PNT day 23 – Mt. Abercrombie & Fume Creek Trail

Metaline Falls (346.9) to Silver Creek Road (370.3)

23.4 miles

I woke up early from a sleepless night. Sharing a tiny bed with Hummingbird wasn’t the best idea. It was before six when I grabbed all my stuff and tried to leave the room. The old fashioned door had two locks more than ten centimeters apart. I couldn’t open both with just one free hand. I tried to be quiet but it didn’t work out. I looked down and saw a big smile on Indies face. He helped me with the door and after a quick see you on trail I was out of the room.

I went to the bathroom to have another hot relaxing shower. Afterwards it was breakfast at the Farmhouse Café. I chatted for a while with the girl working there before I took off around 7:30 am. I wanted to get up to Mt. Abercrombie and down again to a campsite at a forest road on the other side. My goal was to make it to Northport in two days to have some good food for my birthday.

The sky didn’t look promising when I crossed the bridge over the Oreille River and started with the roadwalk. It was about five miles on a paved road and then another five miles or so on a unpaved forest road before I would hit Fume Creek Trail which led the final four miles up towards the mountain. Very soon it started drizzling and raining and all I could do was keeping my head up and hike. Nearly at the top I passed an area with a total of five fire pits and some nice campsites on the ridge. But I wanted to go further. Up on the mountain and out of the trees I was completely exposed to the cold wind and the clouds around me. There was not much I could see!

The weather forecast had predicted thunderstorms in the evening and it was already past three when I was up there in the clouds. I heard a distant rumble. Time to get off that mountain! I descended as quickly as possible to reach some trees and potential shelter.

The thunderstorm didn’t come. I descended more and more into the valley and it even got a bit warmer. It was unbelievable but around 5:30pm nearly at the end of my hiking day the sun came out!

I hiked down the last switchbacks stepping around lots of horse apples and arrived finally at the forest road. A trail Register was there and I read a notice that the trail crew had been working here recently. That explains all the horse apples!

I passed the privy and went towards the campsite. It’s a nice big camp with lots of space for quite a few tents. I picked the best spot, set up camp and had dinner. And now? It’s reading time! I bought a book!