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A panoramic view looking west from Swiftcurrent Pass Across Granite Park & the Highline Trail

Glacier National Park Hiking in July 2010

For my 60th birthday, the usual team of Celia and Jay, Uncle Mark and son Kyle, and me took a trip to Glacier National Park. Excitement ran high with expectations from Jay and Ceil's 2007 expedition to Glacier. Uncle Mark drove us 940 miles; his stamina at the wheel rivals his stamina on the trail! We had 6 days but only stayed out on the trail for two of those. The other four days were day hikes out of car campgrounds. The park is really designed more for day hikes, and the backcountry reservation system is cumbersome in that the half of the sites that are reservable in advance were overbooked. This being the 100th anniversary of GNP's creation didn't help. We did not have a decent advance reservation as we always have had in Rocky Mountain National Park. Our original plan of doing the North Circle was nixed as too long. However, it was impossible anyway because some of the sites were not open yet anyway. As it turned out, hiking in Glacier is quite tame as the trails are smooth, the elevations low, and the grades milder and fewer. Albeit without our full packs most of the time, we still covered 74 miles in 6 days, much more than in the White Mountains or in RMNP.

The map below shows what we did; the pictures give a flavor for the scenery and our good times.

On 18 Jul 2010 at about 7:30 MDT, we stepped out of the van that we had been riding in for 14 hours, and I spied a familiar figure walking across the parking lot: E. J. Eberhard, aka Eb, aka Nimblewill Nomad, the amazing 72-year-old who, in the past ten years, has hiked 9 of the 11 national trails. He was at St Mary Visitor Center to start his next epic, the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail. The next day, while we covered 15 miles, he trekked 25 to the middle of the park. The next day he covered the remaining 25+ miles to reach its western edge, and he continued until 21 Sep 2010 to reach the Pacific Ocean. A truly amazing hiker.

• Our first hiking day (19 July 2010) was to Iceberg Lake and then to Ptarmigan Tunnel and back---lots of people on the trail and a mama grizzly and her two cubs ambling about near Iceberg Lake. We must have been tired because we all fell asleep after lunch at the lake. The tunnel connects to the Belly River area and has switch-backs on both sides. The valleys were full of wild flowers.
• We did a similar hike up Swiftcurrent valley on the second day, cresting the pass to look down into Granite Park (see above). Ceil and Jay continued up to the lookout on Swiftcurrent Mtn---a gorgeous 360-deg view.
• Early on the third day, we moved to Rising Sun Campground in the middle of St Mary Lake. Taking the shuttle bus to Siyeh Pass Trailhead, we did a loop over Siyeh Pass to Siyeh Bend on the Going-to-the-Sun Highway, where the shuttle bus picked us up to go back to Rising Sun Campground.
• Dinners were from the campground stores, which catered to fast-food tastes: pizza and hot dogs. However, eating hot dogs for three nights was overdoing the preservatives. We had the Gunsight Pass overnight in the middle, but an evening rainstorm forced us to skip dinner and escape to our tents. The morning of the fifth day day broke clear as we hiked back to the Going-to-the-Sun highway. In the afternoon, Ceil, Jay and I walked above the Logan Pass Visitors' Center to view Hidden Lake while Kyle and Mark surveyed the western part of Going-To-The-Sun highway by car.
• Our final two nights at Two Medicine were clear. On 24 Jul 2010, after our morning trek to Cobalt Lake, Ceil and Jay again kept going up above Cobalt Lake, which provided more great views, while Kyle, Mark, and I hoofed it to Upper Two Medicine Lake and then back. The 18-mile hike on the last day did me in. We did have a little extra excitement when a bear ambled through camp while Mark and I were walking over the retrieve the car while Kyle relaxed at the campsite. The bear was headed in the direction of the campsite so we scurried back to make sure Kyle was safe. Good choice, Mark. Ceil and Jay returned afterward. I was surprised by a milky way "cake" with a birthday candle and a new Glacier long-sleeved shirt. What a fine way to end the outing!
• On the trip home, 25 Jul 2010, we stopped for a birthday breakfast at the Log Cabin Family Restaurant in Choteau, MT. And Mark drove all the way home!

Glacier2010Hikes Our hikes in Glacier were out of three areas: Many Glacier on the first two days, then St Mary for three days including the Gunsight Lake overnight, and then Two Medicine on the last day.	Nimblewill Nomad and Fred By chance, we met the famous long-distance hiker, E. J. Eberhard, when we arrived. What a treat!	St Mary Campground after arriving Our first night was at St Mary Campground, after a 14-hour drive from Longmont.
Toward Iceberg Lake After getting the last Many Glacier campsite, we spent the day going to Iceberg Lake and Ptarmigan Tunnel---with a grizzly mother and two cubs well off the trail en route.	Iceberg Lake The lake was nestled below sheer cliffs, and we saw the grizzly mother and her cubs on the way out.	A snooze after the trek to Iceberg Lake.
Ceil & Jay toward Ptarmigan Tunnel The happy hikers.	Ptarmigan Creek Our goal is in the background, the Ptarmigan Tunnel, built in the 1930s.	Near Many Glacier Campground These two were grazing in late afternoon.
Swiftcurrent Pass is to the right.	Swiftcurrent Creek In later morning the sun came out. The valley was gorgeous, with the trail rising above its floor as we approached the Pass.	Swiftcurrent valley back to Many Glacier Swiftcurrent valley, dotted with lakes, was a gorgeous ascent, topped by Swiftcurrent Pass and Mtn, where Celia and Jay got great views.
Swiftcurrent valley, Mark, and Kyle Descending Swiftcurrent showing the view back to Many Glacier	Siyeh Pass Starting the third-day hike.	Siyeh Pass Trail We took a rest at the stream.
Nearing Siyeh Pass after ascent We had come up from the Going-to-the-Sun road and were hoping for the top SOON.	Gunsight Trail Our one overnight hike followed the stream.	Gunsight Trail bridge We started heading up the valley, mostly in trees.
Florence Falls The side trip to Flornece Falls took us through dense undergrowth in pouring rain. This soaked our boots, except for Jay who wore his Tevas. The problem was that his boot fell off his pack. Luckily we found it on the return, then we dried out in the mid-day sun.	Gunsight Trail Views The ubiquitous flowers came in many colors and were enhanced by recent rains, including those today!	Gunsight Lake Arriving at Gunsight Lake for the overnight, we rested before the deluge that forced us into our tents for the night without dinner.
Hidden Lake Starting from the Logan Pass visitors' center a walk up a boardwalk brings this view of Hidden Lake.	Mountain Goat near Logan Pass These guys were contentedly strolling near the boardwalk path.	Rockwell Falls near Cobalt Lake On our way above St Mary's Lake toward Cobalt Lake, where Kyle, Mark, and Fred hoofed it back via Upper Two Medicine Lake for a day's total of 18 miles.