Couple hikes 80 miles in Bob Marshall honeymoon

Jennifer and Nemanja Cobet came up with the recipe for a perfect honeymoon: Combine hunger, blisters and a few bears into an 80-mile hike including climbing 9,000 feet and fording freezing cold rivers.

For this Whitefish couple, backpacking through the Bob Marshall Wilderness proved the perfect launch for wedded bless. They emerged inspired by natural marvels like the Chinese Wall natural rock outcropping stretching for miles.

 “It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” Nemanja said.

Jennifer, who suffered from badly blistered feet, was no less enthusiastic. She returned with a renewed appreciation of living in Montana.

“The Bob Marshall really is a sacred place,” she said.

It’s impossible to meet these two without agreeing that they were made for only each other. Fate seems to have brought them together.

A native of New Zealand, Nemanja, 29, began exploring the world a little over a year ago when he sold his transport business in Auckland. Spending money mostly on airline tickets, he flew and hitchhiked across Southeast Asia and lived on Sumba, an island near Bali, before ending up in Montana on the way to Alaska.

In exchange for room and board, he volunteered at Walking Bear Ranch Organics in Whitefish where he met another volunteer — and kindred spirit — Jennifer. At 26, she had already traveled to every state except North and South Dakota, earned certifications in CrossFit training and spent countless hours beneath a backpack.

“I’d never met anyone like Jennifer,” Nemanja said in his distinctive accent.

She said neither of them was really looking for love when it found them. Three months later, they married on July 3 in a grassy field at Glen Lake near Eureka.

“We had like a native ceremony where we called the spirits,” Nemanja said.

Jennifer said they chose the Bob Marshall Wilderness for their honeymoon because they both enjoy backpacking and minimalist hiking. They outlined their trek with help from a retired ranger who had 30 years’ experience in the Bob.

“We went from the east side, so we started at Benchmark,” Jennifer said.

They hiked the Indian Creek trail to the Chinese Wall, then crossed Larch Hill Pass over the Continental Divide. From there, the couple followed the White River Trail south to the river’s confluence with the South Fork of the Flathead River, where they turned north to emerge at the Meadow Creek trailhead near Spotted Bear Ranger Station.

“It’s about 80 miles,” Nemanja said.

Armed with bear spray, a GPS unit, extra batteries and a large medical kit, the couple, lugging hefty backpacks, launched their honeymoon on Sept. 27 from the eastern edge of the wilderness.

To keep the weight to a minimum, the couple packed light rations such as organic bars, quinoa, split pea and curry-lentil dry soups and dehydrated fruit. Their backpacks included their own clothing and sleeping bags, while Nemanja carried the food and cooking equipment and Jennifer carried the tent and water filter.

Each day began with a small raw breakfast bar followed by an early lunch and early dinner. They finished their day by hiking to a campsite around 6 p.m. to set up before sundown at about 7:20 p.m.

“The first day was really nice,” Jennifer said. “We only went 9 miles because we arrived in Benchmark at noon.”

A memorable moment was an encounter with a black bear as they were walking out of a wooded area on Indian Creek Trail into a clearing. Nemanja was in front with the big can of bear spray when they noticed the young bear walking down a hill about 100 feet away.

Nemanja estimated the bear weighed about 250 pounds.

“I yelled, ‘Heh bear,’ but he couldn’t hear us” because of the wind, Nemanja said. “When I yelled a second time, he kind of looked at us and ran away towards the river.”

On the east side, they followed the Sun River. On the fourth, fifth and sixth days of their trek, the newlyweds paralleled the White River and the South Fork of the Flathead River.

“So those were our main water sources,” Jennifer said.

She and Nemanja were amazed at the multitude of creeks and rivers they encountered and the quality of the water. They were tempted to just drink it without filtering but never did.

“There were a lot of creeks and just beautiful, beautiful clean and very cold water that would come out of these rocks,” he said. “To tell you the truth, it was the nicest water that I ever drank in my life.”

Nemanja said they felt like the water really kept them going. Jennifer agreed.

“Mentally, it was really challenging, but the water, I think played a really huge part,” she said.

The first night was windy and punctuated by the sound of falling trees, so they didn’t chance lighting a fire. From the retired ranger, they had learned one was still smoldering near Salmon Lake, which was a factor in their route.

Nemanja said a major goal was to experience the Chinese Wall that runs along the Continental Divide. It consists of limestone reaching 1,000 feet.

“It runs for 23 miles north to south,” Nemanja said. “You can see it for miles. It’s absolutely amazing.”

Both were surprised that more people don’t backpack this route. Nemanja said outfitters they met said through backpacking was almost unheard of in this area, partly because of the dense forests and several river crossings.

“All the outfitters were just super stoked and amazed at what we were doing,” he said. “It was definitely a very challenging trip but very, very beautiful.”

Hardships included hiking combined with climbing. Jennifer said they gained 9,000 feet carrying backpacks of 40 and 50 pounds. Once on the trail, they were out of communication until they reached phone service at Spotted Bear Ranger Station.

“We didn’t see one person for three days,” Jennifer said.

On the east side, they had the mental and physical challenge of climbing the Larch Hill Pass over the Continental Divide. On the west side, the couple faced trails designed for horses, not backpackers, and rivers and creeks to cross without bridges or stones.

“There was no way to cross without taking off our shoes and socks and actually going into the water,” Jennifer said. “And this was the low season.”

Nemanja said it’s most likely only possible to do their route at the end of September with the water at its lowest. They admit they didn’t know that when they started.

“The first real crossing was day four,” he said. “By day four, Jennifer had blisters on her feet and some of them were pretty big. She had like 10 blisters per foot.”

After each river crossing, they had to thoroughly dry and bandage Jennifer’s feet.

The couple had new shoes, which they had tested on a hike in Two Medicine. Nemanja said the problem developed after the first blister when she began favoring the foot, in the process creating more blood blisters.

Their only bear encounter was on the first day, although they saw many grizzly tracks on the east side. The couple enjoyed watching families of mountain goats on the ridges, eagles soaring and fearless whitetail deer.

“The whole way from Bench Mark to Meadow Creek there were elk noises every day,” Nemanja said.

Jennifer said their next-to-last day was their most challenging. That’s when their GPS lost its signal, and they thought they lost the trail. They crossed a river four times before figuring out the trail was the rocks along the river.

When they arrived at their goal of the South Fork of the Flathead, they found a burned forest where camping was dangerous. They had to keep going even though it was getting dark and they sensed bears around every corner.

After 12 hours and 25 miles of walking, the newlyweds saw the light of Salmon Forks Outfitters camp, where owner Mark Moss offered them hospitality and entertained them with stories.

“They invited us for dinner, and it was smoked pork chops with sweet potatoes and a macaroni-and-cheese-type thing and chocolate cake,” Nemanja said. “It was really good to get that substance into us.”

The next morning, they walked 20 miles from 5:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on their home run along the South Fork of the Flathead River. They finished on day seven, a day early, inspired and determined to do the trip again someday.

“A lot of people go to Glacier Park, but the Bob Marshall is way more untamed and wild,” Nemanja said.

For their next adventure, the newlyweds want to travel to Alaska in the spring — unless they get hired for jobs they applied for as guides at a resort in Patagonia. They take with them honeymoon memories to last a lifetime.

Jennifer said the thing about the Bob Marshall was that it wasn’t a loop but a through hike, so they had no choice but to keep going. Together, they conquered all obstacles to share the exhilaration of exploring the wilderness.

“That’s one of the lessons in life — there are going to be challenges in married life,” Nemanja said. “You can’t circle around it; you’ve got to go through it.”

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.