Day 17: Wisdom to Darby, MT – 56 miles +7

It was cold, damp, and foggy when I woke up in the Wisdom picnic shelter. I layered up, but by the time I’d ridden 10 miles I was chilled to the bone. I pulled off at the Big Hole National Battlefield visitors center and ate my second breakfast while waiting for them to open. The ranger let me in a few minutes early and I was grateful to be able to warm up as I learned about the fighting between colonial armies and the Nez Pierce, as well as more info on Lewis & Clark. I lingered a long time, dreading my continued ride in the cold. 

I finally got moving again, and about two miles past the battlefield I gained just enough elevation to break out of the clouds.  

 The remaining miles up Chief Joseph / Lost Trail Pass were beautiful, and knowing I was in no hurry to get to Darby, I stopped at a number of the historic and informational signs on the side of the road. 

At the top, I had lunch at the rest area on the Montana/Idaho border in the parking lot of Lost Trail Powder Mountain Ski Area, which looked like a lot of fun given it’s size. It made me want to go skiing so much! 

The ride down the Bitteroot Valley to Darby was beautiful and felt much like Colorado with its wildfire scars and little cabins tucked along the river. 

I arrived at my warmshowers host, dropped my gear, and rode in to town for groceries because My hosts weren’t home yet. When they got home, Haley and I went down to the river with their 3-yr old daughter, who is a total firecracker. She rides her bike without training wheels, swims in the river, digs for treasure, and runs around carrying her baby bunny rabbits. After a full afternoon playing outside, I cooked my favorite sweet potato curry, made animals out of playdough, and stayed up way too late chatting.