The Part of Thru-Hiking Nobody Shows You | CDT Day 20-22

Some days on the Continental Divide Trail aren't glamorous at all, and nobody films those. This was three days of road walking, a sore knee, and the honest grind of thru-hiking, that ended with me walking 32 miles in a single day, the last 6 just to reach a McDonald's in Anaconda. I film and edit all of this myself out on trail. If it adds something to your day, you can superpower me with a (healthier; )) trail snack here: https://buymeacoffee.com/the.ambassador Day 20 I left Helena with my trail family (Bougie, Golf Ball, Sundial and Steady), got a trail-magic Coke out of a cooler in the middle of nowhere, and reminded myself that connecting every footstep from Canada to Mexico means walking the boring miles too. Day 21 was a long, quiet grind. Day 22 a trail angel named Cake pulled over with a trunk full of cold drinks and snacks right when we needed it, and then we pushed a huge 32-mile day into Anaconda, McDonald's and two big motel beds waiting at the end. This is my CDT 2026 thru-hike, the third and final trail of my Triple Crown after the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. Over the next few months I'll hike more than 3,000 miles (5,000 km) from Canada to Mexico through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, solo. Subscribe to follow the whole journey:    / @jonatanbjorkman   TRAIL LOG Days 20-22 Helena to Anaconda, Montana Distance: 73 mi (117 km) [confirm against FarOut] Total: see note below [confirm against FarOut] State 1 of 5: Montana A lot of road walking and the Anaconda cutoff, plus a sore knee. CHAPTERS 0:00 Day 20: leaving Helena for the trail 1:56 The unglamorous side of thru-hiking 3:27 A trail magic surprise on the trail 5:00 New shoes and nearing 400 miles 6:20 On the Continental Divide Trail since 1978 7:32 Trail family dinner in camp 9:47 Day 21: a sore knee and a long grind 11:07 Looking for moose in Montana 12:38 A boring, tough 23 mile day 13:30 Day 22: the push to Anaconda 15:08 Champion Pass and a swim 17:56 Cake the trail angel saves the day 19:01 Six more miles to McDonald's 19:53 32 miles into Anaconda FOLLOW ALONG Subscribe:    / @jonatanbjorkman   Instagram:   / johnny__mango   YOU MAY ALSO LIKE Previous episode:    • My Walk to Mexico Took a Strange Turn  | C...   Full CDT series:    • Canada🇨🇦 to Mexico 🇲🇽 | 🇺🇸 Continental Div...   GEAR Tent: Big Agnes Fly Creek https://geni.us/bigagnesflycreek Sleeping pad: Thermarest NeoAir https://geni.us/sleepingpad-thermarest Backpack: Osprey Exos 58 https://geni.us/osprey-exos Sleeping bag: Marmot Helium https://geni.us/marmothelium My New Trail Shoes (Topo): https://rei.pxf.io/k4N9od Full CDT gear list:    • You Don't Need Expensive Gear to Thru-Hike...   Some links are affiliate links. They cost you nothing and help fund the trail snacks. TRAIL TOWN, ANACONDA Where to stay: https://stay22.com/embed/6a6de6ca8b07... Food: McDonald's after 32 miles, plus downtown Anaconda Resupply: grocery in Anaconda TRAIL RESOURCES Navigation: FarOut CDT guide https://geni.us/FAROUT-CDT Permits & planning: https://continentaldividetrail.org #ContinentalDivideTrail #cdt2026 #thruhiking continental divide trail, cdt 2026, cdt thru hike 2026, cdt sobo, anaconda montana, helena montana, trail magic, road walking, thru hiking, thru hike vlog, cdt vlog, solo hiking, triple crown of hiking, jonatan bjorkman, jonathan bjorkman