As planned, I finished my first 249 miles on the PNT from Chief Mountain, Glacier National Park, to US 95 that got me to Bonners Ferry ID. I had chosen this time frame because it fit my schedule with an upcoming hiking trip to Switzerland with Mrs Haze (stay tuned). It was just as well because fire closures going forward would certainly have stopped my westward progess. I couldn’t have started earlier this summer because of previous commitments but there…

Daily Miles: 10.6, Total Miles: 249.0 Only a little more work got me over the rest of Bussard Mountain and mostly downhill from there. There was a bushwhack to contend with down to Brush Lake, slow going and careful footing required, but really not bad compared to other off-trail treks I’ve done. A few miles past Brush Lake, I reached US 95 and as I was raising my thumb was immediately picked up by a man and son from Colorado…

Daily Miles: 23.5, Total Miles: 219.5 Because I had walked all the way into Yaak, I opted to return to the PNT on the Pete Creek alternate, taking a forest service road paralleling Pete Creek all the way to the PNT just past Garver Mountain. The steady uphill climb gained about 1,300′ vertical over several miles. On the way, I saw one of the largest beaver dams and pond I have ever seen. Like many areas in the West, after…

Daily Miles: 19.3, Total Miles: 196.0 To my knowledge, I wasn’t visited by rats or any other chewing rodents last night. I was up early and got out of camp by 6:30am for a 1,500′ climb up and over Bunker Hill to start the day. The gradient and trail conditions were better than most. Some filtered views were had from where I came from and on ahead to Yaak Valley. Then down and down through forests, some deep and dark,…

Daily Miles: 13.2, Total Miles: 176.7 About 1am this morning, I woke up to something big and heavy noisily wading and snuffling across a shallow part of the lake, then crackling branches and trees along the shore towards my tent. The sounds and gait unfortunately made me confident it was a bear. I had time to get my headlamp on, line up my bear spray and get ready to blow the whistle Mrs Haze insisted I bring on this hike….

Daily Miles: 27.5, Total Miles: 163.5 There were low lying clouds over Eureka but by the time I was ready to go, the showers had nearly stopped. As a result, the air quality was much improved this morning. I made good time on the nearly flat, over 15-mile mostly road walk to Lake Koocanusa via Redford. The 91-mile long reservoir was formed by the construction of the Libby Dam on the Kootenai River in 1973. I crossed the Koocanusa Bridge…

Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 136.0 I awoke to thunder, lightning and rain, so nice to enjoy it from the comfort of a dry bed! Hope it knocks the smoke down and dampens the current wildfires rather than start more. In a break in the rain showers, I headed to nearby Fire & Ice restaurant for a huge omelette. Resuming hiker chores, I walked about a mile down the road to the post office for my resupply box. I caught…

Daily Miles: 21.4, Total Miles: 136.0 I awoke to less haze and smoke this morning at my waterfront campsite at Bluebird Lake. There’s a weather front moving in so maybe the winds are shifting. The morning started with a climb to 7,400′ skirting near the top of Green Mountain, nice views of some other lakes in the Ten Lakes Scenic Recreation Area. Near the top, some old mining relics perked my interest, the old and inactive Twin Peaks Mine apparently…

Daily Miles: 19.0, Total Miles: 114.6 I got an early start on a cool morning and headed up FS roads following Grave Creek to the TH at Foundation Camp. The trail then took me five miles and about 2,000′ vertical to Mt Wam at 7,200′ elevation. The lookout cabin was built in 1931, used until 1951 and restored about 30 years ago. The cabin can be used by hikers but it was still too early in the day so I…