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My earliest start yet! After squirming around in my sleeping bag for nearly 40 minutes trying to change clothes, I was up and riding around 7:30. Today was mostly downhill, and I made good time into Whitefish, MT, where I’m splitting a room with Aaron, Curt, and Lee.

I spent the afternoon wandering around Whitefish and accumulating gear, including liner gloves, heavier long johns, a water bottle holder, knee pads, and a new ankle brace. I was happy with the previous brace, but this one provides better support, and I want to give my ankle the best chance possible.

The next stretch of the route confuses me regarding how to plan my resupply. There have usually been fairly obvious resupply points in past trips every 3 to 10 days. In this upcoming stretch, several options make resupply possible every day or even a partial day. Unfortunately, I don’t know how good each resupply option is, and most appear to be off-route two or more miles. Right now, anything off-route is more than I feel willing to do.

Tomorrow, I plan to hit up the hotel breakfast, complimented with my yogurt from the grocery store (I eat a lot of yogurt when I come into town). Depending on my mood, I may try to resupply to get to Seeley Lake, about 140 miles away. In my backpacker mind, it’s the next obvious resupply. It’s also a lot of weight—I’d probably plan for a six-day supply. Such difficult decisions out here!