Glacier National Park 2014

A Late Summer Hiking Trip to Montana
Sally from the East, we from the West. Meeting at Glacier NP on the Continental Divide seemed appropriate. A warm day along the Highline Trail. Lewis Monkey Flower. Getting hot, even at 7100-ft. Paintbrush. After nearly two hours, we can finally see the Granite Park Chalet (100 years old in 2014). Last day of the season where we scored granola bars for 25 cents. Dropping from the chalet to The Loop takes us through the 1998 (or was it 2003?) burn area.
A nice blend of weathered snags, fall foliage, and blue sky. (Polarizer used, of course.) It was very striking -- and difficult to hike and sightsee at the same time. In some areas, the next generation of pines are finally starting to take off. Morning hike up the Swiftcurrent Valley. Yvonne catches some early sunshine to warm up. Redrock Falls at the far end of Redrock Lake. The seed head of what a reliable source identified as a Western Anemone caught the sun nicely.
Red-sided garter snake... scared the #%*$ out of me. There were three of them catching the first sun of the morning. Female Common Goldeneye. Males and females form separate flocks for all but mating season, so all the ones we saw in Bullhead Lake were females. Sally: Geared up and ready for anything at the climb up to Swiftcurrent Pass. Mountain ash berries were everywhere, A HUGE bull moose was spotted way down in the cirque below us. Note the last remnants of velvet... Heading back down, ready to pull boots off and relax. Four miles to go...
Many Glacier Hotel main lobby. A hotel tour was starting outside our room on the second floor. Room 233. Our basecamp for the week and Yvonne's favorite of all the rooms we've had over the years. Many Glacier Hotel lobby and fireplace from ground level. Fishercap Lake: Making a moose check and setting up gear. Yvonne just *knows* the moose will come... ...and she does, along with the snow. Time to pack up and get out.
Between snow showers, an easy walk around Swiftcurrent lake. Chief Two Guns is waiting for returning hikers. Another morning moose check. Yvonne comes face-to-face with a very youg bull. (I had the wrong lens to capture that moment.) The snow is piling up on the trees. A solitary white tail deer feeds. Moose or no, Sally is ready... and warm. Back to basecamp. It's important to stake your claim to a fireplace position and never give it up. Many after-hike hours were spent warming.
The snowstorm has ended and the skies begin to clear just before the sun rises. Hard to believe I sat here drinking ice tea two days prior -- and would so again by the end of this day. A wide shot from the Many Glacier deck after breakfast. The sun is out, so off we go to see the September wintery scenes. The views at Redrock Lake were phenomenal. Mirrored view of Swiftcurrent Peak.
Yvonne, in her huckleberry down, takes it all in. Redrock falls looks quite a bit different from two days ago. Sally has everything within easy reach, and always a smile. Fresh bear tracks, but luckliy heading in the opposite direction. No worries! A Magenta Paintbrush strains under the snow load. Yvonne takes the lead as the temps rise into the 30's. Perfect hiking weather.
Snow fell on firs. Bear! We ran into a hiker who was startled by this guy. I thought I saw his tracks going off into the woods. Well, he came back... Grizzly. Big, but not full adult size (as if that mattered). Hmmm, I'm being looked in the eye by a grizzly bear. Maybe this isn't a good idea. He looks left, looks right... Uh-oh, he's made the correct decision that it's easier to use the trail than force his way through the snow and brush. Coming this way; we RETREAT quickly.
After 100-150 yards of fast reversing, we, along with two other hikers, find a clearing and get off the trail. Bear rumbles by and doesn't even give us a look. Yvonne had her bear spray armed and ready (my hero). Sally, ten minutes after bear encounter is cool as a cucumber. I, however, completely forgot I even had bear spray. Yvonne didn't see the bear head on, but was aware enough to prepare for pepper spray defense. She's cool under pressure, unlike me. Taking a long break at Bullhead Lake, I took a telephoto shot of the snow clinging to Swiftcurrent Peak. The bear is off somewhere feeding, the snow is rapidly melting, time for an ice tea on the Many Glacier deck. A new day. At breakfast: One vote to go look for moose and bears, two for hiking to the Ptarmigan Tunnel.
It may not look like it, but the trail was rock hard ice and refrozen slush. Sally handled it like she was raised in the arctic. Final few switchbacks above Ptarmigan Lake. The snow gets to 2-3 feet, but there's a nice path already broken. Sally at the final turn. We're over 7000-ft by now. We lost the sunshine, but that kept us cooler. At Ptarmigan Tunnel (cut for horse travel) on a gorgeous fall morning. Watch for ice when entering... Yvonne surveys the other side. Being more shaded, the snow really piled up.
Yvonne and Sally go back through and prepare to hike back down. After a long walk back, time to warm up and have some beverages at basecamp. The sun sets between Grinnell Point and Swiftcurrent Pass. Typically a very windy place, it was odd to see the water so calm during breakfast. Fair weather has returned. Time to say farewell to Sally. Her final 2014 sunrise at the Many Glacier. Fire lookout on top of Swiftcurrent Peak, boarded up for the winter. Outhouse on the left.
Shot of the late morning setting moon. Very clear skies. A medium size bull moose makes an appearance, interested in a female. And can you blame him? This is Yvonne's favorite cow (we saw her often). Going wide with the shot to combine moose + scenery. Just look at those eyelashes (and listen to the gurgling as she exhales and feeds at the same time). No, not upside down -- it's a reflection in perfectly still water.
Swiftcurrent Peak reflected in Redrock lake. Heading up to the pass, we spot this HUGE grizzly feeding a couple hundred yards below. A young bear biologist came up behind us and figured this was a 650-lb bear. He had a humongous rump (the bear, not the biologist). 1000-ft above the valley, the view back to where we started. Yvonne, just past Devil's Elbow and its 800-ft cliff. (I hate exposure.) At the Continental Divide (7100-ft) on Swiftcurrent Pass. Perfectly still day and perfect temperatures.
We dropped down over the pass toward the Granite Park Chalet to catch a view of Logan Pass. All this snow would be gone in two days... The return portion of our 14-mile hike. Again, just past Devil's Elbow (where I fussed at Yvonne for being too close to the edge). This snag just seems creepy to me. Another hiker points out this cinnamon colored black bear sitting on a bluff watching us. Poor lighting, but it was still fun to experience. Last day. A moth warms itself and feeds on some aspen tree sap. I was hoping to see some aspen fall color, but we were just too early.
Before making the 13-hour drive home, we stopped in at Fishercap Lake to see if Yvonne's moose was there. She came out and gave us a look. After this trip, we've gained additional bear country hiking experience. If anyone wishes to join us for our next trip, we've got you covered. Sure, it's unoriginal and I used it before, butt: The End.