Getting the permits and slackpacking

Day 139

Date: 17.09.2022

CDT Mile: Mile 2'887.3

Miles hiked: 10.7 miles / 17.1 km

Elevation: 2'493 feet ascent (760.4m Aufstieg) / 2'903 feet descent (Abstieg 885.4 m)

Camping at: East Glacier, Looking Glass

It was a warm night and I slept in my loaner clothes. Soccermum got up early, found a bike and biked it up the road 12 miles to Two Medicine around 7am, where the ranger station is to get the Glacier Nationalpark permits. I heard it is quite a struggle to get the permits so I am super happy I don't have to deal with it. Also, the earlier you are there, the better the chance to get a 'good' permit or one at all! While Soccermum was getting the permits, I took care of laundry.

Soccermum returned in the morning and informed me that we share a permit with 'Baby Grand' and 'Rex', who hitched to the ranger station around 6am and hence got there even before him. One permit can hold up to 4 people, so it was the easiest to join 'Baby Grands' and 'Rexs' permit. I am totally fine with that. There are gonna be many CDT hikers sharing campsites together. We will be together with 'Cheetah', 'Captain' and 'Mouse' for 2 nights and with 'Channy' and 'Just Mary' for other nights and of course with 'Baby Grand' and 'Rex'. There are probably even more of us, it's gonna be a lot of fun! Our permit makes us reach the boarder of Canada on the 22nd of September. I wished to finish on the 21st, on the same date I finished the PCT 4 years ago, but if you have to deal with permits it is always a gamble. However, I am super happy with the 22.09.2022 too, it is a nice looking date and easy to remember😁 having one more day extra also makes our hiking days easier, less miles to hike in a day. There is one biggish day with 27 miles of hiking, otherwise it is between 11 and 20 miles, so super chilled!

We get breakfast together with 'Channy' and 'Just Mary', and figured out our permitted route. Around 3.30pm we hitched to Two Medicine, to slackpack and southbound hike the 11 miles from Two Medicine back to East Glacier. Like this, we didn't had to carry heavy backpacks (I only took some clothes, water and snacks with me) and we don't have to hike this 11 miles tomorrow anymore. This is the only slackpack section I have done so far on this trail. We took a long time to hike it, it was so beautiful and not carrying a heavy pack felt like being day hikers. I even got a little nervous as we only started our hike that late in thedafternoon, as it is still 11 miles to hike! Normally on a hiking day, 4pm is still in the middle of the day but today it felt like being late already! We had to climb one mountain pass but even so it was a long climb, it was moderate and gentle, offering amazing views. I left my hiking poles back at the looking Glassy as I use them to pitch the tent. While making pictures I always grabbed between my legs in the air looking for something. It was a totally automatic movement without thinking and I was wondering what the heck I am looking for on the ground between my feet?! Soccermum finally told me, I much be looking for my poles, which I normally carry every single day since I started the trail and I squeeze them between my legs to take pictures. 🤣🙈 how funny is that, it didn't came to my mind that I am looking for my poles, but my body just did the normal movements?!

We made it back to East Glacier around 8pm and went straight to the beautiful Glacier Lodge for a burger. We returned about 2 hrs later to Looking Glass, where 'Jules' just hiked in. He was stoked seeing me and so was I. Jules is such a great character on trail with only 21 years old and he just returned from having finished the trail! Together with some other hikers we enjoy the evening, before heading into our tents

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