Travel Adventure #14

The camping season is winding down but Gail and I decided another campout was necessary before the colder weather comes.   Wednesday, August 27th, was the day we started this adventure.  Rain was pouring down in buckets. I tried taking a photo of the sign near where we camped out.  As you can see, the timing of the wipers and my finger on the shutter button weren’t quite right. 😊

Rumors of flash floods and rising river levels had my ears perked up a bit.  But we drove out to the Painted Rocks Reservoir southwest of Hamilton, MT, crossed the dam that was first constructed in 1939 creating the lake, out past cell service and into the wild. 

Due to the heavy rains, Gail spent most of the day in her camper.  I spent most of the day in my camper van, working on my laptop, playing guitar and knitting a bit.  We went out for a short walk to check out the area but only went a mile or two up towards the Blue Joint Creek Trailhead.

By later afternoon the rain was calming a bit so we decided to hike up a nearby road to locate a trailhead that was supposed to be 3 miles or less away from our campsite.  We walked at least 3 miles towards the Little Blue Joint Trailhead but finally gave up due to exhaustion and becoming soaked, either from sweating within the plastic raincoats or from the rain itself pouring down on us.  What a tiring day that was.

My pedometer total for the day was 7 miles.   I had a hard time sleeping that night as the rain pounded on the roof of my van on and off all night long.   

The next day Gail rested and I took a mile hike up a different road, adding 2 miles to my pedometer.  We had a campfire that evening and roasted hot dogs.  It was a bit difficult to find wood dry enough to make some coals, but Gail found some dried up pine needles to add to the greener wood someone had left at the site.   It’s hard to beat hot dogs roasted over an open fire while out camping.  I got my guitar out and we had a great time singing together around the campfire.

By Friday we were ready to do some serious hiking once again.  The morning started with a temperature of 43 degrees so bundling up was the best way to enjoy a bit of breakfast before hitting the trail. 

I drove Gail, her dog Paige and myself up to the Blue Joint Creek Trailhead. The weather was perfect but the trail was extremely rocky.  Gail remembered this trail from riding horses years ago. She remembered it as a marvelous trail.  My impression, however, was that it was potentially a dangerous trail, due to my large feet and clumsiness.  We walked 2.5 miles up. I didn’t have any interest in going farther.  So, we stopped and ate a light lunch and headed back. 

But the sense of danger I felt early on in this hike displayed itself clearly when I tripped on some rocks and fell hard onto both knees.  I rolled over on my back right away to make sure I could still bend my knees and hadn't broken anything.  But it took ten or fifteen more minutes for the pain to calm down enough for me to get up without feeling faint.  Eventually I got up with Gail’s help and we continued back to the van, making it safely back to the campsite.

We both agreed at that point that it was time to head home.   Overall, it was a great adventure.  I walked about 15 miles in those 3 days.  We both found we could survive in tough circumstances whether in downpours or hot sun.  

I, and the camera that was hanging around my neck, survived the fall. Gail did not panic nor go running off to find help.  She stayed calm and waited patiently… the best kind of hiking partner!   I thank God for all that He did in helping us through and granting us another marvelous adventure in the wild!!