A Teacher trying to Divide -day 6
A big fire truck near Condon, MT
Saturday 13th of July
A storm was directly overhead when my alarm went off at 5:30am. My excuse for not getting up was that I did not want to be soaking wet on the climb up Richmond Peak so I turned over to enjoy a couple more hours of comfort in the yoga tent.
By 8:00am I had packed up my kit, had a cold breakfast and thanked Kathleen for her hospitality. Before leaving the Laughing Horse I gave her the pack of coffee from the Montana Coffee Traders, some instant meals and fruit for her and the staff. Somewhere near the front door I also accidentally left my rear clip on blinky LED light. Despite retracing my steps about three times I could not find it so I do hope that someone did and was able to use it.
I certainly did not have the hunger to hit the road and pedal so today was going to be a learning day for me…
Despite my late start I did not miss too much of the storm and was wet through in no time. The only way to stay reasonably warm and wet was to keep moving. Something I learned for the first time on a 100 mile charity road ride back home in Scotland about 5 years ago. Sure there were informal food/support stops on Derek’s route but if you took them during that ride the constant rain and 40 degree F temperature was going to spoil your day at the very least! Knowing that I had to simply crank out 50 miles non-stop from Badralloch to Achnasheen was a liberating feeling and one that I did not think I would be ‘cashing in’ on here in Montana.
I fully embraced the cold and the rain on the run down Highway 83. I will never ever forget seeing the lightning reflect off the map case on my handlebars or the constant road spray. Each road marker came with comforting regularity and slowly, but surely brought me nearer and nearer to where I would have to make a decision. What an experience to ride my bike and enjoy the pure line of the highway, the forest and the storm for mile after mile.
Just north of Condon, at Cold Creek I pulled into a gas station for some food and a coffee. The rain was coming straight down and the thunder still boomed through the Swan & Mission Mountains either side of me. I’ve been in the mountains enough to know that these sorts of conditions in the valley are often much more serious high up and rain would be sleet/hail with stronger winds. As I slurped another coffee and inhaled my second or third pastry I thought to myself ‘Would I head out into my local Cairngorm Mountains on a loaded bike to ride a serious trail in conditions like these?’ ‘Of course not, so why do it here!’ I traced a cold finger down the map to settle at Owl Packer Camp, just by Holland Lake. Not far. It might even stop raining.
As I rode into Condon I could see the local fire station, an appliance and a crowd of people who could only be firefighters with their friends and family. I pulled over to their station to say ‘Hi’. Michael and his son kindly gave me some water. We talked about the weather. I told them that my wife is a firefighter too. The feeling of community and hospitality was strong. Before I left I asked to take a photo of the two of them in front of the appliance with my bike. Little did I know this was going to be a bit of a theme on my ride down The Divide. By trying to stick to a schedule I had created at home, in Scotland, a year ago I was missing out on amazing experiences and interactions like this. Also if the weather was not in my favour there was nothing I could do about it.
I arrived at Owl Packer Camp in the afternoon and by this time the rain had stopped. This allowed me to hang out wet kit and get it drying in the sun. This campsite is a Forest Service one so there were no fees for the pitches, drop toilet and benches. As I walked around I couldn’t help wondering why there were so many RVs, jeeps, horse boxes and trailers around.
Back at my tent I met Joe whose son was heading back in after leading a group on horseback - what a summer job for a 16 year old! Joe and I talked for a wee while. He was a quiet, friendly guy who worked as a pilot in Montana. Before he left Joe asked me to join him and his family for some steak at their pitch later in the evening.
Mule train coming into camp
By late afternoon mule trains started coming quietly into the camp. I did wonder what the conditions had been like for them up in ‘The Bob’ for them last night and this morning. There were no bear lockers so I had to do my first ‘Bear Hang’ and was so chuffed to get it right the first time! Must have been something to do with rigging all those hoist systems in the Mountain Rescue team.
I enjoyed a fantastic dinner with Joe, his wife and daughter. They hardly let me move from my seat! We all enjoyed plates of pasta, salad and some delicious steak. Joe’s wife talked quietly with pride about her children’s prowess on horseback in Montana. They asked about my plans for the next part of my journey and we did all agree that this next section of the ACA map seemed rather long! I was given directions to an Aunt’s at Canyon Creek in case I needed some more hospitality from their family. Their son came by the pitch with one of his friends. They both looked resplendent in their boots, jeans, big buckle belts, new shirts and cowboy hats. His sister seemed pleased to see them too. The boys gave me a friendly hello before heading out for their final dinner with their clients.
Once again I end another day on The Divide having met friendly, open and kind people who clearly love where they live. The riding has been challenging too with my physical and mental training paying off. I went to bed replete that night, excited and a little nervous about the traverse of Richmond Peak in the morning.
The Laughing Horse Lodge to Owl Creek Packer Camp 40 miles, 1563 feet of ascent, 6 hours (4 hours riding + 2 hours stopped)
