Missoula (Part III)

It’s 11 AM on Saturday. I wake up. Dennis is still sleeping, and snoring. Neither of us are going to Jackson Hole, WY today.

I can make coffee now. Chris wakes up, and I treat him to coffee that I made. It came out strong and bitter, just right. I pack up, hug Dennis and Chris, and head out. There are some new people coming in, and they’re already here. There’s a guy serenading his girl. He has a raw and soulful voice. I want to hike in the mountains today.

I’ve passed so many people to get here. Everyone seems ready for this. I’m not. I have my backpack, my camera, my clothes, and my vanity with me. I’m only wearing a pair of sneakers, some shorts over compression tights, and two jackets. I’m simple and I travel light, but this is impractical. But, I’m here, and I want to do this. I start walking up the M. It’s the iconic hilltop of Missoula, and I want to see how the valley looks from up there.

I don’t make it up. Quarter of a way through, the girl coming down tells me to try walking down, just for fun. I do, and fall on my ass. Going down is harder, more slippery, and full of treachery than going up. I look down from where I am. It’s nice, I really wish I could’ve gone higher. But, it’s OK.

I’ve made it to the base now. I didn’t fall any more, although I would’ve been OK with it.

I’m staying with Cat and Jed, a couple who I met through Couchsurfing, today. This is my first time Couchsurfing. I don’t know what to expect.

I’m here. I knock on the door. Jed opens the door. Kind eyes and a warm smile. He takes me in, shows me around their place, and gets me settled in. I’m lucky enough to get the private room.

I settle in, and head to the common room. There’s another Couchsurfer there, Verena and she’s from Austria. She’s been in the country for a few months, studying geography. She’s doing a talk at the campus soon, and then, she’ll head back. She’s an experienced Couchsurfer, and I’m not.

Jed and his band the Dodgy Mountain Men are playing at the Top Hat tonight, and we’re all invited. He calls their music Stompgrass. I don’t know what that is…yet.

Jed is rehearsing and doing the final run through as we all chat about where we come from, what we’re doing, where we’re going, etc. I try some of Verena’s roasted tomato chips from Trader Joe’s. They are really good. Jed gets a call from Kacie and her boyfriend. They Couchsurfed the night before, and they’re still in town. We all should go to the distillery, and so, we go.

We’re here, on the same street I was getting drunk last night. Jed parks on the street, and it’s OK. That’s what people do here, and everyone is OK with it. No stress.

Verena, Jed, and I meet Kacie and hers. They’re from Rapid City, SD. They’ve already had a couple of drinks. I sit across from Kacie, and Verena sits across from the guy. Jed separates us from them. We order our drinks. I get Nightburner, it’s fused with tobacco rinse. We start talking, getting comfortable with each other. There are lots of travel stories between the four of them, some good, some horrific, all being great stories to share. Kacie travelled through India, and her train was robbed, so the only guard on the train naturally decided to protect the one lone American girl, who’s the only person in that cabin. The boyfriend, while teaching English, had food poisoning and had to learn to squat poop in Central America. Verena, in Sri Lanka, had interesting experiences all around, traveling by bus, sometimes on train, always on the edge of death. Now, she’s traveling through the States on the Greyhound, and she tells us that it’s a very similar experience to her travels in Sri Lanka. And Jed, who met Cat through Couchsurfing, had a horrible time finding anywhere to stay in South America. And, I’m here, enjoying these wonderful humans and soaking in some parts of their lives.

It’s time for the show. Jed, Kacie, and the rest of the gang is already there. Verena and I, after getting some food, walk over. The music is already happening. Jed is on the stage, strumming along with his group. There’s Cat, cheering on her man. I go up and tell her that I’m here. She introduces me to Desi, her friend, who thinks I look like Nash, another guy who stayed with them through Couchsurfing, and who also must have come to one of Jed’s shows.

The Dodgy Mountain Men are so good. It’s Bluegrass with spunk. Everyone is dancing. Kacie shows me to dance and just groove to the music. I fail and everyone laughs; I do too. I’m feeling the music, the people, the drinks, the town, the love.

It’s close to 1 AM now. Verena wants to head back, and I accompany her. We talk about her life, her parents, Austria, the politics and the philosophy, her purpose, her wants and needs, and I share some of mine too. I tell her about some good music, and she tells me to listen to The Glitch Mob and IAMX. One day. She has tattoos from Harry Potter. She’s very interesting and easy to talk to. She tells me that in Austrian, Tramp Stamp translates to Butt Antlers. I like it.

We’re home. It’s cold, and we fall asleep. At some time, everyone else gets back. We realize that Kacie and her plus one don’t have a place to go to, so we decide that they’ll Couchsurf with us for one more night. I give the private room to them, they deserve it.

It’s 10 AM on Sunday. Everyone is still asleep. I miss them already. I miss this town already. But now, it’s time. Time to go somewhere else. I’ll be back.

Now, it’s time. Time to go somewhere else. I’ll be back.