2023 CDT - Day 25 - Moving Day

Wingman here. Canyon Creek to Augusta

Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT.

It was pretty hot here yesterday (95 degrees on Day 24 in Canyon Creek) and stayed warm into the evening. Just before dinner I set up our little portable shower tent next to the water hydrant and took a nice cold shower. I needed it. Everything was dry by the time I went to fold it up and put it away. I could have taken a shower in the trailer but I had already topped off the water tank and didn't want to add to the gray water tank before leaving. Anyway, it was kinda fun experimenting with the new shower tent.

This morning I had everything ready to go, had my cereal and coffee, walked and fed Beau, and walked over to the Country Store to pay up Adon and get a few groceries. Beau kept whining because I'm sure he was hoping Felony would be about to play with but she never showed up. We said our good-byes and pulled out of Canyon Creek and took the back highway roads at a leisurely pace north to Augusta. A small town, population 233, but definately bigger than Canyon Creek where the population is 55. Also good to note here that neither place has a bakery. I found the Wagons West Campground on Campendium located at the edge of town. Like most thing it was quite how it was pictured in photos but it met the requirements - has showers and a laundry. There is no rhyme or reason for the way the place is laid out but I had site number 11 which was just a post with water and power and the #11 on the post. No pad or anything to designate which way to park. Anyway, I'm next to the post so I guess I'm good. Wagon's West has a restaurant which only serves breakfast. There are three other restaurants in town two of which are steak, burger, and bar joints and truly cowboy bars. The third, the "Lazy B" looks like it may serve salads and have something besides beef. We'll see. The auto repair place had the only gas pump in town, one pump, and I don't think there is any where else for quite some distance. There is one general store which seems to have quite a good supply of food stuff including vegetables. I bought some broccoli for $1.99/lb. Is that good?

In the afternoon I took Beau and we drove 30 miles up a dirt road to our next resupply/pickup point for Runningbird. It wasn't too bad of a road but certainly had some washboard areas. It took us a bit over an hour to get there and the scenery was lovely. Wild flowers, wild horses or donkeys or mules or whatever they were. We had to slow, even slower, in some areas for cows on the road. Vast open areas, lakes on distant plateaus, beautiful mountains, creeks, streams, and rivers, and stunning wild flowers. At the end of the road I took Beau out for a bit of a walk up the trail to where we would meet Runningbird.

Last photos received from Runningbird including the yurt she spotted.

Back at the campground I took a look at what the FarOut App had to say about some of the areas where Runningbird would be traversing and some of it did not look so good. There appears to be plenty of water and definately some places where she was going to have to get wet. I'll try to include some screenshots of a comment by another hiker who recently came through. It is a bit disturbing.

Beau and I took a pleasant walk about town in the warm evening breeze. The town was fairly quiet with very little activity. We returned to the comfort of the air-conditioned T@B and hunkered down for the night. It was still somewhat light out as I drifted off to sleep at about 10:30 PM (2230).