I managed to get up early this morning, though I probably could have started even earlier. When I made it downstairs I found that Tim, David, and Steve had all made it to the hotel last night sometime from Butte. I was glad that Steve was back on the bike, but I still wanted to get ahead of them. This was a race after all.
I packed up and put on all my layers. The sun was just starting to rise, and the temperature had dropped again over night. It was still bitterly cold. I talked with (the NZ) who I had passed on the way out of Butte yesterday and we started off together. Eventually our paces differed enough and we got out of sync. We would yo-yo a little throughout the day, often stopping at the same places.
On the way up (crystal meadows?) it started snowing. This morning I was glad I didn’t try to do this last night, there just aren’t that many places along this road to get out of the elements. There are a few campgrounds on the way out of Wise River, but until you get to the top there really isn’t anything. I did stop briefly on top in the crystal park to get some water and eat something, but didn’t stay long. It was still snowing up on top and I wanted to get down quickly.
The resupply logistics for this section are a little sparse. There’s a little resupply option in Wise River if you stop in the little store or restaurant, but not much as far as packaged foods. I had loaded up on candy bars from the restaurant last night, so I wasn’t hurting for food. The next options are Elkhorn hot springs, but in this weather I didn’t expect them to be open. Then the next option is a few miles down the road at the Montana High Country Lodge. After that there is nothing really until Lima, about 100 miles away. And those options aren’t much more than a gas station and a diner.
I stopped at the lodge and so did (NZ). We got a nice breakfast and some sandwiches to go and headed back into the cold.
I don’t have a lot to say about today really. It was cold and gloomy all day, and I felt like I was always about an hour ahead of a rain storm. Thankfully Bannock road was dry and I didn’t get any of that nasty mud. I was also crossing my fingers pretty hard and riding a little faster just to try and stay ahead of any little rain storms that might pop up. It also stayed cold all day. I wore all my layers all day and didn’t feel like I was too warm. Thankfully I was warm enough while I was moving.
I got to Lima in pretty good time, but was met with more disappointment in the lodging situation. This must have been a busy week / weekend for vacations. First everything was sold out in Butte, a fairly good size town. And then Lima, which I didn’t think was much more than a pit stop on the highway toward Yellowstone was totally sold out as well.
I got in early enough I could get a nice hot meal, and think about where I’d be staying for the night. I really had my heart set on a nice warm hotel room, but decided to settle for the very cold ground out back of the hotel. I had considered heading up to the next campground, but if I remembered correctly it was closed because of Grizzly bear activity. It didn’t sound like the best idea to head into a campground that was mostly used by bears on this cold day. I grabbed some supplies from the gas station, planning on leaving early again and headed to my bivvy to try and get some sleep, and also not freeze.
