There is, of course, only one thing to do when standing atop the Continental Divide.
Day 119
Rogers Pass
July 23rd, 2010
I'm walking across America.
That's the idea, at least. I'm walking westward from New York City for nine months or so. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be in Oregon when the clock runs out. If nothing goes according to plan, maybe I'll end up in Peru or Mongolia or Pennsylvania. You can read all about the details of my trip if you're so inclined.
Email me at matt@imjustwalkin.com
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Here's my progress so far:
Congratulations Matt – call it a day and get some rest!! Be safe.
Yes…wave goodbye to the Missouri River! On to the Columbia! Congrats Matt! It’s downhill from here! (Well hopefully it will be for the most part).
Congrats on all the good walking, Matt. We’ve enjoyed following your pictures and your trek west. Keep on keeping on. Your friends from Chicago, Joe, Rachel, Anna and Lily.
I am afraid to ask, but what does one do when atop the CD?
Pee and see which way it flows….. you asked!
Well, did it go east or west?
My hubby and a friend did that several years ago in Rocky Mountain National Park. Gotta be a guy thing.
Yeah, I was gonna ask the same thing. What is it about which way the water flows? Don’t remember what it is about that any more. Enlighten me someone?
You go below the equator and the water drains the oposite direction down the drain.
Matt what did you do……I say JUMP!! Away you go……….aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Geez, Matt! You must have really pushed it the past couple of days. Looks like you made it to the top a few hours sooner than I expected. Guess I missed you on the Rogers Pass webcam! Get some rest… you gotta a lotta more mountains to go through. The Montana nickname is true, isn’t it? The sky really IS bigger there!!!
I missed him too – IF the camera got back working after I broke it!
Split?
P
One cold September evening in 1978, I stopped on this exact spot and installed tire chains on my 18-wheeler. That is my memory of Rogers Pass — on my back, underneath a semi, in 5 feet of snow and ice, at probably 30 degrees or less in a blizzard, stretching tire chains on my drive wheels. It’s a lot prettier in Matt’s picture I think! :)
As Lewis and Clark headed west through this area, each time they stood on top a mountain range thinking it would be the last, there in front of them was another. It was discouraging for them (partly because they were starving at the time). So keep heart — there is an end to them eventually. But NOT yet.
Congratulations Matt! Love the trees at the back of the sign. Safe travels ..
There is a lady named Sue who made a comment about Matt’s walkabout and I saw that her name was underlined and I opened up quite a story! I was and am impressed with Matt’s determination to walk accross this great country that I served and that i love, BUT……..Sue appears to be on a different walk. Sue I am just someone with a Finnish heritage and my Dad gave me a Finnish word to use when things got a little stickey. I gave the word to Matt and now I’d like to offer it to you. Sue you have it and may not even know it! SISU is a funny but fabulous word. Be Strong Sue. Peace!
Go Matt Go! Two thumbs up, you’re doing great! I think I’ve told you, either here or on flickr, that I think what you’re doing is awesome. Keep on keepin’ on.
Welcome to the intermountain west! Enjoy your stay :-)
Rogers Pass is the location of the coldest temperature ever recorded in the United States outside of Alaska. On January 20, 1954 a low temperature of −70 °F (−56.7 °C) was recorded during a severe cold wave.
Hopefully it’s a little warmer for you tonight! Welcome to the West!
Yeah Matt! You finally made it and obviously did something up there. But what?
I think the obvious thing to do would be to camp here since it is the only flat place in sight. It is also very easy to say exactly where he is. Must be nice to sleep in the open mountain air…
My husband does that one thing every time he is standing on the Continental Divide…
Oh Matt – you have wings on your feet!
Matt emailed me and said he waved at the camera on Rogers Pass. Did any of the Hobo Nation see it (and/or capture it)?
The last I viewed, the image was stuck on 4:33 PM. When I got home from work – I was too pooped to even check it on my home PC. (I carry no droid – at present).
Loving your trek, will be sad when there are no more pics and comments to read.
Maybe when Matt is finished with this trek, he will decide to walk South, then back East, then back North! I bet he would be the only person in history to have walked the entire perimeter (so to speak) of the U.S.! Hmm.
I think everyone is right that the peeing thing is the one thing to do, but I would prefer just yelling like Tarzan or marvelling at the beauty all around me :)
“Louis Michael Figueroa, age 43, of Tucson, AZ, is arguably the most prolific transcontinental journeyman. In 1982, at the age of 16, Figueroa became the fastest and youngest person to run across the United States covering the route from New Brunswick, NJ to San Francsico in 60 days to fulfill a promise to a friend who was dying of bone cancer.
In 1996-1997 he walked from Bangor, ME to San Diego, CA for local AIDS networks in memory of his brother Jimmy, who died of the disease. The walk was plagued by delays due to Figueroa’s battle with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.
In 2005, he began a walk around the United States for victims of child abuse. Figueroa walked for six months and covered 4,000 miles of the 7,500.
On June 4, 2010 Figueroa left from where he previously stopped, 4 miles west of Somerset, PA and is currently finishing his trek around the United States. He plans to arrive in Tucson sometime in late December.” – courtesy of Wikipedia
And then there are these two fellas: )
http://www.walkingman.org/
http://www.blessitt.com/
Matt
You should have the Lincoln Continental with the flat tire from a previous post brought up and put on a pole like the truck also in a previous post. The car could be erected in the middle of the divide to create a (divided) hybrid Continental. This would make for great conversation, especially with enviromentalist.
If you pee from the spot you could have flow for both oceans! So go with the flow.
Glad you shared the photos of a spot I have never been to.
Stay safe!
thanks again for sharing your walking adventure with us Matt!!! It’s been wonderful “walking” with you!!
Great walkin. I love the Mountains out West. Dont feed the bears, unless they force the issue!
The fat Pollack and I went over that pass. Obviously we did certain obvious things there as well.
Lock sux.
Love logging on and feeling a part of the adventure your on. Thanks for sharing it. I will be sorry when it’s over!
Glad Rogers got his Pass. He’s gonna need it to go to the bathroom.
A couple of days late checking in, but Congratulations, Matt! Whoo-hoo!
I love that you crossed (and in theory, peed on) the Continental Divide on my birthday! :)
keep on, keepin’ on!
I figured it was something like stand with one foot on each side. Kinda like when you cross a border…. guess you gotta be a guy ……..??
First, I want to know which way the pee went. I bet something dumb happened, like it flowed due south and watered a plant. Second, I want to know who Rogers is and why the pass is named after them.
The best place to pee is in Northern Minnesota at the headwaters of the Mississippi river, you know where that’s going to end up.