Oh the heat

Saturday, July 5 (Day 50)

Distance: 73.5 miles

Average speed: 10.3 mph

Max speed: 28.1 miles

Total: 2887 miles

Weather: sunny, 10mph headwind, high of 99

Today was hotter than hot. I meant to get an early start and beat some of the heat, but was unable to and it was already pretty hot by the time I started off. I had quite a few climbs today, coupled with quite a few nice descents! 

I saw a small roadside waterfall!

When I stopped for lunch, I had the usual treat for this area-- huckleberry ice cream. I have seen huckleberry everything since Helena, huckleberry jam, huckleberry tea, huckleberry pie, huckleberry soap, huckleberry coffee...

I kept stopping to put ice and water in my bottles, which I was drinking very quickly. I was also stopping to reapply sunscreen and have quick breaks in the shade.

I crossed the 45th parallel! 

I descended into a dry and yellow valley-- ever since I left the Lochsa river and Lolo pass, things seem to be getting more dry.

I was at a gas station getting ice water and a woman, without talking to me or knowing anything about me other than what she saw, told me "you go girl!"

I arrived at the house of my warmshowers host to find him planting trees outside. His name is Bob, and his wife Leslie is out of town at the moment. 

Bob is a very friendly school teacher here in this tiny town and teaches english for grades 7-12 at a school with 60 students. He is an avid blogger, particularly one blog that he keeps about hunting for birds with his dog. 

He was telling me that it's very hard to grow anything around here because there is about a foot and a half of topsoil and beneath that is rock, so anything that needs deep roots won't make it. 

The reason this town exists is the small family farms that mostly grow alfalfa and animal feed. Bob said he thinks it is unsustainable and in the next few generations it might stop existing altogether.

Tomorrow is another hotter day, a descent into Hell's Canyon and finally crossing over the border into Oregon!