CDT - Day 122 - Leaving Leadore
Leadore is a wonderful, hiker-friendly town. Yesterday, I had breakfast, lunch, and dinner at The Depot, the only restaurant in town. Naturally, I went back again this morning for breakfast before hitting the trail. Sam, the waitress, asked if I'd be back for lunch. As much as I would have liked that, I told her the Canadian border awaits.
After breakfast, I packed up my gear and walked over to the visitor center. Hiker Greg had gone to Salmon the day before, and his return shuttle picked me up on the way back to the trail.
Sam had mentioned that a big storm was coming, and sure enough, when we reached Bannock Pass, intense wind and rain rolled in. Mike, our driver, let us hang out in his truck while we waited for the weather to pass. The trail immediately climbs onto a ridge, so with lightning in the area, waiting it out was the safer option. After about 30 minutes, the storm passed and we were able to start hiking.
About six miles later, another storm rolled in with crazy winds and lightning striking uncomfortably close. Since we were on an exposed ridge, we quickly dropped down to take shelter. The thunder was some of the loudest I've ever experienced. Then the hail started. Thankfully, about 20 minutes later, the storm moved on and the sun came back out. It sprinkled off and on for the rest of the day, but nothing serious developed.
By the end of the day, we found a beautiful campsite overlooking a valley. It was windy and covered in cow pies, but the view made up for it.
That's the CDT for ya.