16 July 2009 - Tungsten Mine

Today we hiked into the Pasayten Wilderness Area. Like all other days, we encountered no one else, but we did find an immaculate trail that is flat and easy to follow. Even though the trail has little elevation change, it is at 7,000 feet and is completely surrounded by mountains. Unlike many mountain trails, a good portion of today's route went though meadows, free from obstructions, leaving fantastic panoramas. The meadows were all full of a sea of wild flowers, helping make this my favorite day of hiking yet. Our guidebook raves of the Pasayten, and I can see why.

While walking thorugh this designated "wilderness area," it wasn't hard to grasp the wildness of the land. At certain vistas I could see for well over 100 miles through numerous mountain ranges. From afar, the ranges were all gree with blotches of snow and exposed rock. As the mountains got closer, individual trees became visible. Closer yet, gaps formed between the trees. More or less, we are walking through a huge land of wilderness, free of man's touch for miles in all directions...or so it seems.

Tonight we are cmaping outside some old bunkhouses associated with an old Tungsten mine which is a short walk from our tent. The mine was active circa WWI. Now all that remains are some old buildings which are used as shelter by the rare passerby. Apparently, this area isn't that wild if I am camping oin an old mine. Who knew what this land looked like in the past and how many times it has been altered? I'm sure it has been mined, logged, farmed, and only recently allowed to be wild. Can it even go wild in a land so touched already?


Following a cattle trail that leads into the Pasayten.


We carved our names on one of the doors inside the shack.

17 June 2009 - SE of Eureka, Montana

We are currently exhiled in our tents due to the first significant rainfall of our trip. The rain started this afternoon and has continued on and off for the past few hours. I am surprised it is still raining. On each of the prior days of the hike, we have heard loud thunder and could see dark storm clouds. FOrtunately, the unique weather patterns of the mountains always kept the rain away from us. I suppose we were due to get hit with some rain.

Despite having grown up in a fairly rural area, I am surprised how remote this region is and am excited to go through even more rural spots. Today we hiked 14 miles on one road seeing only 1 Subaru and the border patrol (ironically, the guy guarding the Canadian border has a thick Hispanic accent). We then sent another 7 miles on a busier road, encountering 5 vehicles. The complete lack of traffic/people on roads makes me feel much more comfortable about setting up a tent randomly in the woods. It is so remote here, no one would ever find you camped out. I now know why the Ted Kazinskis of the world flock to Montana.

Today we just walked through Federal land, so there was very little signs of humans. However, yesterday we walked down roads bordered by private property. Every single lot had multiple signs reading such things as "No Trespassing", "Keep Out", "and "Private Property." Each of these lots must have been many acres (if not many thousand acres), but people want as much space as possible and want it all to themselves. This supports my hypothesis that the difference between the US and the rest of the world is space. This affects how cities are built, how people commute, what people buy, how much people work, what people think, how people view their world... (I will happily elaborate if you are curious). People are so much into consuming physical space in this country that the government has to set aside areas to protect. This was the major contrast between today's walk and yesterday's walk. It looks like Teddy Roosevelt got conservation right.


Me reading the Bible after a very cool dip.