PNT Montana/Idaho

[Scott Engles]

I’m planning a PNT trip from a Glacier start to about Winthrop next summer. I know all of WA really well, MontanaI/Idaho not at all. I know the PNT has updated maps online, but from reading them last summer on the Kettle Crest I know they’re not perfect.

2 Questions:

How much can I trust the new PNT maps from Montana through Idaho and;

How diligent should I be about traveling through Griz country alone? I’ve backpacked alone in the Bob for 5 days with bear spray and felt safe, and wander around the North Cascades all the time while encountering black bears.

[Ryan Jordan]

I’ve done it, and I’m “OK”(*) hiking in the Bob alone, but I’ve seen and encountered more grizzlies there than anywhere else in the CONUS. The majority of them run away of course. Most of the problematic encounters result when I get lazy, don’t make noise on the trail, and then spook a bear around a corner or in brush. I consider myself fortunate, and I’ve not had any confrontational encounters there save one:

Packrafting the Spotted Bear River, turned a corner, and spooked a sow and three cubs. She bluff charged into the water – close enough where her splashing got me wet – then turned and ran into the woods with her cubs. That one could have ended really bad. I was still trying to get at my bear spray by the time she turned around.

*Here’s the asterisk (*) from above: I’ve grown increasingly uncomfortable in grizzly country through the years. I’ve had too many encounters where I walked away “thankful” that it didn’t end worse. I’ve been between a sow and her cub, sprayed a couple of bears, and surprised several while hiking. I have to acknowledge that bears are unpredictable and there’s only so much you can do, and I consider myself really fortunate.

I was charged by a moose in SE Wyoming this summer, fell down hard as I ran away, and got pretty banged up right before the moose veered away from me – like 4 feet away. I had visions of it stomping my spleen. I had a dead cell phone, no sat phone, and the whole thing scared us pretty bad (I was hiking w/my wife).

[Scott Engles]

Thank you for these anecdotes. Hiking in deep black bear country I’ve become accustomed to them fleeing at first sight and not taking precautions e.g. not hanging food when I’m with my german shepherd way off trail and not making noise hiking alone.

[BlackHatGuy]

Ryan,

Those would have made good writeups on BPL!

[Greg Mihalik]

” I had a dead cell phone, no sat phone, …”

Bet that doesn’t happen again.

Glad you got another “pass”.

[Ken Thompson]

How about Guthook’s maps/app?

[David Chenault]

From what I’ve experienced in the Yaak the maps are trustworthy enough.  A lot of the trail there (and I assume in ID and eastern WA) is pretty faint, but even if the maps don’t put it in exactly the right spot they don’t miss junctions or anything major.

There are plenty of Griz along the PNT in Glacier and the Whitefish Range, quite a few less the further west you go.  If you were comfortable using a certain set of precautions in the Bob the same approach should be fine along the PNT.

[Author]

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