Day 48- Bitteroot Valley

76.9 miles- Wisdom to Hamilton, MT

As I lay in my bed I listed for the sound of rain coming down outside- silence. As I looked out the window I looked for signs of precipitation- puddles everywhere. As I rode out of Wisdom I smelled the air- apparent dampness in the distance. I expected another miserable cold wet day. Instead the dark clouds could do nothing but spit.

While leaving Big Hole I passed the Big Hole National Battlefield, the site of a significant battle during the Nez Pierce War. The Nez Pierce Indians had been promised land by the United States government in the Wallowa Valley. When this policy was reversed, the Nez Pierce, under the leadership of Chief Joseph, decided to escape to Canada in hopes of better treatment. A group of young Nez Pierce men, angered by the forced exodus, slaughtered several white families in the area. Several weeks later, US Calvary forces launched an attack on about 800 Nez Pierce camped at Big Hole. Both sides suffered casualties. In October 1877, Chief Joseph surrendered only 40 miles before reaching the Canadian border.

A few miles after the battlefield I starred in disdain at the wet snowplow coming towards me. As I came closer to the top of Chief Joseph Pass, the amount of snow on the ground and trees grew precipitously. While it was snowing lightly at the top, I crossed the Pass at 7,264 with enormous relief. I am quite sure that I will not climb above even 6,000 feet again during this trip. As I coasted down the repetitive wages of warmer air brought feeling back to my fingers and toes. I followed the Bitteroot River along the narrow Bitteroot Valley until I reached Hamilton at about 3,000 feet. The valley is dotted with signs denoting significant parts of the first white expedition through the valley in 1805, made by Lewis and Clark. The beginning of the valley is narrow, with just enough room for the road, river, railroad track, and small plots of land squeezed in between the mountains. As it widens, the towns of Darby and Hamilton remain beautifully overshadowed by the Bitteroot Mountain Range.