Selway Bitterroot Wilderness - Day 6

I wonder about this portion of Dave's trip. When he returned to the ranger station he had been alone in the wilderness for ten days, and he was completely out of food. Certainly he had pushed his body and his mental endurance to the absolute limits, and he was in desperate need of both food and rest. He doesn't write about this part of his trip, but I suspect that he spent a day or two at the ranger station resting and visiting with Emil and Penny.

In comparison, my trip had been easy, and despite some blisters and sore muscles I was nowhere near my limits. After three days alone, waking up in the meadow by the ranger station felt like a return to civilization. The proximity of eight other people was both a comfort and a disappointment. For a moment the 25 miles to the trailhead seemed like a casual walk and I was lulled into relaxation.

After breakfast I walked over to the ranger station library and dug through the piles of dusty sun-faded books and papers. I found a document with the full story of Dead Man's Flat, and also a number of articles about Penny and Emil.

By mid-afternoon I was feeling restless, unable to stay in one place while the weather was so nice. Four day's food remained in my pack, but mentally I was already done with the trip and so I donated most of that food to the ranger station larder.

I pushed hard down the trail, feeling somehow that my lightened pack and downhill hiking route would miraculously allow me to reach my car by nightfall. The ache in my legs reminded me of the 16 miles I covered the day before, and I quickly realized that I would not make it to the trailhead this day.

When I reached the bridge over Three Links creek I knew I was done for the day. Tired and sore, I had a quick dinner from my remaining supplies and set up my tent in the clearing where three trails came together. Before I went to bed, I walked a few minutes up the Three Links creek trail, looking upstream into a surprisingly wild gorge. Even as I fell asleep I could feel my curiosity growing. Perhaps my trip was not over yet?