Tag: Centennial Valley

Posted on by — Leave a comment

An Increased Load

With the collapse of my most important protective gear, in particular the sleeping system, but also the down coat and my active clothing, which includes my boots and torso layers, there have been additional alterations made. As a result, when I continue the trip along the Great Divide, probably Wednesday, February 21, the weight of my load has increased to 91 pounds. This leg, the third this winter, will begin in Montana in the Centennial Valley, taking me up to Pete Creek Divide in the Centennial Mountains, and then west to the Monida Pass area and Interstate 15, a distance of 20 miles.

After an overnighter at the Mountain View Motel in Lima Montana, the next leg will take me west of Monida Pass and Interstate 15, which will be much tougher. At 52 miles in length, this leg will require a heavier load.

West Camas Creek Road near Pete Creek confluence, Centennial Mountains, Idaho

Later, with winter’s worst behind me, where temperatures will have been capable of dropping to forty and more degrees below zero Fahrenheit, I will shed some of the necessary protective gear, eventually getting the load down to 83 pounds. The lighter load will happen after mid-March, when the lowest temperature will only be capable of dropping to ten below zero.

In April, the coldest temperatures will remain above zero. At that time however, it will become necessary to carry climbing gear, approximately 15 pounds of additional weight.

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Get it Right, or go Hungry

As the result of the back off/go around of Big Table Mountain two weeks ago, I now face a resupply dilemma. The distance between Kilgore, where I will begin again, to Pete Creek Divide is greater than any other area to the 241-mile distant Chief Joseph Pass. In the powder snow condition now present on the Continental Divide, I will average less than two miles per day of forward progress.

Leaving the backpack and sled behind, as I build a trail through the powder snowpack.

For those of you unfamiliar with travel conditions in deep powder, I have to drop my pack and sled, and then build a trail through the snow before progressing forward with my gear. If my journey remains the same as two weeks ago, I will travel an average of 4.5 miles to gain 1.5 miles per day. This is the penalty of traveling alone and for making the attempt during the period between December and at least mid-February. In addition, the remainder of February through March is still a threat for powder travel conditions. There are no guarantees.

To get through this area, I plan to carry 12 days of supplies from Kilgore, Idaho to the next resupply. That tallies to a substantial weight, almost 90 pounds. In spite of this large supply, if the resupply near Pete Creek Divide is missing, I may be down to three days of supplies to get me to the Monida Pass area. I could find myself without supplies for four days.

A resupply located at least 12 feet above the ground.

Needing to address this threat as I see it, I have two options. Both look and smell like a bag of rotting groceries. The first option is to skip the ascent to Pete Creek Divide, thereby saving two days of travel, including a 900-foot climb. The other option, should I find that the resupply is missing up there, I could dive off the north face of the Centennial Mountains, down to Centennial Valley on the Montana side of the mountains, and arrive at the winter maintained road. Unfortunately, neither option may be enough. I might still run out of supplies before arriving back on the edge of civilization.

Fortunately, the only decision I need to make today is when I leave to continue the trip. The next decision can wait until I arrive at the first fork on the route, approximately six days into the trip. Unfortunately, much also depends on how quickly I get to that first fork. With the incoming storm, I can only give a partially educated guess concerning how much powder I will encounter, which is likely to be substantial.

I leave for the trailhead in 72 hours.