14 Sula to Leadore

If during the planning of this journey you had tried to describe to me the beauty that I would see, smell, touch and emotionally connect with, I would have not hesitated in coming to this place. There was at the time of coming to America significant pressure from friends and peers not to come because of the geo political situation.

But where is here?

Here is a place where I realise that religion, politics, and social gossip have no place. They merely serve as a buffer, a distraction between us and who we truly are. This sleight of hand we have created takes away our right of existence. To be. Here in these mountains I am not in a country I am part of the country, an equal to every living thing including those damned mosquitoes that appear when I sit with Sally in the evening to nurse our sores, talk about our day and talk about our tomorrow.

170 miles to new shoes!

The map is not the territory

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were sent by President Jefferson in 1804 to explore the newly acquired land following the Louisiana Territory purchase from Napoleon. (Funds from this purchase were to support the war effort against the British).

The territory purchased for the price of a flat in Chelsea was huge, doubled the size of the US and included the divide that Sally and I are hiking. They knew very little about the area. Their mission’s main goals were to build relations with Native Indians, map, explore, and above all discover the North West Passage. A fabled way to open a trade route to Asia.

The explorers feature heavily on our walk, towns seeking an historical identity embolden their discoveries as the first maps of the area were drafted. No one knew what lay beyond the divide. Such exciting times.

Now we use an app, called Far Out. It has a red line and an arrow that we follow. It’s overlayed on a topographical map and identifies the distances to water, camp spots, roads, stores etc. Users can also add updates - whether they saw a bear etc, in fact below is a selection of comments about a water point that took me half a bloody hour to find one evening.

Far out comments

Different people, describing the same thing and despite the best of intentions not adding value. The sun was setting, the bear bags were hung and I simply added the GPS coordinates and elevation point to the conversation. Frustration driven logic.

What does this mean? Quite simply although we have a map it doesn’t tell you about the hundreds of fallen trees that you have to clamber over, the beautiful scenery, the miles of charcoaled burnt out forests that clogs your nose and throat. The territory that Lewis and Clark explored was just the beginning of the tale and the words on this page cannot possibly do justice to the Louisiana Purchase.

This however has been our favourite user posting so far, at an unnamed saddle given the honour by Special Agent Sally as ‘Nut Break Saddle’ we read -

‘SoBos, the veil between the world of man and Elfland is paper thin over the next few miles. Heed not the waggish fox that gambols and beckons thee to follow. Few have returned after crossing the shimmering iridescent barrier, and those few invariably moon-eyed and witless. ribbitman 26/07/2024’

We thought, not another one! (SoBos are the people who trek Southbound, like Sally and I.)

However, this description is probably the most accurate account on the app that we have come across as these pictures show.

Mile 677.6

Magic Moments?

Many, many - like the cokes left at a pass point with our names on, meeting the team that had just finished creating a 2 mile trail section that cut out a huge rubble road climb, and of course Americorp St Louis.

The trail in parts is plagued with fallen trees. Clambering over them, sometimes a dozen a mile can add hours to the day.

Because of Americorp St Louis - a team of volunteers keen to support the natural environment; live off gas station food, camp out for their summer vacation, clear trails, plant native trees and develop their public stewardship - the trail has for the past 109 miles been clear. And every time we pass sawdust on the trail Special Agent Sally cries out, “Thankyou Americorp St Louis”