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
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