2023 CDT - Day 35 - Two Medicine & Many Glacier

0445 Again.

Love that morning light! Rising Wolf Mountain (I think), Two Medicine, Glacier NP, MT.

Up at 0445 AGAIN! Coffees to go AGAIN! Wake up Beau, time to go AGAIN!

And another beautiful morning. We all slept well and were ready to go. Runningbird switched from her new trail shoes, which were no longer new and were well worn, to her old trail shoes, which were older but not as well worn as her newer worn ones. Some laces had to be changed out but that didn't take long. She took a shoe, I took a shoe. The Spot was on and she had some snacks to get her started; her water bottle was filled with another coffee. She has some big miles to press through in the coming days and will hopefully get them behind her before dark.

Yes Beau, she's leaving again.

We watched Runningbird walk across the bridge that would put her back on the CDT from Medicine Lake and the final stretch of this part of the adventure. We walked back towards the truck and Beau turned around more than a few times to see if she was going to come back. It was a bit of a tug on the heart and stirred a bit of anxiety. I had hoped Runningbird had paid close attention to the video on using the bear spray and knew how to remove the safety clip as I believe this section allowed the biggest chance of a grizzly encounter. What's the saying, "Go with God, and carry a big stick"?

Sinopah Mountain (I think) and Two Medicine Lake, Glacier NP, MT.

I drove back through East Glacier and back towards our campground near the summit. I was tired. Not just from the short nights and early mornings. I had some oatmeal for breakfast, took my morning round of pills, and put my head down on the pillow. I woke up three hours later! Felt like a train had hit me. I have only five more days of what we call the "Good Bad" drugs and finally, after two years, I'll be done. Hopefully for good. I still have a handful of other drugs to take for a few more months but hopefully they won't have near the side effects. The worst of it just being tired all the time.

All in all, a pretty dull day. I walked beau several times. I don't really think he wants the walk so much as he wants to chase the squirrels that sit in the trees or just outside their ground holes mocking him. And they do it a lot. There is a big field here where I can let him off leash and he chases them just to have them pop up somewhere behind him and do their chirping laugh as if to say, "come and get me". Drives him crazy. Think Whack-a-mole. The rest of the time is spent reading, tracking Runningbird, and studying maps trying to decide the best route home. Do we go the shortest, quickest route? Or take advantage of where we are and run up and through southern Canada before dropping down into Washington. Fortunately I have a few days to think about it. Life is short.