Great Divide (NOBO) - Day #35 Whitefish, MT to Eureka, MT

Great Divide (NOBO) - Day #35

July 3 2022

Whitefish, MT to Eureka, MT - 86 Miles

Start 6:55 AM Finish 5:11 PM

Total Duration 10:16

Moving Time 9:02

Stopped Time 1:15

Ascent 5,594 Feet

Descent 6,039 Feet

Tour Total 2,586 Miles

Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/95405625

I slept well wild camping outside of Whitefish. I woke up with mosquito bites from the tent set-up. It was warm and 62° F. My tent was dry this morning, which was a nice change of pace. With the light I was able to see that the motorist who had pulled unto the turn-off last night had camped some forty feet from me. They had a set up a lean-to supported on one side by a pick-up truck bed, and it didn’t look like they had a mosquito net. I saw a head emerge for an instant. I had breakfast in my tent, consisting of a Starbucks Frappucino, a Hostess Jumbo Honey Bun, and an orange juice. I tried to be as quiet as possible packing up, and waited until the last second to crush my cans. It was strange to be wild camping in such a remote place and have somebody sleeping in such close proximity. I wonder if they knew that I was there. While packing I saw a north-bound divider pass.

It was forecast to rain and Dark Sky predicted that it would rain all day. Apple weather projected rain only in the morning. The sky was dark and precipitation was imminent. I packed as quickly as possible so that none of my things would get wet. The past several mornings I'd awakened to condensation and cold. Today it began warm and dry, yet there was an imminent threat of being drenched. As long as I stayed warm I’d be fine. I wasn’t wearing my leg-warmers or socks, and all of my jacket openings were open. The first climb would be Red Meadow pass, where I had heard many warnings about snow. The gate was shut with a Road Closed sign. There was thunder in the distance and then lightning.

It started to drizzle and I pulled over to put on my rain jacket. I spotted a shelter on the side of the road where I could have stopped to weather out the rain, but I kept going. The torrent picked up and brown streams began flowing down the road. Brown pools began to appear and the streams grew wider. The benefit was that it was easier to navigate the surface. The ruts and pot holes were now filled with water. I passed a camped cyclist and wondered if it was the guy whom had passed me earlier.

The only time I don’t experience cycling through eyewear is when it’s raining. It’s also the only time that I don’t have an iPhone screen in front of me on my handlebars. So perhaps the purest form of cycling I experience is when it’s precipitating. There were times when I thought the drizzle was picking up, but it was the gurgle or roar of a nearby stream or waterfall.

The rain got stronger, and as I climbed in elevation I started to get cold. I started thinking about my warm clothing that was packed away. But if I were to stop and try to change, it would get soaked. I passed a southbound pair of male and female cyclists whom had just come over Red Meadow pass. They reported snow ahead, and said that after I crossed the Whitefish Divide it would be downhill all the way to Eureka. They told me that there was a cyclist ahead of me and described chunky ups and downs. My phone was impossible to use in the rain. It didn’t detect my fingertips and only responded to raindrops.

Ahead in the distance I noticed a large brown elk standing in the middle of the road. I came to Upper Whitefish Lake Campground and stopped underneath a shelter to put on my rain pants and down jacket. The next section was steep. I came to a fork and I was basically navigating blind because I couldn’t read my map. There was no point wearing glasses or goggles in the rain. Mapping with my phone was beyond frustrating. I would have to stop to pull out my bandana to wipe my goggles and phone, all while trying to keep rain out of my handlebar bag. I came to a Y and the only way I could confirm that I that was on route was by following the bicycle tracks. It was steep and the rivers of mud were flowing. Then I started passing piles of snow.

There were two one-hundred foot sections of snow that I had to hike-a-bike through. My feet got cold and it was still raining. I passed beautiful Red Meadow Lake. Spending a night in either of the campgrounds would have incredible with decent weather conditions. And then I came to a T, which was a wider gravel road. A sign read ‘Canada 16 miles’. I took a left. There was now sparse motor traffic and my fingers were numb.

My entire body was soaking wet and I was freezing. I met up with three southbound cyclists from Montrose Colorado who were cycling from the border to the Wyoming state line. They had spent last night in a campground bathroom, because of a a grizzly bear notice. They told me that Andre and Gerda were eight miles ahead of me and were headed tonight to Eureka. After them I met a southbound man and woman who asked me about the snow. On the downhill I passed two miserable-looking guys struggling with the climb.

I was finally able to flip my map section and noticed that I was right up against Glacier National Park. Unfortunately the cloud cover prevented me from seeing any of the magnificent landscape. My fingers were so numb and fatigued that I had difficulty fastening my nylon map protector straps. I was six miles from the Canadian border and took a left on County Road 114 headed west. I would be going west and then south on a dog-leg to Eureka. I would then be heading back up to the border tomorrow. I was on Trail Creek Road cycling upstream alongside Nokio Creek. The road climbed through a burn area.

The trees eventually returned and I kept climbing. I came to Tuchuck Campground where the grizzly had been sited, and took a left on County Road 114. It was 1:52 PM and I had ridden fifty-three miles. I had thirty-one miles to go. I stopped to remove my down sweater. I had to first remove my gloves because the sleeves were too tight and narrow. The down sweater was soaking wet and my entire rig was covered with mud. I got dirt all over my sweater just as I was trying to pack it. I met a nice couple from New Jersey who were headed south-bound on their first day out. During the rain they had been on the pavement section and their rigs were still clean. They would be staying at a bed and breakfast tonight. They were concerned about the grizzly bear, and said that Andre and Gerda were an hour ahead of me. And then finally I hit the downhill. It was a chunky descent with constant vibrations as my bike slammed into rocks. I took a left onto a wider road with a better surface. I passed three more southbound dividers whose bikes were also clean. I crossed Clarence Creek and was all of the sudden on pavement. And then I started to see shadows! The sun was trying to come out. I finally reached the valley where I found pastures, cattle, and houses.

I came to US Highway 93 and took a right. I rode for a mile and then took a left onto Tobacco Road. I had been on this same stretch back in 2019 on the Northern Tier route. I regained cell phone reception and texted Andre and Gerda, who were staying at the Silverado Hotel. I then called and booked myself a room. When I arrived, the receptionist told me that I would need to hose down my bike before I could bring it inside. I sprayed myself down as well. Up in the room I brought my jacket and rain pants into the shower to wash off the mud. I scrubbed my other clothing in the sink. I strung a laundry line and used hangers for the jacket and rain pants, which I hung from the shower curtain rod. I turned on the bathroom heat lamp to accelerate the drying. I plugged in my devices and went down to Andre Gerda’s room. They offered me a few cans of IPA and told me about the ArriveCAN app that I would need to get into Canada. They were ahead of schedule and would be taking two off-days in Eureka.

I walked over to 4 Corners Restaurant and Casino, where I ordered a pint of Dirt Church, the calamari, and the chicken pasta. The kitchen closed at 8 PM, but I was still hungry. I walked over to the Exxon station to purchase some Huckleberry beer and Fritos. I was exhausted back at the hotel, and was unable to accomplish much editing.