Macks Inn, ID to Lima, MT

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Day 1
We hitchhiked for awhile trying to get a ride to Targhee Pass, out of West Yellowstone. I read, and Dad and Leslie took turns standing with their thumbs out. Eventually we got a ride from two high school grads from class of 2005. They were heading up to Targhee so that they wouldn’t have to pay major roaming charges on their cell phones. The pass is the dividing line between Montana and Idaho, and Idaho is where we were going.
There’s not much to say for the majority of the day. It was fairly easy, cool, windy walking. Our goal mileage was about 20. We only made 14 because we left late due to unforeseen variables, such as the mustard container exploding on us at Bungalow Bill’s BBQ. Our camping spot was on Lake Henry and when we got there a man whom we thought to be the campground host greeted us, but on the contrary, he was just a visitor as we were. We talked for awhile while he released his dogs to go chase ground squirrels. He was a very nice man and highly interested in our trip. He informed us that the camping was free, and that the fishing was phenomenal. Our site was surrounded by overwhelming mountains, dusted with snow as a omen of what snow we would experience in the next few days. The lake had pelicans, and other birds that I hadn’t seen before. Some massive, some small but all beautiful and unique.
That night was cold, so my dad concocted a fire. Bird’s songs didn’t cease as the sun set. Unusual squawks and squeals gave the area an errie feel as the darkening clouds, swam through the starlit sky. I began to dry our cooking pots that we washed over the fire. The flames sizzled, devouring the condensation. Then for reasons unknown I put the pot to my nose, scalding it, and leaving it discolored and painful for days to come. No one really knows why I do what I do.

Day 2
The morning was fine. I was simply glad that my tent wasn’t soaked. We left, eager make miles. Later in the day, we saw a mama moose with its baby. We also spotted pronghorn, ground squirrels and of course…cow. My dad and Leslie said they saw trumpeter swans, but I missed them. More beauty creeped up on us, with more mountains as we entered the Centennial Mountain range. And then as if our pristine conditions in New Mexico required payment, it began to rain. Before we knew it we were in a downpour and we set up camp. That night the tents quivered from the extremely strong wind. Frogs kept running up against my tent for reasons, I’m unsure of. After reading for several hours, I dozed off.

Day 3
The wind wasn’t as strong in the morning but the rain was relentless. We packed up as quickly as possible then headed onward. As we moved the rain turned to hail, then to rain again, and the wind picked up. After several miles we were beginning to get cold. We reached the Wildlife Refuge Center and decided to go in and warm up. When we were inside looking at all of the stuffed animals, and posers and the weather through the large, rectangular window, temperatures dropped and it began to snow- at first lightly, then tremendously.
We had to leave eventually and fall into the sheet of white that was as far as we could see. So we got moving. The roads we pure mud, it was hard to walk and everything that wasn’t covered was cold. Only the base of the mountains was visible, the higher levels were in white out conditions. After 5-6 more miles of this suprising weather, we came to an abandoned cabin, which we hurried into in a feeble attempt to get warm. The wind wasn’t so bad in the cabin, so that was one less thing to worry about. We had cocoa and hung up our coats, which were sopping wet. There were bird nests all over the cabin, and poop all over the floor. It was hard to find a place to sit. It looked new, by comparison to the other buildings around it, which looked as if something had stomped on the roof, bringing the top-level to ground level.
I looked out the window and the rain had stopped, as well as the snow and everything else. But there was something in the yard, outside the broken window.
A red fox peered at us every few steps as he made his way through the yellow and green grasses. He was graceful as some sort of elongated cat. My dad went into the other buildings to explore the wreckage and three fox where there, one adult and two babies. It barked once and took it’s young into a hole in the floor. Leslie saw three other fox behind that cabin that I occupied. It was a total of seven fox that we had seen, and perhaps, more that we hadn’t.
We hiked onward, the rain was still a hazard, but it was less. By the time we reached a suitable camp, the sun was out. We "stealth" camped in a little grove behind other abandoned structures. Our spot was perfect, excluding the evidence left behind of elk, moose, and cow. There was also an owl perched on a crooked tree, staring at us through his penetrating yellow eyes. He fluttered off into darkness while eagles and hawks made no effort to be hidden from us. Night had fallen and sleep took us.

Day 4
More of the same cold, wet weather. Because of the conditions, our original plans to get to Leadore, ID would take much more time. To re-plan, re-supply, and rejuvenate, we bailed at Monida Pass into Lima (pronounced like the bean). Monida was made up of maybe two houses, a few mules, a railroad crossing and a phone booth, which seeming very out of place, on the side of the road on a strip that lasted no more than 30 feet. Everything was old there. We hitched on the interstate to be picked up by a commercial diver. Very nice guy. He was currently being paid to not do any work along with other guys because the government supervisors hadn’t come out to declare the job done, even though it had been completed months ago.
He drove us into Lima and we pulled into the Mountain View Motel and RV park. We were greeted immediately by Mike, one of the owners who set us up with everything we needed. The motel was very hiker-friendly. It was the type of place hikers hope for on the trail. They had a register, hiker box, motel rooms, camping, and all other provisions that save valuable time and energy when in town. The rooms were very spacious to boot. Later on we told Mike that we hitched, then he informed us that they also offered shuttling. We met his wife Connie who was just as nice and helpful.
We went over to the local café, and ate then retiring to our very blue (literally) room, took showers, and relaxed, just happy to be warm.

Day 5 & 6
What was going to be an evening of rest turned into 2 more days off. Dad’s leg was still bothering him, and the storm that we escaped lingered in the area, so we decided to wait it out. We aren’t sure what to do next, as we only have a day or two that will be clear until the next storm arrives. Storms aren’t usually a problem, and we do hike in all types of weather, but jumping head first into snow storms on top of 10,000 snow-covered mountains doesn’t seem to safe so dad and Leslie will work on logistics, checking the feasibility of multiple routes to get us to Leadore. While the snow and weather are a problem here, it’s still just about the best place to be, since Colorado just had a winter storm advisory for all elevations about 9,000 feet, and Wyoming has received a cumulation of snow as well. Hopefully we will figure it all out soon….
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No good info about Macks Inn, ID or Lima, MT on the Internet. I guess it’s a good thing we ended up working out of West Yellowstone!!