Now down to mere days from venturing into Montana’s backcountry and beginning the winter training trips, which will eventually transpire into the actual Continental Divide trip, I am worried. Because of the sheer length of the trip, 418 miles, I will begin the trip 30 to 60 days earlier than the previous winter trips normal beginning near the end of February or beginning of March. For that reason, a crust on most of the snowpack is unlikely. Although wearing snowshoes, I may find myself pushing through powder snow for at least the first month and a half.
That is a problem. I will have to build a trail through the powder sans backpack, which interprets into three miles of travel for every mile of forward progress. I have plenty of experience that says under those conditions I will average one mile of forward progress every 2 ½ hours.
With only a 91-day supply for the entire trip, I have to average a minimum of 4.59 miles per day. In powder conditions that interprets into having to travel approximately 11 ½ hours per day, which is not going to happen.
Here is why. I have 6200 calories available per day. In a 12-hour camp, I will need at least 1200 calories. On the trail, I will consume a minimum of 800 calories per hour, which restricts me to traveling six hours per day. That interprets into 2.5 miles of forward progress each day while traveling in powder. Nor does this include the slower pace of the ascents inherent to mountain travel.
The distance between Raynolds and Monida Passes is 66 miles, which encompasses most of the Centennial Mountains, an area I will enter near Yellowstone National Park at the beginning of the trip. I will encounter powder snow throughout most if not all of these mountains. I have 18 days of food and fuel available for the area. For that reason, as I have already said, I am worried.
Last thing, this is a part of the adventure. I will need to find a way to overcome the problem, which by the way I am not waiting for God to solve. Without my cooperation, God does not perform miracles in the naked backcountry. The soon to begin 4 to 6 winter training trips, with a total of 29 days in the backcountry, will show me whether I have successfully surmounted the problem. There is no substitute for experience.
