We had our first significant distance of road walk which is easy walking but somewhat boring and tough on the feet. Whew, this was another tough section of the PNT. Pacific Northwest Trail Section 2 – Overall Experience It was in Bonners Ferry we read the news that an unprecedented and historic heatwave was approaching as we took off on Section 3. Not an ideal zero day, but restful nonetheless. We were only able to get one night in a motel room, and the next day we were given permission to loiter in the motel’s outdoor seating area and camp on their property (thanks, Ed!). The gang was kept busy relaxing, eating, and trying to take care of problems with gear and shoes. With painful feet, we arrived in Bonners Ferry eager for a day off to rest and take care of a few errands. With an aggressive start to a challenging trail, we all were excited to take our first day off and catch up on sleep. Our final stretch was dirt road walk to a highway where we waited about an hour on the sleepy road for a ride to Bonners Ferry. We spent about 40 minutes climbing over and around down trees, creating a path through the woods. Finally, we started heading downhill and just had 1 more obstacle between us and town – a mile of bushwhacking connecting two trails. The sky had cleared by this point, leaving us drenched with sweat instead of rain. We started a steep 3500 ft climb up and over a mountain switchback after switchback, a seemingly endless ascent. We crossed the Moyie River which brought us to our last big climb before town. I spotted another black bear as we came down the mountain, again running away from us quickly. We started a big descent that lead down into the valley with rain intermittently falling in us. It was mostly dry in the morning, but ominous clouds filled the sky. Overnight, a little rain fell from the sky. Day 10 – 25.4 Miles / +4400 ft elevation gain Just before camp, we crossed into Idaho from Montana, and we went to bed tired and eager to head to town the next day. Towards the end of the day, our group spotted two bears that ran away from us quick when they noticed our presence. The day featured more big climbs which actually came with some pretty incredible views and a lovely display of wildflowers. They’d leave us time stamps at intersections carved into the dirt or small patches of snow which made for a fun game. Philly and Gusha started their day a couple miles ahead of the rest of us, and we spent the day on their heels. We had about 12 miles of road walking in the morning, followed by single track in the afternoon and evening. I still can’t believe this happened from a mosquito bite (thankfully it faded fast!) Day 9 – 29.7 Miles / +6900 ft elevation gain We stopped for a quick swim in another creek and continued to camp on the side of the road, tired from another long hot day. Soon, we exited the trail for a road, and began our evening walk on dirt forest service roads. We were all pretty beat with all the climbing and temps around 90°, but we walked on grateful for the cool forest. It took about 2 hours to climb over the mountain and halfway down the other side until we could find some shade. We climbed while sweat poured down our bodies. We took our lunch at Vernal Falls, a couple of the guys taking a dip in a swimming hole in an attempt to fight the steamy weather.Īfter lunch, we began a huge climb that started in overgrown bushes and continued up into a burn area with no shade to cover the blazing sun. Sean and I lagged behind the group, and I became frustrated at our relatively slow pace closer to 2 miles per hour than 3.
#Pacific northwest trail map series
We walked the trail winding through the forest following the ridge, a series of climbs and descents. Glancing at the elevation profile, I thought we were in for a light day. Crossing the Kootenai River Vibrant Indian Paintbrush lines the trail Leaving the Thirsty Mountain lookout tower Day 8 – 30.9 Miles / +6900 ft elevation gain
Just before heading to bed, a black bear walked by near our camp, but thankfully it spooked easily once it heard us. We took a quick break to dry off and enjoy the views and continued a few more miles to camp. It was a steamy afternoon which left us drenched in sweat as we climbed up the appropriately named Thirsty Mountain and approached the lookout tower. Road became trail after crossing the Kootenai River, and we started a steep 4000 ft climb immediately. Our first 16 miles of the day was road walking, a mix of dirt and pavement. With properly taped feet, we left Eureka, MT, and continued west on the PNT.
Map courtesy of NPS.gov Day 7 – 162.8 – 29.6 Miles / +5400 ft elevation gain Read our experience getting our collective butts kicked on the rugged and challenging PNT in Section 2.Ĭlick here to read Section 1.
We’re out on a thruhike of the 1200 mile Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT) as part of a group of six experienced hikers.