15: A Tree Falls in the Forest
After a leisurely morning in Wisdom, I pedaled down the road to the Big Hole National Battlefield, which retells the history of a U.S. Army massacre of a group of ními-po (Nez Perce) Indians. This stop was a visit on memory lane: 18 years ago, as a Montana Conservation Corps member, I spent two weeks replacing barbed wire fence with smooth wire along the battlefield’s perimeter. (I distinctly remember going for a run one evening from our nearby campground, and experiencing the thrill for the first time in my life of bombing down a steep trail.)
A few miles further down the road I made a game time decision to take the Bender Trail back up to the CDT. While pedaling up the long gradual Jeep road, I stopped off at a stream for a little break. I heard a sharp crack that I thought was a rifle shot, then I saw a massive dead lodgepole pine fall over with quite a clatter. I was struck by the rapidity with which the tree fell, and grateful in equal measure to have seen it and to be a quarter mile away! (Note to self: try to avoid camping below standing dead trees!)
The Bender Trail is a bit faint at points but mostly ridable, and connects to the CDT immediately where it exits the wilderness area that rerouted me to Wisdom yesterday. This added 8 miles or so of great CDT (high ridfe riding with great views back into the Big Hole Valley, with fun rock gardens and fast stretches) before hitting the junction where Refsnider’s route rejoined the CDT.
It was quite gratifying to gain the ridge and look north into the Pintlers and realize that my friend David and I had backpacked most of the closed-to-bikes wilderness section of the CDT back in 2021.
At Schultz Creek I filled up on water, then pulled into camp not long after. I took the first opportunity, riding through the recently burned forest. I found a slat spot where it looked like I could pitch my tent without getting things covered in soot and declared myself home for the evening. The forecasted rain arrived right on time and I am happy to be typing this while listening to rain splash on my tent!
It was a rather short but perfectly good day.