Follow Strider's Rambles

Day 0

Wendy and I said goodbye to my parents, who were our patient, fabulous hosts for the past week! They let us assemble food boxes in the dining room and spread out gear, plus fed us when we were too busy planning food to think about cooking!

My sister picked us up and we traveled north, with a stop in Helena for groceries. Our next stop was in Augusta, to drop off a resupply box. We handed it over to a friendly man named John, who recently bought the Augusta RV park. He asked if we needed advice and showed us pictures from a fishing trip in “The Bob”. In East Glacier, we stopped at Looking Glass Basecamp Hostel to drop off two more resupply boxes. The hostel was full of thru hikers. Then we were off again, taking a twisting scenic road that provided our first views of Glacier.

When we arrived at St. Mary and hurried into the visitor center, Todd couldn’t get us my desired permit itinerary. He said last weekend’s snowstorm forced a bunch of hikers off trail, those hikers then reserved sites needed by the next set of hikers. There was no way we could start tomorrow, possibly Sunday, if we hiked a short first day and long second day. He told us to come back in the morning.

A little dejected, we went to our St. Mary campground site. I found the hike/ bike site and asked the only thru hiker I saw – AJ – if he had space on his permit. Nope, he was already on a permit with three others, but AJ and I did have fun gabbing about trails we had hiked. Back at our site, I went online and reserved two Glacier campsites, GAB and POI, with the hope that Todd could build off them tomorrow.

On her Coleman camp-stove, Jenessa cooked 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, taking advantage of the luxury provided by car camping. Wendy decided to sleep in her backpacking tent. My sister and I poured over backpacking maps to identify a good hike for tomorrow. Fairly early, we were all in bed.

Day 0.5

At 7:30 am, when the visitor center opened, Wendy and I were the first ones in line. It was a wise move because… using my two site permit, Todd added every other site that I wanted! We had an eight day itinerary through Glacier National Park! Next we sat through a 15 minute video on Grizzly bears and backcountry practices. There was a quiz, which we passed, and I texted Jenessa that we were on our way back to camp. She greeted us with hot off the griddle French toast and Beyond Meat sausages. Yum yum!

After we packed our campsite, we tried driving to the Many Glacier Hotel. It was at capacity so we instead took the Going to the Sun road. I had not been on it since I was a little kid and had forgotten the scale; the road and vehicles tiny in comparison to vast mountains forever covered with glaciers. There were waterfalls everywhere! It rained and hailed on us before we reached Logan Pass and began to descend. Eventually the pines returned and the landscape looked less forbidding.

Our chosen hike was the McDonald Falls trail. It was easy terrain with only a few other hikers, especially after a rainstorm drove many away. The creek’s water was that lovely glacial blue tint and the falls thundered with joy. Near the end of our route, we watched young Harlequin ducks play. They jumped in the creek, rode it down to a rock, hopped out, and flew back to the original rock to do it all again. It was cute and I thought how my mom would enjoy the moment. Back at the vehicle, my wet puffy went on the dash to dry in the sun; the rainstorm taught me that my pack was not as waterproof as expected.

Rather than fighting park traffic, Jenessa drove us along Hwy 2 from West to East Glacier. We picked up groceries in the latter town and headed to Duck Lake. The lake’s campsites are managed by the Blackfeet Nation. In a tiny cabin, a grandmother and four kids checked us in. Our site was great, aspens on either side hid the adjoining campsites. There was also easy lake access and a bright blue picnic table. All the campsites shared one pit toilet, which was clean, well stocked, and fresh smelling.

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

Day 1

I woke from a wonderful night’s sleep to calm, the silence noticeable after the preceding two gusty days. We took our time. Hot coffee with milk was followed by hash-browns with bell pepper and cheese, which we each topped with an egg and avocado. Wendy and I packed our bear canisters into our packs. I stood mine upright on top of my sleeping system, with clothing and my tent stuffed on the sides. It appeared to work well.

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

My sister joined us for the first 2.5 miles, which sloped gradually downward. There were tons of wildflowers and we stopped to use the Seek app on several. I liked the Dr. Seuss looking one that is called Common Beargrass. In a picturesque meadow, Jenessa said goodbye and we exchanged hugs. I so appreciated her company, the ride to the terminus, how she stuck around for an extra day when our plans were in flux, and that she filled us with delicious food. She is amazing!

After my sister departed, Wendy and I leap frogged with a couple who were doing a multi-day backpack along the Belly River. A group of four youngsters alerted us to the presence of a bear ahead. About where it was promised, we heard an animal ripping into wood. All I saw was a brown ear and bit of head poke out of the dense vegetation. We made noise and continued on while it did its bear thing. In the distance, wolves howled.

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

A ranger came by ~8:40 pm to check our permits. Wendy and I were both in our tents, however the ranger said it was worth getting up to check out the evening light on Gable Mountain. She was right, it was indeed stunning. We also got to pet a very friendly mule that belonged to the rangers.

Day 2

With a goal to depart camp at 7 am, we were underway ten minutes before. The first 3.5 miles were fairly flat and lined with thimbleberry bushes so our pants got damp with dew. We crossed a springy suspension bridge and passed Morning Mist Falls, which lived up to its name. Then we walked through the campground at Elizabeth Lake’s foot.

We spent the remainder of the morning climbing Red Gap Pass. There were gorgeous views of Elizabeth and Helen Lakes plus glaciers on the peaks across the valley. The 2,600 foot ascent was gradual and we encountered no snow on trail. At the top, I ate lunch, laid out my solar panel, and waited for Wendy to catch up.

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

Wendy was tired from the 13.7 mile day and climbed immediately into her tent. I ate dinner in the camp’s dining area, chatting with a Brazilian CDT hiker. Later, in my tent, I heard footsteps and thought a ranger was coming to check our permits. I sat up and instead saw a large brown bear padding past my tent. It continued up the trail which led past the other three campsites. I told Wendy and then followed it to make sure it didn’t go to the dining area. It was nowhere in sight.

Day 3

We allowed ourselves a leisurely start and still left camp shortly past 7 am. It was sunny; we travelled amongst tumbled rocks and yellow columbine flowers. Poia Lake’s outlet became a series of small falls. The hiking was pleasant and my mind wandered, until in a muddy spot I spied a Grizzly print. I stopped for a snack and pointed it out to Wendy.

At Swiftcurrent Ridge Lake, I heard splashing and spotted a bull moose walking along the lake’s edge. He was alternately munching on bushes and water plants. Wendy and I watched him for a while, until he left the lake and disappeared into the forest.

A short while later, I heard cracking twig noises and spotted an orange-brown bear butt moving amongst tall plants. I backed up so that I didn’t scare it away. I wanted Wendy to see it. As I look back towards the clicking sound of her poles, a large brown bear emerged from the trees. It stared at me and I stared at it. For a moment, I was slightly nervous, realizing I was in between two bears, though they didn’t appear to be related. Then Wendy’s approach startled the newer bear and it fled back into the woods. She got to see the first bear’s rump and the second bear made a reappearance, though far off and angling away from us.

My final animal sighting of the day was a mountain sheep. Around noon, we arrived 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 headed to the Swiss Lounge for a meal. I went all out veggie: a large salad with goat cheese plus a side of kale and bean soup. The rest of the day was a leisurely one, though I quickly got bored of civilization and fled outside.