WanderLearn Forum with Francis Tapon

When we met you out in the middle of no where. You were on your way to East Glacier Montana. Did you make it to Waterton Park? You were the topic of our ride back to Oregon. My boys and I thought you were a little nuts to be out in the middle of no where, with a backpack and thats it. We got home and visited your site. We had no idea who we met!! My Boys are so excited we check your space often now. We really did meet a nice man on a mission. Best of Adventures to you. Great getting to chat with you. Are the fires by Heart Butte Montana going to affect your travels? Or did you make it back through there before the fire got so bad. I been reading greatfallstribune.com and the fire has growen so big. How many bears did you see? We seen 5 alone close together in Many Glacier the night before we crossed paths. Three was a mama bear and 2 cubs. Take care
Kimmy, Beeper, Carlos, and Leo Gonzalez

Hi Kimmy, Beeper, Carlos, and Leo Gonzalez!

Thanks for writing and I'm so sorry that I've taken forever to respond. I rarely see a computer on the trail. Sometimes a month may go by. Also, when I do, it's frequently at a library where they limit you to 30-60 minutes, so I have no time to even READ all my emails, let alone reply to them. It's a bit frustrating because I feel rude to everyone, so I appreciate your patience!

I did make it to Waterton Park and I've been steadily heading back ever since. I was disappointed that I didn't see any grizzly bears in Glacier National Park.

The fires did affect my travels through the Bob Marshall Wilderness, but they weren't that bad. I confess that I illegally snuck through one of the fire lines to see the Chinese Wall. It was amazing. There's a picture of it in myCDT journal.

I'm 70% done with my trip (nearly 4,000 miles down) and I've seen 3 black bears and one grizzly (in Yellowstone). So you saw more bears in Many Glacier than I've seen in the last 5 months! Also, I don't have any good photos of any of them. I hope to see a bear in Colorado and get a good photo of it before it runs away from me.

Today I saw a skunk and didn't pulled out my camera fast enough. I nearly walked into it. It backed away too fast and I didn't want to chase after it

I plan to do a nationwide book tour in late 2008, so I hope to see your family again when I swing through Oregon! You'll get to see all the photos/videos I took!

Thank you for everything!