Mule ranch, hwy 274 to Flower Lake 25 mi :: 1800 mi :: Overcast, rainy I walk a few miles on the highway this morning. A green truck with a sticker in the back window that says “Real Men Love Jesus” keeps passing me. It passed our camp a few times at breakfast too, I…

I-15 Feely exit to Mule Ranch, Hwy 274 26 mi :: 1775 mi :: Overcast Ann drops me off back at I-15 in the morning. I walk a few miles of road to a trailhead, where two ATVs are just starting up the Rocky Ridge trail. I expect to encounter more, but find only mile…

Pipestone Pass to Feely exit on I-15 24 mi :: 1749 mi :: Sunny, warm In the morning I get to sample some trail that’s actually been built. Very nice, but I can’t resist taking off through the bush when I get the chance, following survey stakes. Today’s bushwhack is tougher than yesterday’s. The forest…

Delmoe Lake to Pipestone Pass 17 mi :: 1725 mi :: Sunny, warm I feel better today, despite having nine miles of dusty road to walk in the morning. Ann meets me at Homestake Pass, where we have lunch at a nice spot by the lake. From Homestake I try to find my way along…

Lowland Campground to Delmoe Lake 23 mi :: 1708 mi :: Sunny, hot I spend the morning on roads, even a few miles of pavement. This includes my first crossing of I-15. It�s strange to imagine this ribbon of pavement running south through Las Vegas to Cajon Pass, where I crossed it hiking the Pacific…

Thunderbolt Mountain to Lowland Campground 30 mi :: 1685 mi :: Sunny, warm I get a stiff hip from sleeping in a bumpy spot, but the cold, clear night under the stars is worth it. Looking at my maps, I realize that my enthusiastic excursion up Thunderbolt Peak will cost me a few extra miles,…

McDonald Pass to Thunderbolt Mountain 28 mi :: 1655 mi :: Sunny, warm I see a large variety of forest service and logging roads today. They take me through dense, new-growth woods, older open woods, clear cuts, and everything in between. The road quality varies from barely discernable and overgrown to well-graded with homes peeking…

Helena 0 mi :: 1627 mi :: Sunny, warm Helena treats us well. At the Crossroads Fitness Center we get a hiker special – pool, sauna, steam room, hot tub, and shower for $4 apiece. With a start like that, the rest of the can’t be bad. We do our laundry, have a good lunch…

Dana Spring to MacDonald Pass 25 mi :: 1627 mi :: Sunny, warm It’s a day of remote dirt roads for both Ann and me. When I see deep ruts and mudholes in one of the roads on Ann’s route, I leave her a cellphone message suggesting she find another way. At lunch, however, along…

Trout Creek to Dana Spring 26 mi :: 1602 mi :: Rainy morning, cool & breezy It’s cold and rainy when I wake up. Mercifully the rain stops, leaving a bright but cold morning. It feels like a preview of fall weather, with puffy clouds racing by and damp smells rising up from the forest…