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                                                                                 Rose Lake to Wallace to Mullan, ID

Monday August 31, 2009

     6:00am  7.54 hours of sleep, awesome. I'm going to walk fifteen miles to Kellogg today.

     7:39am  I've had a relaxing time packing up this morning. I did a sewing project on my external frame pack. I'm going to pack up and leave. I'm going to walk fifteen miles today.

     8:04am  Up and at 'em.

     8:22am  I just found out it's twenty five miles to Kellogg, not fifteen. The next gas station is in Kingston, ten miles. Even better.

     8:47am  I'm walking facing the highway facing traffic so I can give people the peace sign.
                  
                   I see a distances sign in the distance.

                   Cataldo 5 miles, Kellogg 16 after all. It's not 25. Missoula 145.

     9:05am  Mile Marker 35.

     9:22am  Seventeen minute mile.

     9:39am  Mile Marker 37, I think. 16 minute mile, hell yeah. I'm going to keep going.

     9:48am  Passing Exit 39. There's a sign for Old Mission State Park, 1 mile.

     9:55am  Mile Marker 38. 16 minute mile.

                   Whoa, I found a red CD case. I needed a new CD case, bad! Awesome.

                   Coming up on Exit 39, Old Mission State Park.

                   Not too long ago I lost my tennis ball. I haven't felt like stopping to put a new one on because it would mess with my timing. I'm holding the stick underneath my arm as I walk up to the Old Mission.

                     Old Mission of the Sacred Heart, Mining the Silver Valley, Mining and You, Mission Landing, River Dredge, map

     10:45am  I am done resting at the Old Mission at this picnic table. I ate a package of crackers I had. I had eaten a burger for breakfast. That's all that fueled me up until now. It was like a rest stop. I took lots of pictures of the mining stuff.

     10:58am  I'm pooped. I came to the highway and I'm going to thumb it for a while. Rest a little more.

     11:06am  I'm going to walk.

     11:14am  Passing sign that says Exit 40 Cataldo 1½ mile.

     11:17am  Passing over the Cour Delane Road.

     11:20am  Mile Marker 40. Another exit coming up.

     11:24am  I just found a battery charger. Hmm, the 3v plug fits into the DC plug of my tape recorder. Maybe I can plug into a wall jack while I'm typing to conserve battery.

     11:27am  Entering Shoshone County.

     11:38am  There's a turnout here I'm going to rest at. Emergency stopping only, my ass.

                     The next hitchhiking sign I'll make will say WE ARE ALL CONNECTED. Maybe WE'RE.
 
     12:07pm  Up from my break in the shade. I'm going to keep walking now. I walked all the way from Marker 35 to here nonstop. Well, I took a pause at the Old Mission and ate some crackers.

     12:12pm  Right around the corner from where I rested is a distances sign. Kingston 2 miles, Wallace 19, Missoula 138.

     12:16pm  Mile Marker 41.

     12:28pm  About to pass sign that says Kingston 1 mile. Thompson Pass.

                     Put on my website, "Any questions? Email me."

     12:36pm  Holy shit! This drove by in his van and honked at me. I immediately gave him the thumb and he stopped and came back. Right when he opened the side door to his van his wolf jumped out and started dashing across the highway, almost getting hit by a car. Holy shit! That's so crazy. The wolf's owner is still trying to catch him.

     12:43pm  Jimmy is the nice guy that pulled over for me. What's the wolf's name? Mariah. They're from Wallace, Idaho. She jumped out of the car and almost got run over. What a fright at Mile Marker 42.

                     I was almost a mile shy of the gas station in Kingston.

                     We stopped at a grocery store. He's going to get some dogfood and some meat.

     1:16pm  I just got dropped off in Wallace, this little quaint little town. Jimmy warned me not to stop in Mullan for some reason. There's a lot of mining history in this town. He dropped me off at the laundromat. He even gave me change for my laundry. Jimmy is a Desert Storm veteran. I didn't tell him my story because he has some hearing deficits. I didn't even try. He gave me his information(Jim Harkness 20 Bank Street #24 Wallace, ID 83873) and told me to write him a postcard or something.

                  Listener at laundromat

     2:42pm  I walked around for a bit but there's nothing in this town. I came to the highway and thumbed it for a little bit. I'm going to walk back into town and find a gas station. I need some ice in my bag and I'll try and tell somebody my story. I had done all of my laundry at the laundromat. I told this pretty girl my story too.

     3:03pm  I came to the library. I might give this town another chance. It's been pretty cool here so far.

     5:52pm  I had a good presentation with Luke, this sixteen year old kid at the gas station. He's going to see if his parents will let me crash at his place tonight. I doubt it. Maybe I'll walk around and tell my story here. The gas station here isn't busy at all. I don't know what I'm going to do. I need to make a sign that says WE'RE ALL CONNECTED.

     6:31pm  I was walking to the hitch spot I was at earlier at the edge of town and Luke, that kid I told my story to at the gas station pulled up with his friend. I thought he was going to smoke me out, but he only had a glass pipe I wasn't able to get a resin hit off of. Thought that counts, bro. I asked him what his dad said and he said that he said no, that they've got a full house. They told me about some abandoned building I could crash in nearby. It's still kind of early. Maybe I can get a ride still.

     6:54pm  In no-time Kayla and Rob pulled over for me! I didn't think I was getting out of town at all. Rob: "You won't have too much luck riding with too many people around here." Everybody gets credit, guys. Thanks a lot. Everybody's got it in them. It's all a number's game. They said they could give me a ride to Lookout Pass, but first they were going to stop where they live in Mullan. Hmm, I was warned about Mullan.

     7:24pm  I just had a marvelous presentation with all the people who live at this house in Mullan.

     8:43pm  The coolest shit happened to me. I was warned about the town of Mullan. They were going to take me to Lookout Pass, but they said I could crash here tonight! They even have a computer here, with no internet, but I don't need the internet! I wasn't sure what was going to happen in Wallace. I thought maybe after it got dark I would go to Jim's house and see if he'd let me crash. He gave me his address.

                   Oh yeah, after I told my story Rob started offering me all this survival gear he has. He gave me a camp candle and a carabineer which I needed. He also gave me this badass Bob Marley hoodie. He said he's always waiting for people like me to show up that he can help equip. I really appreciate it, brother.

     12:20am  I have not been documenting all the magic that has happened tonight. Look where I ended up today on this rollercoaster that I am on with no downs. I ended up in Mullan, Idaho. I'm hanging out with my new friends. Like I say, I have automatic friends everywhere I go. They picked me up and taught me about huckleberries. I should take a picture of their beautiful wolf hybrid Nanook. I just got picked up by them earlier and they were going to take me to the pass. When we stopped at their house I asked them if I could camp in their lawn and one of the guys said, "We've got a couch inside you can sleep on." What a blessed time I am having in Mullan, Idaho. I was totally warned not to come here. Jimmy urged me to try to get a ride over the pass and not stop in Mullan. Rob: "You lucked out because there aren't any cool fuckers in this town." I wonder how my storytelling will go in this town.

     2:00am  I am all stoned. I am loving this adventure. I was totally warned about this town and it seems like I found the only cool people in it. More like they found me.

Next day..