Glacier National Park

September 2005

Talk about an Elevation Adventure: sun, rain, snow, park closures, seasonal closures, and super helpful Park Rangers. A trip we will not soon forget

After only 12 hour of driving and a quick check-in at one of the basic campgrounds we were able to get our first glimpse at the Park.

We picked up our permits and were warned about a storm front that was on its way to the area and “could” deliver a few inches of snow at the higher elevations and rain in the low lands. Of course neither of us were all too concerned, the Ranger didn’t seem to think it would be that bad….wrong.

The first day was along the Highline Trail which has been a trail that I’ve wanted to hike ever since first hearing about Glacier National Park. The day was sunny, warm and perfect. We had an incredible 14 mile hike and passed several groups going the opposite direction and telling us all about how wonderful the trip was.

We finally reached camp late in the afternoon and were still able to get some time before the sun went down to talk with some other backpackers and warn them about the storm.

We woke up to overcast skies and cool temps and started our hike. After only a 1/2 mile from our camp we ran across a Grizzly mom and two of her cubs about 200 yds away. The perfect distance, just far enough to feel safe and close enough to watch them for a while. Mom noticed us after a few minutes and took her cubs a little further off.

As the day progressed, so did the cloud cover.

We finally reached our camp for the night and never saw any of the moose that we werepromised, but it was a gorgeous lake nontheless.

Shortly after arriving at camp and making dinner the rain started and didn’t stop for the next two days. We headed out early the next morning and basically ran up and over Stoney Indian Pass. We were originally supposed to camp at the pass but decided to go up and over to get out of the snow, it was certainly an area that would have been breathtaking had we been able to stop and enjoy it. By the time we reached the pass there was already 6 inches of snow and the temperatures had dropped significantly. We ran down the other side and fought off hypothermia as best we could before reaching camp. I only wish we had the time to enjoy that area of the hike, there were numerous waterfalls and cliff bands surrounding us…maybe one day.

For the next two nights we barely left the tent. There is nothing like spending a ton of time cramped in a little tent with someone special, you really get to appreciate their individual “aroma” HA

Finally, after 2 nights of solid rain, it stopped and we were able to leave the tent, make a little food and attempt to dry out our gear. We were able to get a glimpse of an incredible sunrise, somewhere, but provided us with a purple illuminated tent.

We went on our merry way to the next camp which was a mere 6 miles away. It was an incredible enjoyable hike and we were able to get a little info from a few other people that we came across. Most people told us that the center of the park was closed because the storm blew down numerous trees.

We reached our next camp, set alongside a beautiful lake that overlooked the surrounding mountains and the pass that we would have to attempt to get back to civilization. Mother nature was kind to us and spared us more rain and instead provided us with some wildlife viewing of a black bear and some mtn goats.

We woke up early the following day and didn’t want to waste too much time before trying to tackel the pass. After only an hour of hiking we reached snow line and had to fight our way through thigh deep plunge steps and super hard patches of ice. It was pretty tough going all the way, but the weather seemed to be cooperating.

We finally reached the narrow section that lead to the “tunnel” which literally is a tunnel through the top of the mountain. Any later in the season and we would probably have found the tunnel doors locked until spring.

We finally began to see signs of civilization, we saw dozens of people hiking on the snow with day packs and even more as we descended. Soon we would be near a ranger station and information. We basically ran that section of trail, thank god! We arrived at the ranger station 5 minutes before they closed for the SEASON. We asked for info on the pass that we were to attempt the next day and they advised us against it. Options??

We were able to hitch a ride with one of the rangers to another of the east side entrances where we were able to get beer and burgers. We then hitched a ride with another ranger that brought us to the halfway point, an area that was closed to everyone but official vehicles. We then met a third ranger that was willing to bring us to our vehicle…again, in a closed area of the park.

All in all an incredible trip. One of unpredictability and one that taught us both to stay positive, always have fun, and never to stress when things don’t go perfectly. We didn’t get to see all the scenery that I had originally hoped to, but we did have an incredible experience.