Follow Strider's Rambles

Day 0

Wendy and I say goodbye to my parents, who have been our amazing hosts for the past week. Really amazing! Letting us assemble food boxes in the dining room and spread out gear, plus feeding us when we are too busy planning food to think about cooking it!

My sister picks us up and we travel north, stopping in Helena for groceries. Our next stop is in Augusta, to drop off a resupply box. We hand it over to a friendly man named John, who recently bought the Augusta RV park. He asks if we need advice and shows us pictures from a fishing trip in “The Bob”. In East Glacier, we stop at Looking Glass Basecamp Hostel to drop off two more resupply boxes. We observe a bunch of thru hikers. Then we are off again, taking a twisting scenic road that provides our first views of Glacier.

Soon we are in St. Mary, hurrying into the visitor center. Unfortunately, Todd can’t get us the permits that I want! He said last weekends’ snowstorm made a bunch of hikers get off trail then reserve sites needed by the next set of hikers. No way we can start tomorrow, possibly Sunday, if we do a short first day and long second day. He tells us to come back tomorrow morning.

A little dejected, we go to our St. Mary campground site. I find the hike/ bike site and ask the only thru hiker I see – AJ – if he has space on his permit. Nope, he’s already on a permit with three others, but we do have fun gabbing about trails we have hiked. Back at our site, I go online and reserve two Glacier campsites, GAB and POI, hoping that Todd can build off them tomorrow.

On her Coleman camp-stove, Jenessa cooks us an amazing dinner: grilled corn and burgers. We put the latter on buns, topping them with avocado and cheese. Delicious! Jenessa and I set up a gigantic four person tent, the luxury is fun. Wendy decides to sleep in her backpacking tent. My sister and I pour over backpacking maps, looking for a good hike tomorrow. Fairly early, we are all in bed.

Day 0.5

At 7:30 am, Wendy and I are the first ones in line when the visitor center opens. It’s a wise move because… using my two site permit, Todd adds every other site that I wanted! We now have an eight day itinerary through Glacier National Park! Next we sit through a 15 minute video on Grizzly bears and backcountry practices. There is a quiz, which we pass, and I text Jenessa that we are on our way back to camp. She greets us with hot off the griddle french toast and Beyond Meat sausages. Yum yum!

After we pack our campsite, we try driving to the Many Glacier Hotel. It is at capacity so we instead take the Going to the Sun road. I haven’t been on it since I was a little kid and have forgotten the scale, the road and vehicles tiny in comparison to vast mountains forever covered with glaciers. There are waterfalls everywhere! It rains and hails on us before we reach Logan Pass and begin to descend. Eventually the pines return and the landscape looks less forbidding.

Our chosen hike is the McDonald Falls trail. It is chill with a small amount of other hikers, especially after a rainstorm drives many away. The creek’s water has that lovely glacial blue tint and the falls thunder with joy. Further along we watch young Harlequin ducks play. They jump in the creek, ride it down to a rock, hop out, then fly back to the original rock and do it all again. It is cute and I think how my mom would enjoy the moment. I learn that my pack is not as waterproof as I expected; my wet puffy goes on the car dash to dry in the sun.

Rather than fighting park traffic, Jenessa drives us along Hwy 2 from West to East Glacier. We pick up groceries in the latter town and head to Duck Lake. The lake’s campsites are managed by the Blackfeet Nation. A grandmother and four kids in a tiny cabin check me in. Our site is wonderful, with aspens on either side, hiding the adjoining campsites. There is also easy lake access and a bright blue picnic table. The one pit toilet which all the campsites share is clean, well stocked, and fresh smelling.

Once again, Jenessa whips together a tasty meal. I savor the warm food and vegetables. Glacier is visible in the distance beyond the western edge of the lake, Chief Mountain jutting prominently into the sky.

Day 1

I wake from a wonderful night’s sleep to calm, the silence noticeable after the preceding two gusty days. We take our time. First there is hot coffee with milk. Then hash-browns with bell pepper, cheese, an egg, and avocado on top. Wendy and I pack our bear canisters into our packs. Mine standing upright on top of my sleeping system, clothing and my tent stuffed on the sides. It appears to work well.

It is only 20ish miles to the Chief Mountain terminus. We walk past the Canadian guard station and take photos at the border monument. I am so excited to be starting the Continental Divide Trail! My hang tag even has yellow CDT letters, my favorite color.

My sister joins us for the first 2.5 miles, which slope gradually downward. There are tons of wildflowers and we stop to use the Seek app on several. I like the Dr. Seuss looking one that is called Common Beargrass. In a picturesque meadow, Jenessa says goodbye and we exchange hugs. I so appreciate her company, driving us to the terminus, sticking around for an extra day when our plans were in flux, and filling us with delicious food. She is amazing!

Wendy and I leap frog with a couple who are doing a multi-day backpack along the Belly River. A group of four youngsters alerts us to the presence of a bear ahead. About where it was promised, we hear noises of an animal ripping into wood. All I see is a brown ear and bit of head poke out of the dense vegetation. We make noise and continue on while it does its bear thing. In the distance, wolves howl.

It is an easy six mile day. At 1 pm, we arrive at the GAB campsite. It is our first glimpse into Glacier wilderness site amenities. There is a dining area with wood benches and a bear hang wire. From it a trail leads to five campsites, all flat, and a privy. Wendy and I select the one furthest from the food area and water. Then we have the rest of the day to chill and explore the area.

A ranger comes by ~8:40 pm to check our permits. Wendy and I are both in our tents, however the ranger says it is worth getting up to check out the evening light on Gable Mountain. She is right, it is indeed stunning. We also get to pet a very friendly mule that belongs to the rangers.

Day 2

Our goal is to depart camp at 7 am and we are underway ten minutes before. The first 3.5 miles are fairly flat and lined with thimbleberry bushes so our pants get damp with dew. We cross a springy suspension bridge and pass Morning Mist Falls, which live up to their name. Then we walk through the campground at Elizabeth Lake’s foot.

I spend the remainder of the morning climbing Red Gap Pass. There are gorgeous views of Elizabeth and Helen Lakes plus glaciers on the peaks across the valley. The 2,600 foot ascent is gradual and I encounter no snow. At the top, I eat lunch, layout my solar panel, and wait for Wendy to catch up.

The descent is a mixture of red dirt and rocks with a nice view of Kennedy Lake. We stop to fill our bottles with ice cold snow melt water. After a series of switchbacks, the trail turns into a lovely meander that parallels Kennedy Creek. At Poia Lake, I watch ducks sail across its surface, dipping in search of food. Poia campground is on the far side. We nab the site at the far end of available sites.

Wendy is tired from the 13.7 mile day and climbs immediately into her tent. I eat dinner in the camp’s dining area, chatting with a Brazilian CDT hiker. Later, in my tent, I hear footsteps and think a ranger is coming to check our permits. I sit up and instead see a large brown bear padding past my tent. It continues up the trail which leads past the other three campsites. I tell Wendy and then make sure it didn’t go to the dining area. It is nowhere in sight.

Day 3

We allow ourselves a leisurely start, yet leave camp shortly past 7 am. It is sunny and we travel amongst tumbled rocks and yellow columbine flowers. Poia Lake’s outlet becomes a series of small falls. The hiking is pleasant and my mind wanders, until in a muddy spot I spy a Grizzly print. I stop for a snack and point it out to Wendy when she catches up.

At Swiftcurrent Ridge Lake, I hear splashing and quickly spot a bull moose walking along the lake’s edge. He is alternately munching on bushes and water plants. Wendy and I watch him for a while, until he leaves the lake and disappears into the forest.

A short while later, I hear cracking twig noises and spy an orange-brown bear butt moving amongst tall plants. I back up so that I don’t scare it away, wanting Wendy to see it. As I look back towards the clicking sound of her poles, a large brown bear emerges from the trees. It stares at me and I stare at it. For a moment, I am slightly nervous, realizing I am in between two bears, though they don’t appear together. Then Wendy’s approach startles the newer bear and it flees back into the woods. She gets to see the first bear’s rump and the second bear makes a reappearance, though far off and angling away from us.

My final animal sighting of the day is a mountain sheep. Around noon, we arrive at the Many Glacier hotel. Wendy and I set up our tents in the temporary campsite and put our food in the bear box. Then we head to the Swiss Lounge for a meal. I go all out veggie: a large salad with goat cheese plus a side of kale and bean soup. The rest of the day is a leisurely one, though I quickly get bored of civilization and flee outside.