The Wagonteamster Channel has it’s first video production - Journey To the Valley Of the Wild Horses

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7/20/12, Top of Lolo Pass, ID - The lads and I put in a short day and quit by 12:30 PM when we reached the top of the Pass.  I had all three horses hitched this morning for the uphill climb to the top of the pass.  The grade for the first 10 miles was fairly shallow but got fairly steep near the top (8 to 10%). 

All morning long, I met a lot of nice people on the drive up the canyon. The scenery was great the horses were moving good and all was well in the world.

This is one of two young ladies that are bicycling to Minnesota. They heard about me and tried to reach me last night but ended up stopping a mile short.

The day stayed cool until 10 AM, when the clouds disappeared.  By the time we started climbing the steeper grades on the last two miles up the pass, the temperature had climbed into the eighties and the horses were working hard.  To keep them from overheating I took frequent breaks and twice gave them a sip of water.

The lads climbing the hill.

We made the Visitor Center at the top of the pass for lunch. I was going to keep traveling but there was a suppose to be a severe thunderstorm, so I stayed put.

Tonight, the lads are comfortably bedded down on some grass in front of the visitor center.  I have no cell/normal internet service, but the visitor center has a wifi signal, so I’m taking advantage of that.  Cell service is nonexistent for the next hundred miles or so.

The top of the hill also marks the end of my travels in Montana. For the next couple of weeks, I’ll travel through northern Idaho on my way to Southeast Washington.

When I pulled up to the visitor center, I found a volunteer to help me drive the boys off the pole.

This is Francis, a Forest Service Employee that talked me into staying at the Visitor Center and not drive in the bad weather.

At only 17 months old, this little girl really liked Bill.

This is Matt, who drank a couple of beers with me and helped solve the world’s problems.

Tomorrow, the lads and I start are trek down a long hill to Lewiston.  The next hundred miles are suppose to be some of the most beautiful and remote in the country. I think I’ll have a great time.