The CDT runs 100 miles through Glacier National Park and pops into East Glacier Village. Due to the amount of amazing, it will be broken into two posts. Part 1 is from June 24th - June 27th.
Day 1. 13.2 miles to Glenn Lake.
Sea Lion and I had breakfast in Calgary with some of my relatives, Liz and Dave, who shared a great meal with us as we all swapped hiking stories. It was then another three hour drive South to the Chief Mountain border crossing. We played a lot of AWOLnation and Dirty Heads, our two favorite bands, on the drive down and reminisced a lot about our lives and our PCT adventure. We shared one last Loose Cannon IPA at the border, took some pictures, and said our goodbyes. The AT was my first thru-hike so I had plenty of excitement when I finally got on the trail and I was with a lot of other hikers in the same shuttle. The PCT was also thrilling because I was starting off with my amazing girlfriend as well as yet another group of hikers with the same start date. This time I was setting off into the woods by myself without being armed with unbridled excitement. Instead of diving into a no holds barred adventure without any negative or sad emotions, this time I was leaving the love of my life for two months. Just to be clear, the hike will take 5-6 months but we have two weddings to attend back home in Baltimore, the first of which is in two months.
Bring it on CDT! Northern Terminus on the Chief Mountain route.
Bloody Geranium with a fresh coating of rain droplets.
Gable Mountain + bonus rainbow.
The scenery was instantly gorgeous and I soon ran into another hiker who I chatted with to keep my mind occupied. The trail crossed the Belly River over a super rickety and wobbly suspension bridge which I absolutely loved and hoped there were more ahead. We leapfrogged a few times and I decided to take dinner at the Gros Venture Falls, which was a superb first meal on trail. The way my permits worked out, the only way I could have started today and not be forced to hike 27 miles on Day #1, was to hike 6.7 miles off of the CDT and down the Stoney Indian Trail, which is the first stretch of the Pacific Northwest Trail, or PNT. The next day would be 4.3 miles backtracking the PNT, and then my 3rd day would be, more-or-less, the actual start of my thru-hike. Those of you checking the SPACE JAM TRACKER may have wondered what was up with my first campsites. Anyway, after the falls I met a trio of PNT'ers who were also just starting their trek. Two were Triple Crowners and the third was starting her very first thru-hike. I managed to get my camp all set up before needing a headlamp and soon went to sleep.
Gros Venture Falls. A great location for my first meal on trail.
Day 2. 4.3 miles to Cosley Lake.
What a relaxing day! And technically my first on-trail zero day as well. I slept in as long as I could (930am) and was feeling pretty sore from the medium-mileage first day. I attribute this to the weight of seven days of food, microspikes, and bear mace, but it was nice to have and easy day to recuperate. I did a lot of stretching and then hopped in my hammock to read my new book, The Indifferent Stars Above, about the famous Donner Party. Eventually I departed to make my gruesome four mile haul over flat terrain but I was happy to yet again find a great hammock site. Glacier recommends that you do not hammock since all hikers must stay in designated raised platform tentsites at designated campgrounds and you may not trample any vegetation. In a pinch, I can rig my set up as a tarp and sleep on the ground but I love hammocking so I decided to risk it. My new spot was just ten steps from the waters edge and I had time to enjoy it. I met some section hikers during lunch and then I retired to my place to sew up my rapidly disintegrating Space Jam shorts then took a nap. I iced my feet in the lake and read some more throughout the day.
Pyramid Peak reflecting off of Cosley Lake, as seen from my campsite's porch.
Very clear lake water.
Two fellow CDT'ers arrived and said the permit ranger had doubled up with another thru-hiker at this campground, so they found me. They set their tent and then the whole campsite had dinner together and shared hiking stories. My roommates, Nightwatch and Snow White, were a couple from Alabama who had hiked the AT together. They also knew Jefe, who I met on the PCT. It's a small world of thru-hikers and it feels great knowing people in this weird community. The section hikers shared some cookies for dessert and we spotted a black bear on the far side of Cosley Lake. Everyone turned in around 10pm when the temps began to really drop. I woke up for a night pee and, since I was up, decided to grab some star photos from the shore of the lake.
Day 3. 22.7 miles to Many Glacier Campgrounds.
I popped in my earplugs as soon as the birds began squawking at the ungodly hour of 5am, when the sun decides to rise up here, and slept again until 730. Nightwatch and Snow White had already left camp and I was packed up 10 minutes and then had a quick breakfast before following their footsteps. We had a huge pass to get over today and 22.7 miles is a tall order for fresh hikers who had not yet developed their trail legs. I took the cutoff trail which fords the Mokowanis River because I had already hiked more off-trail miles than on-trail miles so I was ok with skipping a few CDT miles. This is known as the "Choose You're Own Adventure" trail anyway so as long as I completed an unbroken footpath from Canada to Mexico, I’d be happy. I took another quick side trail to the Dawn Mist Falls and got some good photos before beginning to ascend up Red Gap Pass. I was in a new valley, climbing up above the trees to see new mountain ridgelines and a few snowcapped peaks in distance. There were some nicely graded switchbacks up to Red Gap and the mountain became full of more and more red rocks. I took lunch just below the top of the pass where there was still good shelter from the wind. Nightwatch and Snow White caught up and as we were eating, an entire herd of mountain goats popped over the ridge and picked their way down the pass.
Dawn Mist Falls.
Silky Phacelia.
The ominous Ptarmigan Wall.
Little man leading the herd!
I flew down the other side of the pass as I admired Kennedy Lake, surround by mountainous walls, to the South. I took a water and stretching break at some small falls and continued to blast onward...until my next stop at Poia Lake. I met Dreamer and Katy as they were about to end their break and then Legs and Squirt passed me as I took mine. We have a SOBO bubble beginning to form in addition to the flip-flop bubble so with our powers combined, we are known as the DOUBLE BUBBLE! The mosquitoes became too annoying to stay so off I went. The next stretch was very Appalachia-esque with small but steep up-and-downs with a repetitive pine tree stage. I caught up with Simba, who started the trail with Dreamer and Katy, and we chatted and bonded over being what seemed like the only SOBOs not hiking with their significant other. We also saw a huge bull moose standing in the trail and I managed to switch to my zoom lens and capture some shots before he bulldozed off into the woods.
Kennedy Lake nestled in some big walls.
Poia Lake.
My feet started to really decline on the last five miles and I found myself wishing for some squishy Dr Scholl's inserts. I carried on and walked past the horse stables, with the surrounding horse-shit laden trail, and then down the roadwalk to the huge campgrounds. Of course they shove the Backcountry campsites to the back of the area, as if we haven't walked enough. I found another tent site that had tree on either side which stretched my hammock suspension to the absolute limit. Nightwatch, Snow White, and I again shared a campsite which basically makes us roommates. We ate dinner and passed out soon after.