CDT98
31st July Monday
26 miles

I just cannot believe the great weather I’m having with a gentle breeze to make my uphill walks that much more pleasant.

More traffic on the trail today, a couple with their dog that had it’s own backpack, not sure if they are doing the whole CDT thing, I don’t think so,  as there are areas that  you definitely  cannot take a dog.

With an early morning start of 5:30, I’m feeling good, only that in the afternoon I have found  that I need a 5 minute break just to energise back up.  Tomorrow I’ll get to a point where most hikers hitch hike into Durby to resupply, but my plan is to continue on for another 4 days and rest up and in Anaconda. I’m planing on a zero day there and relax

Firefighters going out to fight the fire as i just arrived 

Fire fighters and jumpers at “Big Hole Pass” my plan to do 30 miles today came to a halt, I knew there were fires about but when I arrived at Big Hole Pass there were many vehicles and what I was later told, fire fighters  There were, I’d say,  7 of them, I could see all their equipment  that had been parachuted in and just before it got dark, they started walking towards the fire, which was only half a mile east of where I camped for the night,  along the trail I planed go take tomorrow.

As I arrived to the campsite planes and helicopters were flying above and every hour a large plane with fire retardant would fly directly above me at low altitude, I tried to take photos but either I was to slow in getting the camera out or trees canopy  were blocking the views.

Not a good photo, other planes where much closer but I wasn’t  fast enough