august 15
day 98
29 miles
total 2,584
this was my best day in a while.
but i was inspired by the amazing scenery.
first it was the beautiful big hole mountains.
then, when i hit the main highway,
it was the snake river cutting thru layers and layers of lava deposits left when the yellowstone caldera passed thru.
it was amazing to see all the different kinds of lava that had been deposited at different times.
there were layers that looked like pumice
others like partially stirred thick dough.
layers of compacted ash
layers of fractured basalt,
and the black, crinkly looking lava
like you see in hawaii.
there was even a thick layer that looked like regular rock,
but a closer look revealed numerous thin layers of ash running thru it.
i wondered at the stories the exposed rock faces were telling me,
about when yellowstone was here.
and wished i understood how to read the rocks.
not knowing did nothing to inhibit my imagination.
following one last gut wrenching climb (if i hadn’t been forced to rest in the shade near the top i might have gotten 30) it was all vast golden wheat fields against a mountain backdrop for the rest of the day.
many thanks to local boy mark(?) for entertaining me with stories of growing up hunting and hiking the big hole mountains,
and alan for not only good company,
but feeding me a homemade breakfast and keeping me hydrated all day.
i didn’t have a big day by accident.
laz