I normally don't like to go back to trail that I've already done... let alone walked just the previous year, but it's that time a year when clear trail to hike is tough to come by. So we decided to ditch the snow shoes and head back to the Clark Fork River.
This trail really is the perfect shoulder season trail. It's 9 miles one way and the hills on it seems to level out just as I start thinking I need to stop on the way up. The forest is incredibly diverse and there's plenty of spots for camping.
We got started early in the afternoon giving us a few hours of daylight to find a camp. We hiked in a couple of miles and then left the main trail to find a camp. After bushwhacking for a couple miles we hit the river and found a nice campsite on its banks. Since it is still early in the season we brought some food luxuries and we'll have to leave behind in another month. For the first night it was steaks on the fire! I hauled in a cooking grate and it made for a great night.
I may have celebrated a little too much on the first night and it was a slow morning getting out of hammock. We only had 6-7 miles to go that day and so we were able to hang around camp for a while. We finally started walking in the early afternoon and it was a perfect spring day. We bushwhacked along the river until we crossed the the main trail, then jumped on it. It was smooth sailing from there and it felt great to finally be hiking down the trail.
For the second night's camp we climbed up on to a bench up above the trail. It was a great spot. Plenty of wood around and flat, grassy land to camp on. We didn't string up our tarps on the first night and on the second night we planned on doing the same. The clouds started gathering, but the weather held off for the evening. For the second night, Irish Bratwurst were on the menu. In my opinion, these are the best ones by far. We cooked up 2 packs of them and saved some for breakfast the next morning.
Some time in the middle of the night I felt the dreaded drops of water on my face. At first I just laid there, hoping it would stop. The rain let up a little bit and I thought that I was safe..... then it picked up. Then it picked up again... I jumped out of my hammock and rushed to string up my tarp. (No, I didn't string it up and leave it in the tarp sleeves). The rain continued to pick up while as I frantically setup my tarp. Finally I had it setup and I climbed back into my hammock. Shortly after the rain stopped. Isn't that just the way it goes....
The next morning it was a bit cold out, but we warmed up with coffee and brats. We had our longest hike in front of us to get back to the truck. It was a perfect day for hiking and it felt like the miles just few by. That's not a great thing when you're wanting to stay in the forest for a while. As they all do, this trip came to an end. It was another great early season trip, and it's safe to say, we'll be back here again.
Thanks for watching!
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Originally Posted by Layne
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