Lucky for us, no cars, trucks, ATV’s or hunters drove down our abandoned roadway last night. Being the road was blocked with trees and large berms, probably had much to do with the lack of vehicles. There wasn’t much scenic value but it was one of the flattest site selections that I’ve had, to this point. That was a big plus.

We were on trail later than usual as our driver Dave wasn’t going to arrive until 10am. Sleeping in is such a luxury and we took advantage of it. We moussed down the trail and still arrived a half an hour early. There was a truck that pulled up and I grabbed my pack to meet up with our driver. Ended up they were another crew from AmeriCorp in St. Louis. They were one of five crews assigned to cleanup the CDT. The crew leader shared that in one months time, the five crews have cleared over 15,000 trees off the trail! That’s incredible and once again, so impressed and thankful for their hard work.

Dave showed up and we jumped in his Jeep and headed to Anaconda. He was born and raised in this very small town of 7,500 folks and loves the outdoors. He skis, hikes, fishes and is one heck of a tennis player. He has graduated from work and is now retired, as he states. And spends much of his summers volunteering as a Trail Angel. The trek to pick us up is close to an hour on dirt roads that most people would never even know about. He took us to Pintler’s Hostel but we were not able to gain access until 3pm. So Dave took us to the Anaconda Gear Shop where Sally scored a new pair of shoes, and Fearless stocked up on some dehydrated meals and a pair of toe socks. Then we all walked to the Bar & Grill for lunch. Hiker Hunger has finally kicked in.

Once we finished off our lunch and beers, we headed to the post office to mail a purchase that Sally made, home. Jeans will not be needed on the trail, but they sure looked good on her.

Around 3pm, we gained our right to get inside the hostel. Pintlers is by far the nicest, cleanest and well thought out Hostel I have ever seen. We had a private room, with two sets of Bunk beds equipped with towels, sheets and duvets. The showers were spotless and the common area downstairs was huge. We gathered our stinky clothes, did laundry and waited. We had resupply boxes shipped there and picked them up. Now it was time for dinner. Sally and I went to the pizza place but they ran out of pizza. That’s odd so we went back to the Bar & Grill and had salad with loaded baked potatoes. I think that ended up being much better than any slice of pizza.

We waddled back to our bunkhouse, opened our resupply boxes, sorted our food and by 10pm, we finished our day. I tell you, being a thru-hiker is hard-work. I’m pooped just writing about today! And I need a good nights rest.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭