DAY 5: April 26, Missoula, Montana/ the Rattlesnake

I awake to pain. Muscles I didn’t know existed are sore. I have developed weird limpy style of walking to ease pain. Handrails on stairs become more awesome than ever. 10K has wreaked havoc. A feat to get upstairs for breakfast.

Accompany Emily on her deck stain conquest. Goal: Return gallon of custom-mixed stain which did not match her fence and purchase the right stain. Foiled: About four blocks away from home, the entire gallon spills in her backseat. Bummmmmmmmmer. We rent an upholstery cleaner when we finally get to the hardware store. Plus side: gray stain on gray upholstery, could be worse. Minus: Her car is probably going to smell like paint for months.












Later we go to her boyfriend Mark’s house to bring him some soup (he’s very sick) and walk his white husky dog, Coda. He walks with us down to Rattlesnake creek (see left) and lets Coda off leash...and Coda takes off. Apparently he really, really likes deer. We go back to get the car and cruise Rattlesnake to look for him. Em points out some deer to me on a distant hill...then we realize they are running...and a white streak follows. Coda found. We hike up the hills to take in the view. (See right, with Emily, Skeet, and Coda)