Easy beginning, then overcomes hell

He had decided that the BMT would prefer to walk from John Day to Lake Wallowa because Wallowa County is so beautiful that I know better and I have friends there. At some point I had the idea that, since my wife, Mary, was going to be with me at the beginning, had more options on how to start my walk. How to make the first segment downhill instead of uphill. It’s just a road walk, after all, and I wouldn’t like to get too tired immediately!

Get there

The first day of driving from NM took us to Twin Falls, Idaho, which of course required to listen repeatedly Built on Twin Falls of Spill. On day 2 we stopped at Baker City to leave two refueling boxes with my friend Mike, who was going to be my second and also the last relevant. Then, to John Day, where we directly conducted the Canyon mountain path at the west end of the Strawberry Mountain desert. The beginning of the path is 7.1 miles from the city along paved and gravel roads.

A small and rewarding cheater

After driving 2300 ‘until the beginning of the path, I felt very happy to go to the city through the city instead of the city. And feeling a little guilty for doing it easily. But it is not so guilty. Mary walked with me down 1000 ‘, then returned to the car. I kept going to the city, without package. I received some water when he died, and suddenly I was in John Day with the first 7.1 miles of the path. Wow, this was going to be easy! Further, 1188 Beer Development He was waiting for us in John Day with good beer and good food. After months of planning and preparation, it felt very good to be walking along the Blue Mountains path!

At the real beginning of the BMT. Note how happy I see myself!

The real beginning

My first real day at the BMT began on the Canyon Mountain path on August 15. It was a beautiful day, although a bit confusing for the smoke of forest fires. They had warned me about the explosion on the path, and with every corner I hoped to hit him. But it really wasn’t bad … during the first 5 miles or so. Mary was walking with me and we stopped for lunch after a few hours and then returned to the car.

Exploit hell

Then I entered Norton Creek’s drainage and it was a hell of revelation with Ceanothus bushes to the knee well packed at all times. The exploration was thick, the Ceanothus made it difficult to see where I was placing my feet, and following the path was extremely hard. Around half of the stream, I decided that it was not worth trying to follow the path and made a direct for the crossing of the stream. The opposite slope was more open, so I could see the path that was heading from the stream that gave me a goal to point. After overcoming this, I was still waiting for the path to improve. But he didn’t. Or it was an explosion covered with Ceanothus or it was an steep slope without a path. There was no soft navigation. It is a pity because it was obvious that at one point this had been a good path. However, no maintenance for a couple of decades, aggravated by forest fires, will be poor hiking conditions.

This is the real path. The suggestions are there, but they are not too easy to follow.

Welcome to the dehydration zone

In what became a recurring theme on this walk, water was now a problem. There had been a lot of water before, but once I won the crest there was no naturally. I had been on the way to reaching a spring at about 18.5 miles, but at the end of the afternoon I reached a Ceanothus patch that had a high head, with nothing obvious by the steep slope. I felt that I was walking in a Mosh well, pushed to my left and right and back. He began to get dark and realized that I could not reach spring even though he was very close. I was only half a mile away, but there was a field of exploitation and Ceanothus between me and spring, and I finished. So I installed my store and ate a dry dinner. Somehow, today I made 18 miles through the disaster. Given the conditions, I do not think I would have come so far in most days, but my adrenaline made me go quite well thanks to finally getting to the road after thinking about it for almost a year. Of course, my adrenaline also decided that there would be no dream that night.

The view of Strawberry Mountain from my first camp.

Elevation tracker

Day 0.5: 70 ‘

Day 1: 4640 ‘

Total: 4710 ′

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