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Coastal North Carolina is hot in August. Unbearingly hot, too hot to work or play. If you remember from our last adventure (Grand Canyon 2009), we met up with some river rafters from Montana who took us down river to Phantom Ranch. Encouraged by our new-found friends to experience Montana's vast wilderness, we hopped the train to Whitefish. Our goal: to explore Montana via Glacier National Park, and do some river rafting and canoeing. Never a better time than now.
If you don't read the whole thing, read August 25 for a typical day at Glacier. Photos are posted here for your viewing pleasure!
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Following Lewis and Clark on the Missouri River |
Glacier National Park |
“Montana is where the Midwest's rolling grasslands meets the Rocky Mountains, meets the Great White North.” -Bob
August 01, 2009 – Oriental to Oregon Inlet Campground
We packed up and headed out, destination: Montana. But to get there we had to make it to Rocky Mount. We had a couple days to spare, and couldn't bare waiting them out in Oriental, so we headed to NC's Outer Banks. Why not? I misread the ferry schedule so the trip to Ocracoke via ferry turned into a drive to Oregon Inlet via Roanoke Island. We attended the ranger talk at Roanoke Island, site of the Lost Colony, an English colony that mysteriously disappeared in the 1500s. The story of the Lost Colony is the fascinating story of John White who started the colony in 1537 with members of his own family, and his struggles to keep the colony alive after leaving for supplies and not being able to make it back to the island for three years. He kept getting on boats bound for England or when in England, bound for America, but once on the boat the crew were more interested in privateering (pirating for the Queen) than the destination, so White often ended back at his starting point due to weather and other mishaps, his family starving in the mean-time. When he did finally make it back, the colony had disappeared, with only a word “croatan” left on a marker. The Croatan were one of the local indian tribes. Did the members of the colony go live with these people? At any rate, the story of the Lost Colony is a fascinating story about a man in a place in time. These are our thoughts about Roanoke: 1. It is important to note the story of the Lost Colony as one of many lost groups of people during the colonization of America. This group of some 100 Englishmen and women disappeared, but also a ship of some 500 slaves African and Turkish landed and disappeared in this area around the same time. Where did these 500 people go? My guess is that they ran for their freedom, inland, to the mountains of NC maybe? In a private discussion, after the presentation, the ranger, who was African American, expressed her personal observation that some of the American Indian tribes have rather negroid features. 2. Why is the history of the English colony the one we talk about? Most likely due to the written accounts left about this, did the 500 slaves leave any records? This brings to light a) the significance of oral histories and b) the importance of journal/record keeping.
After our visit to Roanoke, we headed down the road to the Oregon inlet campground, nestled behind the dunes, the Atlantic Ocean breaking into waves on the other side. A walk along the beach revealed flocks of Pelicans (How long do birds stay in the same flock?), a pod of dolphins, sandpipers running from the surf, cheery beach combers, rednecks getting their trucks stuck in the sand and a complete rainbow. We dined on a gourmet dinner of fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, melon, hummus, crackers, and local organic salad greens, and finished with Mayan Gold chocolate. Life is good.
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Canoeing the White Cliffs of the "Big Muddy" |
August 8, 2009 – The White Cliffs of the Upper Missouri River, Montana
Well, we made the train and the journey from Rocky Mount to DC, DC to Chicago, and Chicago to Whitefish, MT, outside Glacier National Park, where we were reunited with our river rafting friends. I didn't write about our trip across country, so now we jump to our first adventure in Montana.
On the Lewis and Clark Trail – Oooh, exciting!
Yesterday we decided to canoe part of the Lewis and Clark trail from Coal Landing to Judith Creek. We had been reading “Undaunted Courage,” the story of Meriwether Lewis, and decided we had to do some Lewis and Clark adventuring while in Montana. Our friend Dan from Kalispell, graciously drove us the 4 hours to the put in. We rented a canoe from the Missouri River Canoe company in Virgelle, MT, at the end of a dirt road. The gift shop was full of antique treasures, we wished we had more time to investigate. The weather was partly cloudy, warm, and gorgeous. The Big Muddy, as the Missouri is known, is a lazy river, we hardly needed to paddle our red 17 foot Mad River Canoe. It didn't take long to spot a family of deer, 2 bald eagles, 3 white pelicans, many large fish eating nymphs near shore, and a gazillion song birds and cows (what Bob calls, slow Elk). This is one special place. The climate keeps people in check and nature abounds with wildlife. The White Cliffs of volcanic tuff create a stunning contrast to the greys and greens of the rolling grasses and range land. Lewis was taken aback by this geology, so am I. We camped at a Lewis and Clark campsite with only 1 other canoe. Tomorrow we explore the area on foot and float some more – Yippee!
August 9, 2009 – Black Butte
Mostly sunny, warm, in the 80s. Rain squall during dinner. A pink sunset.
We awoke to a golden sunny day. Explored the Lewis and Clark (L&C) camp at Eagle River. While hiking we saw a petroglyph horse, wormed our way up the sandstone narrows, hoodoos, and spires of Neat Coulee (or was it cool coulee). After lunch, we were back in the canoe, relaxing while the current took us past the fantastic white cliffs and Shonkee igneous dikes (they were angry dikes) and volcanic plugs that popped out of the rolling sagebrush-covered hills. Saw deer, duck, geese, storks, pelicans, heard the lonesome call of coyotes and had a close call with an adolescent rattler – Yikes! The view of the river from our cottonwood-lined camp is incredible – arguably different from when L&C came through 200 years ago, but still incredible with a sense of wilderness and the abundant wildlife seem so at home here, well they are at home here. We've had two 15-mile days, we'll try to make Judith by Tuesday night so that we have all day Wednesday to try to hitchhike back to Glacier National Park.
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Shonkee Igneous Dikes on the Missouri |
Sailing the Canoe with Lewis and Clark |
August 10, 2009 – Past “The Wall” Camp to someplace in the BLM lands
Sunny, clear, hot. Awoke to a clear blue sky – perfect bathing weather. The splash was refreshing, then we hung our laundry out to dry, and ate our fave backcountry breakfast: oatmeal with granola and powdered goat milk. Though these cows could probably be milked - I think they are all paired mothers with calf. That would be a new backcountry experience, fresh cow's milk.
After getting packed we took a stroll to the “geologic wonders” - white sandstone formation overlooking camp. We scampered about on the slickrock and then perched ourselves atop an overlook – observing and contemplating. I could hear Lewis giggling as he made his exploration of the area. Bob said, “Montana is where the Midwest's rolling grasslands meets the Rocky Mountains, meets the Great White North.” It's true, the ecological diversity here is rare, we saw a Bald Eagle, a nest with baby eagles, a Golden Eagle, plenty ducks, Pelicans, Turtles, the book says 230 some bird species, 30 some amphibians, 60 mammals all call this area home at some point of their year. Wow! Lewis and Clark said they saw the remnants of many Indian camps (one with 150 fire rings) along the banks of the section of the Missouri that we floated today. The area has always been a meeting place and people still maintain temporary camps here (like us and the other campers).
During lunch, we were sitting on a boulder, and I flicked a spider off the food bag and into the water on the edge of some willows and reeds. We watched his acrobatics as he swam from the willow leaves to blades of grass, but he was trapped with no bridge to get him to safety on shore. No matter how the wind blew the blades around, the spider was stuck. Feeling guilty for putting him in this predicament, I tossed some reeds and leaves in the water, creating a bridge. He eventually found the way to terra firma.
This area is steeped in history and the stories of crazy adventurers. Today, we passed an island where back in the early 1900s, one of the steamships bound west to gather animal skins and other trade goods got shipwrecked on a gravel bar. The crew mutinied and sent the captain downstream in a dinghy then proceeded to party until the whiskey ran dry.
We also went by Slaughter River, where L&C saw the remnants of a great buffalo kill. The Indians, I'm not sure which tribe, had a system of hunting where one guy would dress in a buffalo suit, and stand in front of the herd while the others would get behind the herd of buffalo, round them up and scare them into a chase. They would follow the Indian in the suit to a cliff, where he would sneak over, the buffalo plunging to their deaths.
We also watched 3 cows walk off an island and cross the river through deep waters to feed their crying calves. They were on the island because the grass was better there, but the water was too deep for the calves to cross. Tough love.
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A Nice Campspot on the Missouri River, MT |
August 11, 2009 – Judith River Campground
Sunny, clear, hot, just like yesterday. As I write, as small Pale Morning Dunn (mayfly) rides on my index finger. We took a hike to the top of some bluffs this morning. Saw 2 sleeping rattlers, needless to say we walked slowly, thrashing the tall grass and tapping the ground with a stick as we made our way up the sagebrush and sedge-covered hills. Found a sculpted outcropping of White Eagle Sandstone and sat on a ledge to watch Pelicans, kayaks, and canoes float past 1000 feet below us on the Big Muddy. Explored 1 mile up the Judith River, paddling upstream past the skeleton of a fallen cottonwood to a thriving cottonwood that blocked the river. The Judith River was a famous trapping area often talked about in mountain-men movies, like Jeremiah Johnson.
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Bob squeezing through Neat Coulee |
Slow Elk Graze Along the Missouri River |
August 12, 2009 – On the Road – Happy Birthday Molly
Partly cloudy, hot, beautiful. It was a crisp morning as we packed up camp, ate granola, filtered some water and headed out of camp and onto the road. The canoe company will take care of the transportation of the boat, we are going to try to hitchhike either to Kalispell or at least to Havre, where we hope to catch the 3:00pm train west. We are stationed on route 236, which is an improved gravel road, where 1 car passes every 45 minutes, 1 of 3 are going our direction. These are not good odds for the hitchhiker. We are in farm country, a farmer is hard at work in his fields which lay on about a 15ｰ slope, his rows of golden wheat and scattered bales contrast with the green cottonwoods that line the river under the big blue sky. And it is a beautiful scene.
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A Friendly Dragonfly Landed on Bob's Toe |
Last night the mayflies were emerging into their adult cycle by the zillions. The would land, then do a little humpy dance, then their backs would pop out the skin, followed by wings and then they'd take flight, bouncing up and down until at last, the shell would drop off. All over the river and on our picnic table, their shells were everywhere, including our stew. The next morning the river was white with the remnants of the great emergence. Never had I seen such a site.
They say this area hasn't changed much sine L&C. We could argue that it has: L&C saw no farms, telephone poles, vault toilets, cattle. But respectively speaking, I guess the White Cliffs of the Missouri has changed the least out of all 8000 miles of their journey. Bob wondered if that was because of the desert environment, which changes slower when compared to the more humid climates. The statement about this area being unchanged since L&C, I think refers to the human impacts and changes. It is because of the killer MT winters that keep the population in balance here, thus giving nature room to thrive. A good point about the desert though, I bet the desert Southwest looks nearly the same as it did 200 years ago. How many 100s of years have these places looked the same?
So here we sit, baking alongside the road, thumbs out, asking for a ride. A fellow camper picked us up and gave us a ride to Big Sandy where 2 hours later, a college kid took us north 30 miles to Havre. We decided to try our luck with hitchhiking to Kalispell, and would stop in time to walk to the train if we had to. After a couple of hours of large vehicles passing us by – why didn't they stop? We hoofed it the 2 mile to the train station, all our gear on our backs. It was a fun ride on Amtrak, chatting with folks, and we celebrated my birthday with shots of Jack Daniels and a chocolate chip cookie.
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Typical Scene at White Cliffs of the Missouri |
The Birds Were Here |
August 14, 2009 – Larry and Callie's Cabin, Essex, MT
Wow! We are so fortunate, here we sit in this quaint cozy cabin in the woods with views of pine-covered mountains shrouded in mist and rain while the warm fire warms us. We watch Planet Earth movies and I help Larry and Callie clean out their fridge by making a pot of SW chicken and bean soup. How did we end up here? A series of good choices, taking risks,, fate maybe or simply by following our bliss. How we met the Montanans and ended up on this adventure is an epic story that I'm sure is far from over. Tomorrow we start our great journey through Glacier National Park.
August 15, 2009 – Day 1 – Park Creek Campground – 8.1 miles
Rainy and cool. “Hey Bear!” That was the phrase of the day as we walked from pine-covered Scalplock Mountain above the middle Fork of the Flathead River to Park Creek, a shallow, meandering 20ft-wide river. It was really raining as we reached camp, 8.1 miles from Larry and Callie's cabin. We found the food prep area, hung our food, then set up our tent. I rested my vocal chords from announcing my presence every 15 seconds along our 4 hour hike. Being noisy while hiking in Grizzly country is a survival tactic, the bears want to avoid you as much as you do them. Unfortunately, it scares away other forms of wildlife. After lunch Bob unsuccessfully tried to start a fire. I've never seen him give up on starting a fire, but everything was wet and it was rainy and we had no tender. We decided to get warm back at the tent. We discovered our pants were wet under the rain gear, hmmm. But we managed to hang things and get warm and dry. We promptly fell asleep for what could have been a couple hours. It had stopped raining when we awoke, so we had dinner. Some other campers came in – 4 kids from Chicago on their annual backpacking trip. We had a sip of their whiskey, took a short walk, and off to bed we were as the final light hit the tree tops. The air is sweet with the smell of pine and some yet to be identified fragrant plant that smells of fresh cottoncandy. Tomorrow we hike to Upper Park Creek.
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Upper Park Creek - Glacier National Park |
August 16, 2009 – Day 2 – Upper Park Creek CG – 8 miles
Mostly cloudy, periods of rain, a few moments of glorious sunshine. We were able to get breakfast and mostly packed before the rain came. But we were able to duck under a tree here and there, so we stayed out of the rain. We took our time along the trail, stopping more than yesterday. We saw fresh bear tracks!!! Luckily, no bear-our yelling is effective. Our calls of “Hey Bear” became louder after we spotted the tracks. I changed it up a bit today and did some singing, improvised beat-boxing, and a narration of the hike. It was fun – my vocal chords aren't used to this workout. We got deeper into the woods. Heard the call of wolves! We are hiking in a valley, the scenery is much like Gran Canyon , but wetter with trees and awesome foliage. One of my favorite growing things was the tree stumps covered in moss and lichens with grasses growing out of the top – like a buzz haircut. This is the semi-rainforest side of the Park, and the backdoor so-to-speak to the high-mountain lakes and glaciers on the other side of Two Medicine Pass. Bob got a fire going, he wasn't about to be beat, he collected tender and fire wood all day. It warmed the soul and it dried out some things. Tomorrow is a big day on the trail.
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Hiking over Two Medicine Pass |
Wildflowers on top of the Pass |
August 17, 2009 – Day 3 – Two Medicine CG – 12 miles
Partly cloudy, sunny, windy. We started the day with our standard “good morning uphill.” About 3000 feet of it over Two Medicine Pass. We climbed out of the “rainforest” to where the lodgepole pine get short. Actually we walked through a forest fire area so there was mostly understory plants, which in this part of the woods consists of moisture-loving Thimbleberry, grasses, and Huckleberries. The highlight was picking and eating the dew-covered Hucks. Yum Yum We had breathtaking views of Lake Isabel and a smaller unnamed lake that fed into Park Creek. We finally made it to the top of the pass, just 4 miles later, and peered down at Two Medicine Lake and the eastern prairie extending into eternity, or at least Illinois. The view looking back at the Park Creek drainage and mountains beyond (in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area) were spectacular. I may know now how Lewis and Clark felt as they climbed their first mountain pass and into the vast Rocky Mountains. We received a thorough thrashing for the next 2 miles as we walked along the continental divide – the wind was whipping, trying to blow us off the trail. We finally crossed over and walked down through the sparse Douglas Fir – it is much drier east of the continental divide. We were very hungry and in need of a break as we passed Cobalt Lake CG and a few day hikers. We found some rocks on the trail to eat lunch on. We didn't care that people had to march through, we needed reprieve. Our tootsies were feeling the burn from being wet and soggy for 2 days. Feeling renewed, we headed down the trail for part 2 of the hike to the established front-country Two Medicine Campground. It was another one of those hikes where after struggling in the wild backcounty, we found ourselves thrust into civilization, a well-maintained trail, clueless day hikers ( who often don't take the time to see the beauty of the landscape or don't appreciate it) and we feel silly with all our rugged gear in such a place. But the sights along the trail make up for its social shortcomings. There were expansive views of Two Medicine Lake, magnificent waterfalls that curled around limestone grottoes in a series of 20-70 foot free-falls and forested paths. The sun was shining , the sky was blue, and the forest was carpeted with wildflowers. Bob said, “Where's the lake and where's the moose?” Just then, a break in the trees revealed the Two Med lake and a female moose feeding along its banks! Six miles later and what seemed like an instant, we were on pavement looking out at the lake with the backdrop of Two Med Pass that we had just climbed over. Absolutely breathtaking. We passed a gorgeous wooden tour boat with a workshop and house located at the lake, and wanted to move right on in; we could maintain that wooden boat and give tours. The view was so amazing that we wanted to stay forever. We limped to the camp store, purchased some cookies and beer (a local-brew called “Trout Slayer”), then wobbled to the campground as the sun dipped below the horizon. Tomorrow we alter our plans to cut out the 15 and 19 mile days – we gotta make time to fish!
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Waterfalls Flowing Down from Two Medicine Pass |
Waterfalls near Two Medicine |
August 18, 2009 – Day 4 – No Name Lake – 5.6 miles
We must have slept in, by the time we got to the ranger station after breakfast, it was noon. We needed the sleep after yesterday's long day. The ranger was super accommodating with our changes. These changes to our permit were spurred by a closure in the middle of our route that would have forced us to do a “death march” style day. We decided to go to No Name Lake, a few miles up from Two-Med then come back down to spend another day at Two Medicine, then hitchike up and over to Many Glacier campground and do a hike to Poia Lake, fish some, then continue on the “loop” as our permit states. This change will cut out a few 15 mile day “death marches” over mountain passes, and will allow us to hang out and smell the roses.
While in the backcountry office, two hikers came in telling the story of a grizzly killing near Old Man Lake. The grizzly that was targeted was the reason for the trail closure that we had to bypass. These hikers witnessed the killing by National Park Service Grizzly Patrol, tranquilizing and evacuation of the a grizzly sow and her 2 yearlings. This family of bears had been hanging around the Morning Star/Atlantic Creek trail and had been causing trouble with hikers for a few years. I guess the sow had learned that if she scares hikers, they will drop their packs, and she will get food. Smart animal, but it led to her demise. The park had planned to evac the cubs to the Bob Marshall Wilderness area or a zoo, but unfortunately one of the cubs was killed in the process. We later learned that the remaining cub was shipped to a zoo. This is a sad incident that shows how the popularity of Glacier National Park has hurt local wildlife. If folks were good about hanging food, being loud on the trail, and using bear spray, maybe this sow and her cubs would still be roaming the earth. The incident spurs discussion of the positives and negatives of National Parks and people's roles in the wilderness.
Our hike to No Name Lake began with a stroll by Two Med Lake, then up through pine and berries to one of Glacier's pristine and beautiful high mountain lakes. The lake nestled between the tall cliffs of Pumpbelly Point and Dawson's Pass in a bed of limber pine and wildflowers. We camped with a young couple from San Francisco who couldn't have been more compatible site-mates. They were on an extended adventure like ourselves, and had rented an apartment in Whitefish for a couple months to explore Montana. We watched for moose, scanned cliffs with their binoculars, and ate chocolate with them. We could have easily continued hiking with these folks and become good friends, but respecting anonymity, left without their contact info.We went to bed by 9:00pm when the sky was losing its last bit of blue.
August 19, 2009 – Day 5 – Two Medicine Lake – 5.6 miles
The sun had just turned the cliffs around No Name a bright vermillion when we awoke from our peaceful slumber. I was inspired to fish after a discussion from the night before. The sun peaked back into our corner and onto the lake as I tossed my first cast in years out on the water. I was fishing a small Royal Coachman as small Caddisfly bounced along the surface of the water, laying eggs. I could hear a moose munching away on the opposite shore of the lake when I saw a trout rise. I made a couple good casts in that directions, then -WHAMO, I hooked one. It was a beautiful 7-inch Brooke Trout. Bob came over not too soon afterward saying he had spotted 3 moose. We awoke our site mates and went on a nature walk. We soon found 2 male moose (one with a HUGE Bullwinkle-style rack) munching in the woodlands. We then went back to the beach for some more fishing, but we mostly fished my fly out of a nearby tree. We said goodbye to our friends, Jimmy and Meghan as they went up and over the pass and we headed back down to Two Med. We made a bad decision at the bottom to see some waterfalls, and ended up in a throng of tourists who had recently embarked from the wooden tour boat. Scary! We quickly changed course for the North Lake Trail and searched for a secluded spot for lunch. We eventually found a dry creek which we followed in hopes to find a secluded spot near the lake. What we found was at that moment, perfect. We swam, which refreshed our stinky hiker selves, and laid on the sun-warmed smooth pebble beach, ate pecans, dates, Parmesan, salami, and chocolate; and basked in the knowledge that nature is magnificently beautiful. Bob ended up catching a nice 14 inch Brown Trout as we fished away the afternoon. Tomorrow we hitchhike to Many Glacier and up to Poai Lake – hopefully more fishing to come, we've got fish fever!
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Views from Two Medicine Lake - Glacier National Park |
August 20 – Day 6 – Poai Lake – 4.5 miles
We found ourselves back in the permit office in the morning. We were trying to wade through how to camp at Many Glacier. Yesterday, the ranger informed us that she could squeeze us in, but to return in the morning to get our permit. To make a long story short, we left the office feeling frustrated and confused when a new ranger didn't like yesterday's ranger's plans, but we did get a permit for an “undesignated” spot. Dealing with National Park bureaucracy is extra frustrating now, when we've come to Montana to escape politics. We realize permitting is necessary in such a popular place, but the system seams very disorganized. Hitchhiking to Many Glacier went fine, though it took awhile to get out of Two Medicine. We finally found ourselves in the back of a pickup full of RVers on a day trip. These two elderly couples were so thoughtful, and the views of the Glacier where breathtaking, it was a good ride. We treated ourselves to a buffalo burger at the gas station cafe, and hitched a ride in an empty red bus or Jammer with its convertible top – we were stylin! The Jammers are historic vehicles recently renovated by the Ford motor company for Glacier and run on alternative fuel. It costs near $100 to get a ride, and we sat in luxury, our fee was listening to the driver's tall-tales. The best one was the story of a Mountain Goat that had walked up to the roof of one of the lodges by way of a snow drift, and found himself inside the hotel when he fell through a skylight. The driver dropped us off at the cutoff trail, a short cut to Poai Lake. It went up, straight up: 1500 feet in 1 mile. It was tough for us, not being in “Grand Canyon” shape. We stopped at the top, contemplating changing our itinerary for the next two weeks. Then we ratcheted on our bonnets and decided to stick to our original plan. We were able to think it through and deal with the psychological BS of not being quite in shape. It was only a matter of time before the going got easier as we got broken in. Back on the trail, we wound around to Poia, a busy camp on a beautiful lake. All types of birds were swimming around – even a pair of Swans! We enjoyed our evening gazing at the lake and mountains beyond. There was a family from Seattle camping with us who had a Svea stove. Bob swears by his Svea, and the Dad and him soon hit if off. Tomorrow we try to get a spot at the “undesignated” camp ground - whatever that means - at Many Glacier.
August 21 – Day 7 – Many Glacier Campground – 7 miles
The sunrise on the lake with the glaciers on the hills beyond reflecting the sun's rays made for a lovely morning. We sat by the lake as 2 swans flew in, casting a magical spell on us. Then we were quick to pack up and head out. It was a lovely walk: perfect weather, the meadows we passed through were full of flowers: the reds and oranges of Indian Paintbrush, pink, purple and white Aster joined the Aspen, Engelmann Spruce, and Douglas Fir. It was sunny; we had a lovely shower on the trail, which made for nice walking. We didn't bother to put on our raingear, as it cooled us off, cleared out, and we were soon dry. We were in camp before noon. It was easy to find a spot, then we ate lunch, took a much needed shower, and did a load of laundry. Civilization is good for some things! Though a skinny dip in a secluded lake is just as good as a hot shower. We had made plans with our Montana friends to meet and go on a dayhike tomorrow. Good stuff. Oh, and we finally ate some Thimbleberries- ooo,ahhh,yummy!. We looked them up in the Park Store “library” at Two-Med. We never eat anything that we haven't positively identified as being safe. We camped with a couple French dudes who were doing the Continental Divide Trail – doing 20 mile days with very light packs. They had trained for the trip, one in the Pyranees, one in the Amazon jungle where he lives. The jungle Frenchee had put the trip together, he was outgoing with wild hair and had the wild-eyed look of a true adventurer. We chatted into the night, topics ranging from backpacking to grizzly bears, and living on deserted islands in the Caribbean.
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The Svea Stove Dorks, I mean Campers |
Hiking the Trail to Poai Lake |
August 22 – Day 8 – Hike to Cracker Lake – 12 miles
It was a sunny, warm morning. Perfect hiking weather. Bob had told the wild-eyed Frenchman about a trick we Canyon hikers like to play on each other, involving rocks and your hiking mates backpack. Just as these guys were packing up, I heard some exclamations in French, and turned around to see one guy digging large rocks from his pack, and the wild guy doubled over with laughter. Bob was unfortunately not there (he must have been pooping – which is where he says I am when I can't be found), but when I told him about the incident, he laughed so hard he cried.
Our friends Jeff and Larry came up to dayhike with us to Cracker Lake. We were really excited about this, they were wells of Glacier knowledge that we planned to tap. When in the Grand Canyon, we acted as guides as Larry and Jeff rowed us down the river, it was now their turn to do the talking.. Along the way, we learned about many of Glaciers plants through our taste buds. We tasted the leaves of fire weed, so-called by Lewis and Clark who came upon them during the season that they turn the high-plains prairie bright red, identified Pussy Toes, Moss Campion, Elderberry – makes great wine, Annisette – makes a wonderful licorice-flavored tea, Yarrow – known for its extensive medicinal properties, Serviceberry, sub-alpine fir, red-eyed Susans, various lilies, and Arnica and Rose Hips – both good for tea. Larry and Jeff also informed us that the sweet cottoncandy smell was indeed the Thimbleberry bushes baking in the sun. We hiked up and back to another gem of Glacier's high mountain lakes. This one was colored turquoise from the Glacier Milch, which is a colloidal suspension of limestone talc. The color combined with the blue sky, green grass, red rocks and yellow flowers made for a feast of color for the eyes. There was a bull moose wading on the opposite bank of the lake. It was a good day, a good hike. We returned to camp where I did a little fishing for Brooke Trout and Jeff cooked us up a phat spaghetti dinner. Nice.
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The Hypnotic Blue of Cracker Lake |
Thimbleberries as Sweet as Cottoncandy |
August 23 – Day 9 – Elizabeth Lake – 10.1 miles
Warm, partly cloudy, breezy. Jeff make us hashbrowns, sausage, and eggs for breakfast. Filled up, we hit the trail – going up! It was 2700 ft vertical to Ptarmigan Tunnel, a hole blasted out of the rock to allow hikers to pass, it was a lot like the tunnel before the Black Bridge at Phantom Ranch, Grand Canyon. Along the way were meadows of flowers, 3 large waterfalls, an alpine lake with views of peaks and glaciers. We ate some Hucks and gathered Annisette for tea. On the other side of the tunnel, the bottom dropped out, reveling a few long ledgy switchbacks that led to the stunning Belly River Valley. Then we hiked down 2700 feet to Elizabeth Lake. It was a great hike. At lunch, I was peeing on the trail when a large group of men came around the corner, and as it happens, we are camping with them tonight! I can be such a dumb-ass at times. Oh, well, lesson learned, find seclusion when peeing. The Svea family from Poai Lake was camping with us as well; it was good to catch up. I went swimming and Bob did some fishing before we dined on refried beans and rice slop. It was an early retirement, our legs enjoying the rest after 2 consecutive long days (my earlier Grand Canyon guide self would laugh at that statement, we often had 2 consecutive long months on the trail during tourist season.) Tomorrow, more of Belly River Valley exploration as we move camp to Glenns Lake for 2 days. The long days make for nice walking, allowing for leisurely walks, long mid-day explorations and breaks to enjoy the area before making camp. Sun up 6:30 am, sun down 9:00pm.
August 24 – Day 10 – Glenns Lake – 8 miles
Sunny, warm, breezy. Great hiking weather, again. We munched thimble berries and basked in the sun by the Dawn Mist Falls and Cosly Lake, taking it easy as we went. We are feeling a bit cramped by the other hikers and the communal aspect of the campgrounds. Because of bears, campers have to hang food and eat food together. Tent spots are often near one-another as well. So we schedule ourselves according to our desire for solitude: we pack up quick and hike slow, keeping campground time to a minimum. The company at camp sucks in a way, but at least we're in the woods with total access to them, and not looking at condos, cabins,strip malls, and keep out private property signs along the banks of these beautiful lakes – which could have easily happened if it weren't for the NPS. We can always hike where there are no people, like the Bob Marshall Wilderness or deep into Grand Canyon. The more people who have a love of the wild, the better and what better way for us to gain an appreciation than to experience it.
We have come up with a game as we hike, scoring points for interesting occurrences, with a sliding point scale, decided upon the occurrence. So far the group score is +505 points, here is the play-by-play:
-1000 for Molly getting caught peeing.
+500 for the guy with the Svea
+500 x 3 = +1500 for spotting the blond “Leprichan Buddha,” a hiker that we keep running into.
+5 for camping with the same 3 guys at Many and Glens Lake. +2 points for their Knob Creek Whiskey.
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View from Ptarmigan Tunnel |
Dawn Mist Falls |
August 25 – Day 11- Glen Lake and Day Hikes – 5 miles
Windy, mostly sunny, warm. Perfect, again. We were up early, had some granola, grabbed our fishing rods, and hit the creek. It wasn't long before we got into some eager Brookies, who just loved our caddis. We leap-frogged from hole to hole, waterfall to waterfall, in what could be classified as a perfect day of fishing. We went back to camp for lunch, then back out and up to Mokowanis Lake, following Mokowanis Creek. The lake was teal, surrounded by peaks, and tucked up in an alpine basin in typical Glacier fashion, with a large waterfall roaring down the southern face of the pine-covered cliff, one mile in the back-ground. The falls coming from one of a series of lakes reached another couple of miles back, in a succession of alpine basins to the base of a glacier-covered peak. Meanwhile the Mokowanis Lake slurps between those waterfalls on the far horizon and the sun-covered cliff that I sit upon, 15 feet up. Jays fly past, Loons bob for fish, and all that is heard besides the slurping lake is the sound of the wind whipping through the trees, making rivulets across the teal waters, scattering clouds of mist from the waterfall. I'm going to go fish for more Brookies.
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Lake Mookowanis with Waterfalls in Background |
Molly Casting at Lake Mookowanis |
August 26 – Day 12 – Kootenai Lake – 11.7 miles
Warm, sunny, clouds moving in, breezy. Civil twilight at 645 am, ends 903 pm. Today's hike was off the hook. We awoke and packed up, getting on the trail by 715am. The first part of our hike took us up and over Stoney Indian Pass (named for a band of Assibone Sioux, pronounced ass-ee-bone-ee , Bob had a saying, “Stoney Indian Pass, Run off Cliff.”) This pass took us up 1000 feet and past 3 large 150 foot waterfalls, the trail curling around them in the Thimbleberry, Huckleberry, Raspberry- covered slopes. At the top of the falls, we wound around 2 high alpine lakes with sub-alpine firs and all our favorite berries. We gathered some Annissete for tea. The cirque we found ourselves in was one level short of the top level, the cliffs and waterfalls all around us, views of Glenns and Cosley Lakes in the valley below. We climbed another 1000 feet to Stoney Indian Pass with Stoney Indian Lake below us (and we were greeted by the sounds of chainsaws from the trail crew, though we are thankful to have maintained trails.) We picnicked at the top – it was lovely. And we discussed glaciers: the rate at which they melt and disappear – which had been happening since the last ice age 10,000 years ago. Though it is sad the rate at which they've recently been disappearing, forecast to be completely gone within my lifetime. What factors determine if a patch of snow is a glacier, do the San Francisco Peaks of Flagstaff have a glacier in their back bowl? We hiked down the wildflower covered hills into the dwarf sub-alpine fir forest, past smaller trickle waterfalls to the lake below, which we skirted around, feeling as if we were walking on water – the trail just a couple feet from the lake's edge, at the base of a cliff. We past the trail crew, the campground at Stoney Indian, and started our descent to Kootenai Creek Valley, the trail winding its way through fields of berries, along Stoney Indian Creek, waterfall after waterfall for a couple of miles with views of the mountains, jagged ridges in from of Kootenai lake. We reached the base of the hill and a sign that said we had traveled 8.7 miles. We were having so much fun and the views were so spectacular that we hadn't realized we had come so far. It was only a couple of miles to camp from here. We arrived to see 3 huge moose munching on algae or grass in the lake, their heads would be under water for a minute, then they'd lift them and the water would cascade down their racks. Wow!
Unfortunately all the good lake-front camps were taken and we got stuck back in the woods, next to the pit toilet, but we spent the rest of the daylight hours at the lake, swimming, fishing, watching moose eat, the moon come up and the sun go down. Tomorrow we hike to 50 Mountain.
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Views from Stoney Indian Pass |
Walking Near Stoney Indian Lake |
August 27 – Day 13 – 50 Mountain CG -8.7 miles
Sunny, warm. Awoke to beautiful blue skies, the water in the lake as smooth as glass, the moose munching away. We decided not to fish: no risers and clear glassy water are not the best conditions for us. At breakfast we realized the camp was overcrowded, a young couple who came in late had to share a site, and Bob went to investigate to see who was off permit. Normally we wouldn't care, but we had our suspicions about who the poacher was, and he was planning on poaching at 50 Mountain tonight. The solo hiker was being very sketchy about the whole situation, not allowing Bob to see his permit, and pointing his fingers at other hikers. He finally nervously handed over his permit, which looked like a counterfeit. This negative confrontation sucked, we headed up the trail feeling frustrated with the social campgrounds at Glacier. We later saw the poacher on the trail and he apologized, but started making his case why he had to poach yet another night. We made it clear that we didn't agree with his plans to camp off permit. Sure enough, we got to 50 Mountain and he stayed, waiting until all the hikers arrived, then pitched his tent. What guts! He was very lucky that the campground wasn't overbooked like it almost always is this time of year. Then at dinner, he tried to talk some other hiker into camping off his permit. I just don't get it.
But anyway, the hike up to 50 Mountain curled in and out of the forest and flowered meadows up 2000 feet. The views of Waterton Valley increased as we got higher. We made quick time, but did feel the incline and were happy to find a spot well off trail and away from hikers for lunch an the top. What a view! We must be surrounded by 50 mountains! Har! Har! We sat in a wide open meadow of flowers, staring at the glacial-covered peaks with their limestone tops that had been folded and sculpted over time. Spectacular! We then made our way to camp and got to a tent pad – our best yet, just above the creek and with plenty privacy. We spent the afternoon enjoying the view, the sounds of the birds and the creek. We pumped water, washed up, then explored some ledges and waterfalls before dinner. It was relaxing.
Dinner came around and with it a whirlwind of crazy hikers. They all busted in, loud, obnoxious, and out of control: 3 people spilled dinner, one guy couldn't shut up about lightweight gear ( even though he was clearly carrying unnecessary stuff, like 2 hats), people barking at deer for stealing clothes that they left strung about the place (why didn't they just put the stuff in their tents?). Bob and I ate quickly and quietly, then retreated to our tent. The peeps (fellow campers) plan to leave early, we will sleep in.
We have scored and lost some points today in our game:
The Leprichan Buddha, named for his zen-like continence, large belly, and the mysterious way he pops up alongside the trail, was camped with us tonight. We score +500 for seeing him, +250 for camping with him, but lose -50 for the negative confrontation this morning and -150 for camping with losers who spill their food everywhere, which gives us a total of +1055 for the trip.
The sunset was magnificent. The Mare's Tales (altocirrus clouds) and cotton-ball clouds (alto cumulous) gave way to fiery reds and oranges, mixed with purples and pinks as the sun sank below the glacier-covered peaks. We focused on that as we tried to regain some harmony and composure and vowed to go to the “The Bob” (Bob Marshall Wilderness Area) next time we want to hike Montana. In fact, we vowed to stay away from National Parks in general, there is usually a wilderness area surrounding them that promises just as much beauty without the bureaucracy or dumb-ass hikers who don't care about “Leave No Trace” wilderness ethics. No wonder a grizzly bear has to be euthanized from time-to- time with people like this leaving food all over the place. Tomorrow we slowly make our way down Flat Top Mountain, 7 miles away.
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Bullwinkle Munching at Kootenai Lakes |
August 28 – Day 143 – Columbia Falls, MT – 14 miles
Up and away. We lingered in our tent awhile, letting the campground clear out a bit. At breakfast, we discussed with the remaining hiker the importance of Leave No Trace while we cleaned up after the other campers. It was a desperate attempt to make a difference and erase any negative influences the previous group had left upon the place. The hike down Flat Top was nice – 360° views of mountains. Due to a forest fire in 1998, just flowers and the skeletons of once majestic pines lingered. The hot sun was felt. It didn't take long before we hit camp. We lunched, set up the tent and I began to do some yoga, clearing out negative energy and stretching my muscles. Bob, meanwhile was baking in the dust and swatting at flies, he suggested we hike out. It was another 7 miles, but downhill. This sounded just fine by me, so we packed up and hit the trail, headed to Apgar Campground to fish Lake McDonald. This hike was along a creek with many waterfalls and was quite steep. We stopped for a glorious dip in a nice swimming hole, and soon emerged from Packer's Roost. We were soon standing on the Going-to-the-Sun road, waiting for a NPS shuttle to pick us up. We were a bit nervous at this, as we were expecting a bus stop, and what we saw was a stop sign along a busy road...hmmmm. Would they stop? The first 2 shuttles were full and whizzed by, but failed to let us know the system. Getting worried, a third bus finally stopped and we boarded for a 45 minute bus ride. We found the campground – no thanks to the uninformed shuttle driver, and found 1 of 3 tent sites (out of 100+ sites). A volunteer ranger came by and was confused at us sharing a tent spot, he did not know how the hiker-biker system worked. Then the ranger came by and said that they had no such system at Apgar, because the camp host told her there was no way to account for shared-site funds. We told her we didn't want to inconvenience anyone and would leave. She felt badly about his and told us to stay, but we found a phone and called our friends. Jeff drove up to fetch us. We lost a lot of respect for the National Park uniform over this incident. I ended up writing a letter to Ken Salazaar, secretary of the interior and Glacier National Park as a result of our experiences at Glacier.
So now we are back with friends in Columbia Falls; grasping onto the wonderful points of our hike at Glacier, and trying to forget the downsides.
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Campsite at 50 Mountain |
Fresh Grizzly Bear Scat - Yikes! |
August 29 – Columbia Falls, MT
Kim and I hiked up Big Mountain and spent the afternoon picking huckleberries. This activity was a lot like baking bread, I felt very connected to many generations of women who have done this since time began. It was so fun, we had trouble making ourselves quit picking. But we had to retreat, I had a fresh pie to bake and Dan was planning a little Dutch Oven cooking, of which he is a master. He was cooking antelope that he had hunted. Tomorrow we will go rafting and fishing. Montana is great like that...and it was a wonderful final memory of a magnificent place.
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Sunset at 50 Mountain |
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