(September 6, 2018, Lincoln, Montana)
I can smell the border. 300 miles to go.
Body is getting grumpy but that is what Alleve is for toward the end.
Lots of fires ahead, but I’m getting quite good at sneaking around them.
With a little luck, I’ll kiss a Mapleleaf in a couple of weeks.
Fall comes to the pine forest. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)
History of a wildfire memorialized by the survivors. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)
My birthday gift on the day I turned 55. Stumbled upon a 100-year-old wooden railway trestle bridge being taken over by the forest. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)
The only remainder of Anaconda, Montana’s famous smelter. The brick masonry smokestack is taller than the Washington monument. At its rim, it is wide enough and strong enough for a Cadillac to complete a circumference. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)
My favorite bar in Anaconda. Took my first day off since leaving Rawlins, Wyoming on August 1 in Anaconda. The plan was to relax and relax some more. But my room was over another bar and it was karaoke night. Nothing to do but sing-along from my bed until 4 AM. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)
Laundry after four days on the trail. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)
9 PM bath for a moose. Both of us avoiding a fire up on the ridge. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)
What happened when the fish crossed the road? (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)
An incredibly labor-intensive fence that tracked the CDT for miles. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)
Getting ready to hike into an inversion, (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)
Bone directions to a spring. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)
Steven “Blast” Halteman, signing off from the CDT!