Happy Six & d20

Summary of conditions

Keebler & Crew route from Butte to Ennis. (Note we were halfway from Whitehall to Ennis this morning).

The route is clear all the way to the last pass where there is snow on the last five hundred feet of vertical ascent. You can bypass the snow by walking in parallel through the forest until the trail & switchback to the pass which is clear.

The report south of Ennis is snow on the pass so I can’t vouch for that part of the route.

The route is rough after the snow.

But after that the trail is better.

Blowdowns have all been cleared for the entire route except one brand new one that can be walked around.

Lots of water.

June 15th

There was no place that was really not near the river. However the wind was towards the river so with the sheltering from the tree we woke up without condensation.

Breakfast and water sorted, we started, crossing the bridge.

Things immediately became steep. Much of the route was very rough.

We got a smattering of snow.

We were basically climbing over three thousand feet in about 3-4 miles.

All the way up we followed the tracks of a 4 wheel drive pickup and a motorcycle. Then the motorcycle tracks ended. Then, about 3-4 feet into a snow drift the pickup had pulled out and turned around.

We had only 400 or so feet to climb but it looked like we would have to turn back.

Then Happy6 picked a line through the forest and we walked around the steep, six foot deep and impassable snow. No snow under the trees.

Of course the trail went from OHV track to scree. It was miserable to climb.

Then it hit the switchback and the motorcycle track returned. Maybe the road went hooked up to connected somewhere below.

Then we were on the other side of the mountain and it was nothing but switchbacks for three thousand feet of decent.

We camped on Whitehall City land on the river bottom on the grass.

The hotel was booked solid, the two other hotels had no availability (they have gone to residence stays with occasional open rooms).

The RV park would not pick up when we called and did not return calls.

There was some condensation (and a bit of ice) but we slept well. At 4:58 we got up and ate a little and packed up.

Then the trail Angel we had met picked us up around 5:30 and drove us to the trail head where the Keebler & Crew route starts.

There are two canyon routes up. The Avenza choice has a huge PUD. The other takes an OHV trail up. The two routes combine about 4.5 miles in.

The trail climbs to a pass at about 7,700 feet and then drops into the valley, meets a dirt road and heads back up.

We stopped for the night at about Avenza milepost 260.8. That puts us back up at about 6,900 feet.

Tomorrow’s pass is about ten thousand feet up so we are glad to have stopped now to dry out our tent, have an early dinner and not try to camp at ten thousand feet.

It has been beautiful. Prairie dogs, some cows, raptors, deer and no sign of bears.

OHV (off highway vehicle) trails are often steep. They also often hit a point where they are motorcycle trails.

At that point they become much narrower, gentler in climbs with sweeping trail and switchbacks.

Both have a lot of trail maintenance. Blowdowns cleared, bridges and hiker bridges (cut logs).

We got a late start. We waited out the “rain” which consisted on 6-7 very loud drops and then clouds that blew through. We started about 8:00 with 9.5 miles to go and reached Whitehall before 11:00.

Did our resupply shopping and started looking for lunch at 11:05.

Now at the “Two Bit.” Great lunch.

---

Hotel sold out. Other hotel with sign is closed.

Just looking for recharge and laundry.

The RV park isn’t returning calls. But there is a tree across the highway that looks good.

We arrived at Butte fairly late and dropped off the car at the airport. Surprised at how many times we’ve been there.

Uber picked us up and took us to the trail head.

We did four and a half miles in an hour and a half.

The CDT and the Nez Pierce trail overlap for a while.

At 9:30 pm we were set up for the night.

Then on Happy6’s birthday we got up at 6:00 and slept in a little. Then we started.

We finally got to the trail split.

The trail is in great shape and all the blowdowns are cut and cleared. There is a lot of water on trail.

Beautiful Meadows.

Great views.

And then it merges with an OHV track.

Some of it is like a road and some is very rugged.

Eventually it merges with a road.

We were planning on 14-15 miles. We got to there and camping/water too early in the day, so we tried to get to the next stream.

Could not find a good campsite and there was no water. So we kept going.

At 18.8 miles we paid for a spot with a commercial campground. There just wasn’t anything else.

Whitehall tomorrow and resupply.

We will carry four days of food to get 63 miles to the next stop. Eventually our trail legs will be back.

---

Update. My step counter is undercounting. The trail miles yesterday turned out to be 24 miles and our walk into town was 9.5 by Google but a good deal less by the step counter.

Annoying since it has been reliable. But explains how tired we were.

Our road and road like walking we have been three mph or better.

Renting a car was the least expensive way to get to Butte.

We reserved with Enterprise. Two days ago we went in, confirmed and paid in person.

This morning we showed up for our 8:00 pick up. They decided to close briefly after opening time to 8:30. So we waited.

They had rented our car to someone else last night. Told us we could come back at 1:00. “Didn’t you get the message? We called.”. We were able to confirm no call.

Modern phones keep histories. The person who was supposed to call us skipped the call and just marked it as “attempted”

Obviously no attempt had been made to contact us.

At least they were able to get us a car around 11:00 and we got on the road.

---

https://www.backpacker.com/gear/essentials/adotec-bear-bag-review/

Happy6 and I skipped the Ursacks. While for our first AT shelter use we had ratsacks to protect our food, bags never seemed like something to trust against bears.

Adotec Grizzly Bear Resistant Bag – 14L

The Adotec has been grizzly certified and is waterproof. So for our next trip (not counting the Sierra section—hard sided canisters only) we decided to try these.

It is crafted from woven Dyneema® Fabric with a waterproof coating, and it is backed by rigorous IGBC certification (#245493).

Ursack failures have become commonplace. Which is why we opted out of those but are hopeful for this. Especially before bears get acclimated to them.

To use the Adotec you need a specific knot. Here is how it is tied.

Looking for a good deal on a quilt is a perennial issue for many.

As always, the Magma when on sale is a great deal. About $230 once a year. https://backpackinglight.com/rei-magma-trail-quilt-30-review/

Loca Libre has a premade non-custom option at $223 for the 20 degree rating with 850 loft. https://www.locolibregear.com/product/loco-libre-sweet-pepper-top-quilt/

Finally there is Paria https://www.pariaoutdoorproducts.com/products/thermodown-15-down-quilt. 20 ounces of 800 fill power down.

Compare with lots of expensive quilts. Backstory: Why I bought Loco Libre by Dutchgear.

For ~$274.95 the Hammock Gear Burrow. Various discounts and etc., generally available. (Eg 10% for signing up for their newsletter and such).

If you really want to spend money https://featheredfriends.com/collections/flicker-series and other Feathered Friends and Western Mountaineering products. If you are going to spend money, focus on the best.

Note: I use a feathered friends bag that zips to my wife’s. When it is warmer we use them as a giant quilt and when really cold as a shared bag.

Quilts are usually for not shared sleep systems and are best at 20 degrees or warmer.

For summer I’ve used https://www.trailspace.com/gear/other/double-black-diamond/ — we just safety pinned two together.

We also picked up some ultralight quilts on Amazon that are very light. Summer quilts that need handling with care.

https://backpackinglight.com/ultralight-down-backpacking-quilts-gear-guide/ —unfortunately the meat of the information is behind a paywall.

Summary of the EE scandal.

---

From the surveys:

That gives you survey data from the three major trails. Note that for the CDT most systems lacked enough data to have ratings.

For the AT “The majority of Western Mountaineering quilt users did not specify which model they had, and no individual model was listed more than once.”

That left them off the ratings.

---

I’m writing about quilts because they are popular. The weight savings is often just 2-3 ounces because the extra material and down that drapes over the side to avoid a draft weighs more than people expect.

Quilts often look like a bag without a zipper. People are much more likely to use them with a beanie or a baklava in cooler weather than those using bags.

But you often don’t need to spend $400-$500 to get a quality quilt. That is a plus.

The Super Butte/Big Sky route, just outside of Big Sky has some closures until sometime in July due to a bridge being replaced.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/custergallatin/alerts/closure-order-01-11-06-26-01-markley-bridge-parking-lot-and-deer-creek-trail closure

The easiest alternate imo is asbestos ridge rail to moose creek to the gallatin crest. Honestly this would be better than taking deer to portal and having to walk a narrow windy section of 191. If you went moose creek to swan creek you could go over Hyalite peak and see Hyalite canyon which gives glacier a run for its money. This would be a few miles more than just blasting up portal creek to the crest but IMO worth it. Water is tough on the crest so be aware”

https://www.reddit.com/r/CDT/s/7xh2IrJ3yK

The problem people are facing on the Onion route is they can get to Ennis and then to Big Sky going SOBO but when they reach 191 where the Deer Creek Trail takes them across the Gallatin River on Markley Bridge, the bridge and trail are closed.

The river is very high and cannot be safely forded.

Trail is anticipated being reopened late July according to the Bozeman Ranger Station (called June 1).

So SOBOs need an alternative route to continue on the way to Gardner, currently a 61 mile stretch.

And

https://caltopo.com/find “cdt/alternates.html Brian and Martina’s Route: http://www.wildernesstravels.co.uk/cdt/bigsky.htm@

These are the convertible pants I just bought. They turned out to be a little large so I’m going to return them and get the next size smaller.

There are less expensive options from Amazon but sizing is sometimes a sequence to figure out. Cheaper was https://www.amazon.com/MeGriverous-Convertible-Lightweight-Fishing-Pockets/dp/B0GJ689GKD which is is only $25 instead of $31 and 100% polyester if they have your size in stock.

The ones I got are 88% nylon, 12% spandex, side elastic waist, and joint knees made of tear-resistant polyester fabric, in a rip stop grid fabric.

Ripstop gridding is a nice touch.

Next are my REI Sahara pants. This model changes just about every year.

Then there are the pants I picked up on trail when I shrank after 1200 miles or so. 96% nylon/4% spandex. Too small for me until I lose 20 pounds or so.

And another pair of bought on trail pants as well. 96% nylon/4% spandex. InsectShield treatment.

Next are my PrAna pants.

I’ve two pairs in different sizes. I have worn bith a lot. 95% nylon/5% spandex.

This above pair of PrAna is a pair of great pants. InsectShield and 95% nylon/5% spandex. Not really convertible* but outside the AT I’m generally wearing long pants to protect against sun and/or brush so that doesn’t matter.

*they have some sort of alternative system I can’t get to work with my calves. They call it semi-convertible.

Finally the last pants in the drawer.

They are the discount pants PMags recommended. I’ve gotten good use out of them. . 94% nylon/6% spandex.

As an aside, some of the pants have polyester mesh pockets, others the same fabric for the entire pants, pockets and all.

---

When I look at it, I find it kind of impressive how many pairs of pants I’ve had wear out on trail and had to replace and the difference losing 25-30 pounds on trail can make as to what fits.

I was surprised at the number I had sent in post trail to InsectShield for future hiking. Gear retrospectives such as this and comparisons between the pants highlights the misc matters some.

I’ve been watching “hot takes” and similar videos. Most are just not worth engaging. This one wasn’t bad. So I’ve shared a link and my comments on it as well.

0:48 Cotton Kills — it doesn’t but it is generally really sub-optimal. The video agrees with me.
1:55 Backpacks — HMG and Durston are my favorites. The Crown 60 on sale is great. The key is that backpack fit is like shoe fit — your body will vary and what is best is very personal.

3:49 East vs West Coast trails — the trails are really different. The AT is so social and resupply and access and blazes are everywhere. The tread in the west is better.
5:06 USA vs Europe — completely different experiences.
6:50 Quilts —- for one person and for non-extreme conditions a quilt is lighter. I hike with a bag that generally gets used like a quilt.
8:03 Sleeping Pads — the numbers are clear. Closed cell pads work for about 10% of hikers. Everyone else sleeps better on an inflatable pad. It is a matter of what works for you what you use.

9:26 Pad Pumps — pump sacks can be used for organization. The less than one ounce electronic pumps are pretty neat though, especially since they don’t use much power.
10:53 Boots — they are tough on your knees. People have pretty much abandoned boots for classic long trails.
12:40 Tents — price point is a part of what is best, otherwise it is whether you are single or a couple. Otherwise for long trails it is trekking pole tents all the way. Car camping is a different world.

15:26 Ultralight — this becomes more important as you get older and hike longer distances. I’m not in favor of “stupid light” but I’m also in favor of lighter vs heavier gear.
17:09 Trail Names — nicknames are great for remembering people. About the fifth or sixth John I need trail names to keep everyone straight.
19:08 Water Filter — after GearSkeptic it is either Sawyer or Katadyn. Though AquaTabs are fast and low effort so I often use them when gravity filtering doesn’t work. The gravity filter coupling is light and worth it.

20:45 Insulation for Bags — down has proven itself on long trails.
21:59 Insulation for Jackets — meh. What you have. Down is warmer. Synthetic handles getting wet or being washed better.
23:22 Tent Type — trekking pole unless you are a car camper.
24:27 Speakers — like no. The people who hike with Bluetooth speakers are a plague.
25:22 Food — what is the best varies. I thought it amusing the video was produced by a food company that didn’t get mentioned at this point.
29:22 New Gear Needed — I’m pretty happy with what is out there. A bear sack (like Ursack) that really worked and that was waterproof would be neat.

I’m also hopeful for capacitor battery packs. The technology looks to provide more power, much faster recharge at significantly less weight.

Misc hot takes:

• https://www.backpacker.com/stories/essays/opinion/your-most-unhinged-hiking-takes-made-even-our-editors-uncomfortable/
• https://thetrek.co/pacific-crest-trail/the-real-hiking-vikings-10-pct-hot-takes/ (I’ll note I really enjoyed the desert sections of the PCT and the CDT) b
• https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/56034/ —I mostly agreed with the OP here. A very light footprint used for sleeping on during breaks is a great thing to have though.
• “Bad advice” — a recap of bad advice.
• The rest of the hot takes I’ve found weren’t that hot. 😀😀

But for general good advice: https://pmags.com/i-went-down-to-austin