Dear America:

“We proceed on.” (Lewis & Clark used this frequently.) The journey continued in a Southeasterly manner after we rode our horses along the base of Scapegoat Mountain. The area was burned in 1988 and still shows the effect of that very large fire. Randy said that nearly 200,000 acres were burned. Although the dead snags had a surreal look about them, it did open the vistas to some grand views. I am happy to report that the forest is making a comeback. The young, mixed conifers range in size from the very small to nearly eight feet tall.
I’m falling in love with the Bob Marshall Wilderness. This is truly a unique and wonderful resource for the American people. We lunched in another open park with views of mountains all around us.
Our trail was shorter and lower than yesterday’s three passes. We only had one low pass and then followed the Dearborn River downstream. We reentered the mature forest about two hours before we got to stop. Once again we camped in a perfect spot for man and beast.

I tore my pants with a nail that was stuck in a pole that I was moving for the kitchen area. I also got a blood blister on my right ring finger. I tore off some skin at the base of my ring finger, but Charlotte did a nice job bandaging it. Wayne must have missed the attention so he cut his pointer finger on his right hand with a bow saw while cutting firewood. Charlotte fixed him up also.
The last few nights I’ve been able to write in my journal to the sound of jangling bells. The horses and mules have bells put on them, so they can be found if they wander off. They are turned out to pasture and they usually roam pretty close while feeding. The sound is very relaxing. It is also the sound that greets me in the morning at 6:00 a.m.
Can it get any better than this?
Dana spotted a bear at 12:25 on a hillside about one-fourth mile away. It ran up the hill. It was big enough to tell it was a bear, but not so close as to worry.