Journal July 28 – Things to Ponder While Walking Roads
After we made a quick visit to the Montana Wilderness Association office, John dropped us off at MacDonald Pass shortly before noon.
Acording to the historical marker at the pass, Constant Guyot built a toll road over this pass in 1867. And Cromwell “Bird Boy” Dixon earned a $10,000 prize as the first aviator to fly over the Continental Divide, which he did somewhere near this pass in September 1911.
The walk south fron the pass was very pleasant, rolling hills, occassional views mixed with meadows and forest. But much of the day was spent walking forest service roads, the official route, while an actual trail awaits construction. Road walking is tough on the feet and leaves little room for inspiration, mostly the mind wanders.
I began pondering the Soy Milk we had as part of breakfast. Such a versatile plant, soy – we enjoy roasted soy “nut” snacks on the trail, and edamame is a treat; of course soy sauce livens up many a dish, and tofu and tempeh have their place in many meatless dishes. Soy Milk aka “Silk” provides a lot of nutrition with none of the lactose problem. Just think what Soy oil might be like. Like “Silk” for soy milk would they call soy oil “Soil”? Instead of “extra virgin” would the top of the line, the very best “soil” be called “top soil”? How would a food product with that name sell? Imagine a restaurant menu featuring “Herb crusted fresh fish sauteed in top soil”. Well, eventually most all trail pondering comes back around to food.
The walk came back to trail, albeit briefly, where the Carrot found the first ripe wild strawberries – very tasty. And there were a number of Mule deer, each one taking a quick look at us and an even quicker exit.
We kept a good strong pace and took few breaks. Despite missing a turm at one of the road / trail junctions and meandering around the wrong meadow, we were able to make it to Ontario Creek and enjoy a nice flat campsite nearby the creek.
Miles for the day 18.0
Leave a Reply