After our guys get settled and unpacked, we sit them down in the shade of the cabin on our boulder overlooking the river. The heat of the day is starting to lessen. We serve appetizers of fresh apples, nuts, sausage, cheese and crackers, and cold beers. No lack of nourishment here.
We exchange stories of our experiences. We compare our hikes and cover all the most memorable aspects: the crossing of the river at the beginning and then the long, winding trail through the canyon while descending down to our first view of the middle fork of the Flathead. At that point, excitement and relief knowing that we are almost at the end of the long trek!
Finally, Gini and I get up to start dinner preparations. John moves our sleeping bags and gear to Our Quiet Place which is where we will sleep tonight…under the stars!
Our wilderness bedroom with all the essential items including bear spray at the ready.
Dinner is breaded shrimp which we wrap in foil, along with our foil-wrapped onions, and set it all on the grill. We bring down our potato salad and a green salad along with drinks and two more chairs. We eat dinner there at the river’s edge, talking and laughing, and watching the eagle fly by as it has done almost every night since we arrived.
Enjoying wine, scotch, and Bailey’s as the sun sets behind the ridge, we finally go up to bed at twilight.
Enjoying dinner and conversation.
Our resident eagle making a pass over the river before dark.
John and I head to Our Quiet Place which will be our bedroom in the open air. It’s a beautiful, cloudless night and the stars reveal themselves more and more as we lay in our bags and talk about all that has happened for the past six days.
John drifts off to sleep. He has been up since 5 AM and it’s midnight. I try to relax but I have a more than a little anxiety about being out in the open. I think it’s no less safe than being in a tent so I try to relax and sleep. I’m jumpy all night and but I manage to get little sleep.
Even with that little challenge, I’m so grateful and happy to be here. I see a few shooters and enjoy the grand vista of the galaxy as I snuggle next to my sweetie!
Animals we saw today:
Bald eagle
Resident Chipmunk
Hummingbird
Flowers: the same as every day before but looking more and more thirsty
Fireweed
Harebell (Bellflower)
Lupine
Aspen Daisy
Nodding Onion
Yarrow
Sulphur Flower
Indian Paint Brush
Sandwort (we think)
Beautiful and plentiful aspen daisies.
