinkler system and forgot to turn the water back on. She said someone would take care of it in the next couple of hours. Jim said he spent a couple of hours this afternoon at the Nite Owl Bar, where he had some wonderful conversations. Ron the bartender and several of the customers were fascinated by Jim's story - very friendly people. Several of them wanted to know why Jim was doing this. He said "because I can walk into a town like Beulah, ND and meet up with really nice people like you". Jim has been craving good conversation so this was a perfect afternoon for him. One of the customers said he was the cook at a steak house a couple of miles away. He asked Jim to come on over, but he said he didn't want to walk that far. The man said that maybe his brother might pick him up, so we shall see. If that doesn't work out, then there is a restaurant about a mile away that he will walk to. The people at the bar told him that his route for the next few days - Rte. 200 - is full of oil truck and fast traffic - he is not looking forward to that. When he leaves tomorrow he will be on a gravel road that goes through Zap, ND. Apparently there is almost nothing there now, but back in the 60's there was a rowdy festival there , much like Woodstock - police had to be called, etc. He called again at 7 to tell me one more story. He was sitting at a picnic table under the cover of the pavilion and there was brief shower - didn't affect him since he was under cover. All of a sudden, a car pulls up and it is Jeff, Bridgette's teenage son (who Jim had met earlier). He said "I think the weather might be getting you down, so here's a coke to cheer you up" and then he drove off - people are so kind...
We talked again briefly at 9:15pm. Jim never did get picked up for the trip to the steak restaurant. Instead he walked about a mile into town and had a great fish dinner. No one ever came to turn on the water, so I guess no shower tomorrow. He had a few sprinkles of rain tonight, but just on and off. If it is raining in the morning, at least he has the pavilion to pack everything up.
Miles Today - 13..... Total Cumulative Miles - 110
Friday, May 20, 2011
Days 1 thru 4 of North Dakota - Montana Hike
Fri., May 20 - I talked to Jim at 2pm and he was frazzled to say the least. He got to the Philadelphia airport from the train station just fine and went up to the check-in kiosk. Instead of displaying his itinerary as usual, it said "pick up phone". After waiting quite a while to be connected, he was told that his first leg to Wash, DC was so delayed that he would miss his connection to Salt Lake City - UGH! They re-routed him thru Denver and then to SLC, but he was not going to get there until 11pm or so. When he went to the desk to check his bag, he commented on it and this person told him there was no delay on the Wash flight!!! So, just to be safe (and very considerate), she booked him on both flights. Jim called again around 5pm and his flight to Wash took off on time and when he got to Wash he had plenty of time to have a nice lunch/dinner at the airport. When we talked, he was waiting for his next flight to Salt Lake City to board, hoping that his backpack would be there (I'm saying prayers right now).
Jim called again about 10:30 our time and his pack had arrived safely and he was waiting for the shuttle to take him to an airport hotel.
Sat., May 21 - Jim left a message while I was out that he was in Chicago (yes, I know he went east again - guess who will be planning the route next time!!!) waiting for his final plane to take him to Bismarck. We talked about 3:15 and he had just gotten his pack (amazing it wasn't lost over four flights) and was about to spread it all out and repack the way it needs to be for hiking.
He said that this final plane ride was the most pleasant of all - about 2/3 empty and plenty of room to spread out. He was in such a GREAT mood - ready to start, finally! My phone rang again about 15 minutes later (uh oh). Sure enough, he said "bad news - my worst fear" - the airline had confiscated his fuel canister - his only way to make coffee or heat up a noodle dinner! In almost 20 years of hiking and numerous plane rides, this has never happened to him. He had mailed himself a 2nd canister, but he won't get that until May 27. Before he left home, he had done some research on Bismarck to see if there was an outdoor store (as a "just in case") near his route, but didn't find one. He decided to continue walking into town as he was planning to do for an early dinner (he was starving) before completing the 10 miles planned for today. I was about to leave for Mass so I said I would pray extra hard at church (AND I SURELY DID).
Just as I got in the house from church at 5pm, the phone rang - problem solved (thank you, Lord)!! Jim stopped at a hardware store, which did not have what he needed but they directed him to a mall across the street where there fortunately was an outdoor store. He figured he probably walked an extra mile wandering around, but it was well worth it. The advance forecast for Bismarck was rain, but it was actually sunny and about 70 - beautiful walking weather. He was calling me from Applebee's and was looking forward to a good meal after a day of traveling.
Jim called again about 7:45 (he's an hour behind) and asked me to call his motel to tell them he was definitely on his way (he didn't want them to give away his room). I did this and talked with a very nice woman who was amazed at Jim's plan. She definitely had his room. He called again at 8:30 and was all settled in - very warm & tired and his feet are hurting (that didn't take long). He wore boots today but will switch to sandals tomorrow if the weather cooperates. He also said it was a good thing he had a reservation, because there were no vacancies at this small motel - good planning, Jim! He was planning on a shower and then bed fairly soon after.
Jim called again unexpectedly about 9:30 to tell me he felt much better because when he was flipping through channels he found a Red Sox game and they were beating the Chicago Cubs 3-1 (sadly, the Sox later lost the game).
Miles Today - 11.....Total Cumulative Miles - 11
Sun., May 22 - Jim called this morning about 9 after he had a great breakfast at a local family restaurant. He was walking towards the local church to attend 8:30 Mass (his time). He is feeling fine and is walking in sandals so far. It was partly cloudy with rain forecasted. He left me a message at 12:45 as he was walking on what he described as a beautiful sunny day (so much for the forecast - yea). He had just finished a 5-mile paved bike path - a nice change from the busy roads. We talked again around 2:45 and he described a tense experience he had about a half hour earlier. He saw a sign "bridge out - local traffic only". He decided to take a chance and kept walking. Fortunately, the bridge was blocked to vehicles, but he could still walk across. It was now cloudy, but no rain so far. He estimates he had probably walked 10-11 miles and his feet feel fine. He has seen very little traffic this afternoon - quite pleasant. He did find a flowing stream down a steep embankment where he was able to refill water bottles (he treated it to be safe). As we talked, the paved road suddenly turned to gravel - not Jim's favorite - he may need to change to boots. The wildlife experience of the day was at breakfast when two birds flew directly against the front window. He assumed they would be dead but when he went out 15 minutes later, they were still there, apparently quite stunned, but very much alive!
When we talked, it sounded very windy even through the phone - at times so noisy it was difficult to hear him well.
Jim called again at 5:30 and he was settled for the night. He did find some water earlier for tonight in a pond in a field about 150 yards away. Unfortunately it was behind a barbed wire fence, but he did manage to slip under and get the water. Since he had to walk through a field of "cow pies", he assumed the water was pretty polluted so he treated it. Then about 1-2 miles later, he found a beautiful flowing stream but this time he could not get under the barbed wire. He walked a bit further until he found a patch of trees (rare in this part of the country). He finally found a place to get under the wire to the spot where he wanted to camp. The tricky thing was getting his pack over the fence! This flowing water was much more appealing so he tossed the other stuff. He is well hidden behind a hill and in the trees - PERFECT! He had already heated some water on his stove and had washed up. He felt so blessed today that he had no rain at all - certainly not the forecast. And his feet felt really good today - a full day in sandals. He was looking forward to a relaxing evening.
Miles Today - 19.....Total Cumulative Miles - 30
Mon., May 23 - We talked several times today. As expected for the first night in a tent, Jim did not sleep well. He was up at 5:30 and after a breakfast of hot cereal with craisins, he was on the road a little after 7am. When he called at 8:30, it was a beautiful sunny day. Unfortunately that changed and it was mostly cloudy the rest of the day. When we talked at 12:45, he had arrived at his campsite at the Cross Ranch State Park and he was getting ready to set up his tent. He is looking forward to a relaxing afternoon, since his plan is to walk 22.5 miles tomorrow. We talked again around 2pm and he was really enjoying this site. He was within 100 yards of the Missouri River and hearing duck calls all over the place. His tent site was quite close to the facilities and had a picnic table, where Jim did some reading and sudoku puzzles. Today's walk was mainly gravel with pavement only the last 2 miles. He did have to change into boots to keep the gravel from getting into his sandals. He has noticed that the topography of the area changed quite a bit this morning. Originally it was rocky and hilly with no farmland, just cattle. Later on it changed to more flat and grassy farmland - much prettier. He was able to do a hand washing and hang up stuff on his makeshift clothesline - it was breezy enough to dry fairly well. We talked for the last time about 7:30 and he said that the birds here are fantastic - just chirping away. He did say that it was quite cold this evening - leaves are just now coming out on the trees so it is still the changeover season there. He has layers of clothes on to stay warm. He'll be fine once he gets into his warm sleeping bag. The ranger who collected his $12 fee said that his walk tomorrow will be 5 miles of gravel and then 3 miles of pavement into the town of Washburn. He was able to get his phone and e-reader charged at the campsite next to his - all the modern conveniences! The rain finally came later in the afternoon so he spent some time in his tent. It had stopped by the time we last talked. He mentioned that there were very interesting exhibits at the campground visitor center - historical info about extinct and endangered animals - a map of the river with historical sites, some of which Jim will see later on in the trip. I told him about the tornado in Joplin, MO and he said he really does miss the news.
He was getting ready to cook up a vegie rice dinner that he will flavor with bacon bits (yummy).
All is well in North Dakota....
Miles Today - 15.....Total Cumulative Miles - 45
Jim called again about 10:30 our time and his pack had arrived safely and he was waiting for the shuttle to take him to an airport hotel.
Sat., May 21 - Jim left a message while I was out that he was in Chicago (yes, I know he went east again - guess who will be planning the route next time!!!) waiting for his final plane to take him to Bismarck. We talked about 3:15 and he had just gotten his pack (amazing it wasn't lost over four flights) and was about to spread it all out and repack the way it needs to be for hiking.
He said that this final plane ride was the most pleasant of all - about 2/3 empty and plenty of room to spread out. He was in such a GREAT mood - ready to start, finally! My phone rang again about 15 minutes later (uh oh). Sure enough, he said "bad news - my worst fear" - the airline had confiscated his fuel canister - his only way to make coffee or heat up a noodle dinner! In almost 20 years of hiking and numerous plane rides, this has never happened to him. He had mailed himself a 2nd canister, but he won't get that until May 27. Before he left home, he had done some research on Bismarck to see if there was an outdoor store (as a "just in case") near his route, but didn't find one. He decided to continue walking into town as he was planning to do for an early dinner (he was starving) before completing the 10 miles planned for today. I was about to leave for Mass so I said I would pray extra hard at church (AND I SURELY DID).
Just as I got in the house from church at 5pm, the phone rang - problem solved (thank you, Lord)!! Jim stopped at a hardware store, which did not have what he needed but they directed him to a mall across the street where there fortunately was an outdoor store. He figured he probably walked an extra mile wandering around, but it was well worth it. The advance forecast for Bismarck was rain, but it was actually sunny and about 70 - beautiful walking weather. He was calling me from Applebee's and was looking forward to a good meal after a day of traveling.
Jim called again about 7:45 (he's an hour behind) and asked me to call his motel to tell them he was definitely on his way (he didn't want them to give away his room). I did this and talked with a very nice woman who was amazed at Jim's plan. She definitely had his room. He called again at 8:30 and was all settled in - very warm & tired and his feet are hurting (that didn't take long). He wore boots today but will switch to sandals tomorrow if the weather cooperates. He also said it was a good thing he had a reservation, because there were no vacancies at this small motel - good planning, Jim! He was planning on a shower and then bed fairly soon after.
Jim called again unexpectedly about 9:30 to tell me he felt much better because when he was flipping through channels he found a Red Sox game and they were beating the Chicago Cubs 3-1 (sadly, the Sox later lost the game).
Miles Today - 11.....Total Cumulative Miles - 11
Sun., May 22 - Jim called this morning about 9 after he had a great breakfast at a local family restaurant. He was walking towards the local church to attend 8:30 Mass (his time). He is feeling fine and is walking in sandals so far. It was partly cloudy with rain forecasted. He left me a message at 12:45 as he was walking on what he described as a beautiful sunny day (so much for the forecast - yea). He had just finished a 5-mile paved bike path - a nice change from the busy roads. We talked again around 2:45 and he described a tense experience he had about a half hour earlier. He saw a sign "bridge out - local traffic only". He decided to take a chance and kept walking. Fortunately, the bridge was blocked to vehicles, but he could still walk across. It was now cloudy, but no rain so far. He estimates he had probably walked 10-11 miles and his feet feel fine. He has seen very little traffic this afternoon - quite pleasant. He did find a flowing stream down a steep embankment where he was able to refill water bottles (he treated it to be safe). As we talked, the paved road suddenly turned to gravel - not Jim's favorite - he may need to change to boots. The wildlife experience of the day was at breakfast when two birds flew directly against the front window. He assumed they would be dead but when he went out 15 minutes later, they were still there, apparently quite stunned, but very much alive!
When we talked, it sounded very windy even through the phone - at times so noisy it was difficult to hear him well.
Jim called again at 5:30 and he was settled for the night. He did find some water earlier for tonight in a pond in a field about 150 yards away. Unfortunately it was behind a barbed wire fence, but he did manage to slip under and get the water. Since he had to walk through a field of "cow pies", he assumed the water was pretty polluted so he treated it. Then about 1-2 miles later, he found a beautiful flowing stream but this time he could not get under the barbed wire. He walked a bit further until he found a patch of trees (rare in this part of the country). He finally found a place to get under the wire to the spot where he wanted to camp. The tricky thing was getting his pack over the fence! This flowing water was much more appealing so he tossed the other stuff. He is well hidden behind a hill and in the trees - PERFECT! He had already heated some water on his stove and had washed up. He felt so blessed today that he had no rain at all - certainly not the forecast. And his feet felt really good today - a full day in sandals. He was looking forward to a relaxing evening.
Miles Today - 19.....Total Cumulative Miles - 30
Mon., May 23 - We talked several times today. As expected for the first night in a tent, Jim did not sleep well. He was up at 5:30 and after a breakfast of hot cereal with craisins, he was on the road a little after 7am. When he called at 8:30, it was a beautiful sunny day. Unfortunately that changed and it was mostly cloudy the rest of the day. When we talked at 12:45, he had arrived at his campsite at the Cross Ranch State Park and he was getting ready to set up his tent. He is looking forward to a relaxing afternoon, since his plan is to walk 22.5 miles tomorrow. We talked again around 2pm and he was really enjoying this site. He was within 100 yards of the Missouri River and hearing duck calls all over the place. His tent site was quite close to the facilities and had a picnic table, where Jim did some reading and sudoku puzzles. Today's walk was mainly gravel with pavement only the last 2 miles. He did have to change into boots to keep the gravel from getting into his sandals. He has noticed that the topography of the area changed quite a bit this morning. Originally it was rocky and hilly with no farmland, just cattle. Later on it changed to more flat and grassy farmland - much prettier. He was able to do a hand washing and hang up stuff on his makeshift clothesline - it was breezy enough to dry fairly well. We talked for the last time about 7:30 and he said that the birds here are fantastic - just chirping away. He did say that it was quite cold this evening - leaves are just now coming out on the trees so it is still the changeover season there. He has layers of clothes on to stay warm. He'll be fine once he gets into his warm sleeping bag. The ranger who collected his $12 fee said that his walk tomorrow will be 5 miles of gravel and then 3 miles of pavement into the town of Washburn. He was able to get his phone and e-reader charged at the campsite next to his - all the modern conveniences! The rain finally came later in the afternoon so he spent some time in his tent. It had stopped by the time we last talked. He mentioned that there were very interesting exhibits at the campground visitor center - historical info about extinct and endangered animals - a map of the river with historical sites, some of which Jim will see later on in the trip. I told him about the tornado in Joplin, MO and he said he really does miss the news.
He was getting ready to cook up a vegie rice dinner that he will flavor with bacon bits (yummy).
All is well in North Dakota....
Miles Today - 15.....Total Cumulative Miles - 45
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Day 1 of North Dakota - Montana Hike
Jim wrote his hike prologue yesterday and I send it to you now as the first installment of his spring 2011 hike. I dropped him off at the Newark train station this morning (Friday) around 10:45 to begin his journey. He was carrying a pack that weighs 32 pounds!
Thursday, May 19, 2011 - And so my journey continues....tomorrow and Saturday I will fly from Philadelphia to Bismarck, North Dakota via Washington DC, Salt Lake City and Chicago. That's right - five airports in 24 hours. What the airline will make you do to minimize the cost of flying! Upon leaving the Bismarck airport Saturday afternoon, I will walk the first 10 of over 400 miles on this segment of Jim's walk across America.
Planning this trip has taken several hundred hours over the eight months since I finished the last segment in Bismarck. I have attempted to plot a course across western ND and eastern Montana that is visually attractive and historically significant. Much of the route will track the course followed by the Corps of Discovery, the Lewis an Clark expedition of 1804-05. They followed the Missouri River from St. Louis, through the Dakotas and to its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains in Montana. Over the next four weeks I will be walking roads close to the Missouri and passing Native American villages that the L&C expedition saw. I will pause to visit several museums and national historic sites that commemorate this historic venture during which Americans explored for the first time the far northern and western sectors of the Louisiana Territory purchased a few years earlier from France. They took several years to do that, traverse the Rockies and find their way to the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River. Recently I have read a number of fine books about this trip, and highly recommend the historical novel Meriwether by David Nevin.
My destination is the town of Glasgow, Montana, which is conveniently located on the Amtrak line what will deliver me to Minot, ND, from which I will fly home on or about June 17. The itinerary takes me due north from Bismarck for three days, then due west for the next week, then alternately north and west until I cross the state line into Montana - about 250 miles in ND in fifteen days. For most of the next eight days I will be trekking westward in eastern MT along busy Rte. 2, parallel to the Missouri.
Unlike my earlier trips across nine states from Maine to North Dakota, there will be few motel stops for rest and personal cleanup. The oil and gas industry is having a wild time tapping into the Bakken Shale deposits in this section of the country, and thousands of their employees have reserved all of the available motel rooms. So I will be spending most nights in my brand new tent, pitched in fields and parks along the route. Most of the towns have parks that they make available to visitors like me, and some of them even have showers - what luxury!
As in the earlier hikes on this cross-country venture, I will depend on restaurants to supply most of the caloric energy burned up on the roads. Towns are spaced about a day apart (~20 miles), and nearly all have at least one dining spot. Now we're not talking about epicurean delights here, but decent food and a local brew to wash it all down is all I ask. Foods I cannot carry in my pack, especially fruits and vegetables, will be at the top of my "to-eat" list. Restaurants will also supply one other need: an electrical outlet so I can recharge my phone and new Nook e-reader. There is more reading material loaded on the Nook that I expect to need, but the days are long this time of year, so I should get through quite a few books in four weeks, as long as I can find an outlet to tap every few days.
Weather is a moderate concern. It's been a rainy season out there and precipitation this time of year typically comes down about one day every three. I am starting this hike earlier than usual to avoid the plains states heat in late June. But the unavoidable consequence is some very cool nights (low to mid 40's) in late May. Cold temps and rainy weather are a deadly combination, especially if there is no motel and hot shower at the end of the day. For the first time I will have two rain jackets that I will layer to try to keep most of my body dry on even the wettest day. Since my route is mainly major highways with truck traffic passing at around 70 mph or faster, I expect to experience some "semi-showers" on rainy days.
For the sake of my feet, most miles will be walked in sandals rather than hiking boots. Although not practical on wet days or gravel surfaces, they tend to be much kinder to my sore, swollen and blistered feet than boots.
As she did last year in Minnesota, Jane will fly out to meet me mid-way through this hike. We were able to find and reserve a room in Dickinson, 35 miles distant from my route, far enough away from the oil boom area for there to be a vacancy. Dickinson is a small city offering museums, a library, and other touristy things to do. We are already looking forward to two days of relaxation and togetherness after nearly two weeks of being apart.
To minimize the weight on my back, there will be three boxes of supplies (mostly food and fuel) mailed to post offices along the way. The first was sent off this morning and Jane will mail two more next week. If any of you are so inclined, it is a real treat to receive letters and cards as I go. Just mail them to General Delivery [town name and zip] and include in the bottom left side of the envelope or address label "Hold for Hiker Jim Gregoire due [date]". To ensure timely receipt, mail letters at least 4 days (excluding Sat and Sun) before my scheduled arrival date. The three post offices are:
Beulah, ND 58523..............due date May 27
Alexander, ND 58831........due date June 6
Culbertson, MT 59218......due date June 9
In prep for this hike, I have done a few long training walks, including two group hikes with Freewalkers of 28-30 miles each. These have been helpful, but they are not the equivalent of doing 20 miles a day every day with a 30 pound backpack. Based on past experience, I expect the legs to get stronger during the first week, and the feet to start giving me trouble the second week. For the first time, I have built into the schedule some rest days - the two with Jane, and two single days over the following ten. With luck these rest days will coincide with nasty weather, and I will be in a town where I can spend the day in the local library.
As usual, my one-person pit crew will keep you all informed as this journey progresses over the next four weeks. Jane will once again transcribe our conversations and relate my adventures over the course of this four week hike. She will be emailing the journal to those who prefer email; there will also be a blog you can access at:
www.jim-springhike.blogspot.com
Anyone wishing to be added to the email distribution list, now almost 160 people, should email her at ringer0519@yahoo.com. Thanks to all who have expressed best wishes and promises of prayers for my health and safety.
Now, as expressed in the memorable lyrics sung by country crooner Willie Nelson:
On the road again -
Just can't wait to get on the road again.
Goin' places that I've never been.
Seein' things that I may never see again.
And I can't wait to get on the road again.
Jim the Hiker
Thursday, May 19, 2011 - And so my journey continues....tomorrow and Saturday I will fly from Philadelphia to Bismarck, North Dakota via Washington DC, Salt Lake City and Chicago. That's right - five airports in 24 hours. What the airline will make you do to minimize the cost of flying! Upon leaving the Bismarck airport Saturday afternoon, I will walk the first 10 of over 400 miles on this segment of Jim's walk across America.
Planning this trip has taken several hundred hours over the eight months since I finished the last segment in Bismarck. I have attempted to plot a course across western ND and eastern Montana that is visually attractive and historically significant. Much of the route will track the course followed by the Corps of Discovery, the Lewis an Clark expedition of 1804-05. They followed the Missouri River from St. Louis, through the Dakotas and to its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains in Montana. Over the next four weeks I will be walking roads close to the Missouri and passing Native American villages that the L&C expedition saw. I will pause to visit several museums and national historic sites that commemorate this historic venture during which Americans explored for the first time the far northern and western sectors of the Louisiana Territory purchased a few years earlier from France. They took several years to do that, traverse the Rockies and find their way to the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River. Recently I have read a number of fine books about this trip, and highly recommend the historical novel Meriwether by David Nevin.
My destination is the town of Glasgow, Montana, which is conveniently located on the Amtrak line what will deliver me to Minot, ND, from which I will fly home on or about June 17. The itinerary takes me due north from Bismarck for three days, then due west for the next week, then alternately north and west until I cross the state line into Montana - about 250 miles in ND in fifteen days. For most of the next eight days I will be trekking westward in eastern MT along busy Rte. 2, parallel to the Missouri.
Unlike my earlier trips across nine states from Maine to North Dakota, there will be few motel stops for rest and personal cleanup. The oil and gas industry is having a wild time tapping into the Bakken Shale deposits in this section of the country, and thousands of their employees have reserved all of the available motel rooms. So I will be spending most nights in my brand new tent, pitched in fields and parks along the route. Most of the towns have parks that they make available to visitors like me, and some of them even have showers - what luxury!
As in the earlier hikes on this cross-country venture, I will depend on restaurants to supply most of the caloric energy burned up on the roads. Towns are spaced about a day apart (~20 miles), and nearly all have at least one dining spot. Now we're not talking about epicurean delights here, but decent food and a local brew to wash it all down is all I ask. Foods I cannot carry in my pack, especially fruits and vegetables, will be at the top of my "to-eat" list. Restaurants will also supply one other need: an electrical outlet so I can recharge my phone and new Nook e-reader. There is more reading material loaded on the Nook that I expect to need, but the days are long this time of year, so I should get through quite a few books in four weeks, as long as I can find an outlet to tap every few days.
Weather is a moderate concern. It's been a rainy season out there and precipitation this time of year typically comes down about one day every three. I am starting this hike earlier than usual to avoid the plains states heat in late June. But the unavoidable consequence is some very cool nights (low to mid 40's) in late May. Cold temps and rainy weather are a deadly combination, especially if there is no motel and hot shower at the end of the day. For the first time I will have two rain jackets that I will layer to try to keep most of my body dry on even the wettest day. Since my route is mainly major highways with truck traffic passing at around 70 mph or faster, I expect to experience some "semi-showers" on rainy days.
For the sake of my feet, most miles will be walked in sandals rather than hiking boots. Although not practical on wet days or gravel surfaces, they tend to be much kinder to my sore, swollen and blistered feet than boots.
As she did last year in Minnesota, Jane will fly out to meet me mid-way through this hike. We were able to find and reserve a room in Dickinson, 35 miles distant from my route, far enough away from the oil boom area for there to be a vacancy. Dickinson is a small city offering museums, a library, and other touristy things to do. We are already looking forward to two days of relaxation and togetherness after nearly two weeks of being apart.
To minimize the weight on my back, there will be three boxes of supplies (mostly food and fuel) mailed to post offices along the way. The first was sent off this morning and Jane will mail two more next week. If any of you are so inclined, it is a real treat to receive letters and cards as I go. Just mail them to General Delivery [town name and zip] and include in the bottom left side of the envelope or address label "Hold for Hiker Jim Gregoire due [date]". To ensure timely receipt, mail letters at least 4 days (excluding Sat and Sun) before my scheduled arrival date. The three post offices are:
Beulah, ND 58523..............due date May 27
Alexander, ND 58831........due date June 6
Culbertson, MT 59218......due date June 9
In prep for this hike, I have done a few long training walks, including two group hikes with Freewalkers of 28-30 miles each. These have been helpful, but they are not the equivalent of doing 20 miles a day every day with a 30 pound backpack. Based on past experience, I expect the legs to get stronger during the first week, and the feet to start giving me trouble the second week. For the first time, I have built into the schedule some rest days - the two with Jane, and two single days over the following ten. With luck these rest days will coincide with nasty weather, and I will be in a town where I can spend the day in the local library.
As usual, my one-person pit crew will keep you all informed as this journey progresses over the next four weeks. Jane will once again transcribe our conversations and relate my adventures over the course of this four week hike. She will be emailing the journal to those who prefer email; there will also be a blog you can access at:
www.jim-springhike.blogspot.com
Anyone wishing to be added to the email distribution list, now almost 160 people, should email her at ringer0519@yahoo.com. Thanks to all who have expressed best wishes and promises of prayers for my health and safety.
Now, as expressed in the memorable lyrics sung by country crooner Willie Nelson:
On the road again -
Just can't wait to get on the road again.
Goin' places that I've never been.
Seein' things that I may never see again.
And I can't wait to get on the road again.
Jim the Hiker
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