2023 CDT - Day 29 - Augusta to Choteau, MT

Runningbird traverses the 12-mile plus Chinese Wall in the Bob

Choteau, Teton County Seat, MT.

The town of Choteau, which is the Teton County seat, was the place I decided on as my next destination. As I would be on my own for a while I could Boondock and go on the cheap. The next places where I would meet Runningbird were in and around Glacier so were going to be expensive. While the campgrounds within the NP were not expensive, reservations were available six months out and I had no idea where we would be on the trail six months ago and of course they filled out quick. Anyway, I digress. Choteau was only about 30 miles up the road from Augusta and has a city park campground, first-come first-serve (FCFS), and is only $10 a night. No services but there is cell service and shade trees.

Main Street Choteau, MT

It's a fairly large town compared to Canyon Creek and Augusta yet still a small town. It does have a bakery, run by the Amish, and of course I did pay it a visit. There is a nice grocery store, drug store, a few bar/cafes, a library, health center, gas station, and a movie theatre.

The Roxy Theatre, downtown Choteau, MT. (The line was much longer).

Now when I arrived to the city RV park I had four cell bars. By late afternoon I had none? What the heck? Bizarre. No idea how that stuff happens. I took Beau and we walked to the library on the main drag. There I sat on a bench out front and jumped on their WiFi to get a track on Runningbird. I walked about town a bit and back to the campground but still no cell service. Late in the afternoon I put my head down for a short nap. A very short nap it was. I was brought to attention by VERY LOUD rock and roll. I took Beau and we walked across a small creek foot bridge to another part of the park where they were preparing for what appeared to be a fairly large wedding. I was a biker wedding with lots of Harleys lined up at the street. At the end of the ceremony all the bikers went to their bikes and all at the same time started their bikes and revved them up good and loud and then took off up and down the street for a short, loud ride. Could be an interesting afternoon.

Much of Runningbird's trek today and tomorrow will be along The Chinese Wall. What is the Chinese Wall you ask? It is an escarpment; a steep slope or long cliff, reportedly up to 40 miles long but 12 miles of it is continuous. It runs along the Continental Divide meaning water on different sides of it flow either to the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.

Runningbird's track along the Chinese Wall in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT.

Just after dinner time a cyclist, Edwin from Belgium, came to the trailer door introduced himself, and asked if he could store his food in my truck as he was concerned about bears. While he had not seen any, several marmots had eaten thru his very expensive cycling bags to get at his food and he didn't want to take a chance. Edwin had been cycling in Americas since March and had visited LA, Las Vegas, Valley of Fire, Zion, Bryce, Tetons and all the other NP areas coming up to this point. I asked him if anyone had tried to run him off the road yet. He replied, "usually several times a day". I left the truck unlocked for him to put his stuff on the back seat.

Later in the evening I went to the library again, now closed but the WiFi was still available from the bench, and took a last position from Runningbird's Spot before going to bed. Still no cell service. The library was next to the Roxy movie theatre and I noticed quite the line as folks were enjoying a night out. The temperature was still in the 80s when I retired for the night. Sometime before midnight my phone pinged and I saw that I had four cell bars again. Dang strange!