Section 1-2: Glacier National Park. Many High Passes, Grouse Attacks, and Wildlife (23 photos, 4 videos)

Section 1, Part 2 covers the rest of Glacier National Park. June 27th - 30th.

Day 4, 15.1 miles to Reynolds Creek.

My alarm clock at Many Glacier came in the form of marble-sized hail pattering against my tarp but luckily the precipitation lasted only a few minutes. I slowly got packed up and then walked down to the campgrounds restaurant, Nell's, for a hot and hearty breakfast. I chatted with the other hikers and heard that a storm was on its way so I figured I best get moving to make it over Piegan Pass before it hit. The trail went past the Many Glacier Lodge before following Cataract Creek into a deep valley. The walls of Angels Wing and Mount Gould shot up into the clouds and were so massive I couldn't fit them in a single photo. I arrived at the start of the switchbacks going up the pass and decided to take a break for second brekkie, with a great view of the Morning Eagle Falls and Bishops Cap behind them. There were a few snowfield crossings on the way up but microspikes were totally not necessary. I cursed at the ranger who said that they were and ice axes were also recommended…total overkill and dead weight. I was glad that I at least didn't bring an ax. Up and up I went and had lunch at the top of the pass where I met Robert, who was on his 8th thru-hike. Marmots scurried around as we ate and he told me about the Heyduke Trail in Utah that connects the National Parks of Arches, Canyonlands, Capital Reef, Bryce, Grand Canyon, and Zion. Sign me up! I had some great views coming down the pass as the trail wrapped around the South face of Cataract Mountain and I made it below treeline just as the rain hit. It subsided before I got to camp which is always nice to be able to set up and eat in normal clothes instead of your rain gear.

Many Glacier Lodge alongside Swiftcurrent Lake and Allen Mountain rising a over the clouds.

Morning Eagle Falls with the pointy Bishops Cap behind.

Yes this photo is level. Looks like an avalanche bent the trees.

One more switchback until I'm above the clouds.

Glacier's ridgelines always look menacing.

Dropping down the Southside of Piegan Pass into Siyeh Valley.

Day 5, 12.3 miles to Red Eagle Lake.

I made quick work of the couple miles to Saint Mary's Falls. The water was clear and deep and the bridge offered a perfect spot for a jump! However, I recalled the couple of river fords I had already and knew the water was freezing from all of the recent snow melt. I decided to go for a test swim before jumping and could feel my body almost hit panic mode after an easy dip into the pool. A jump from the bridge would have me fully submerged for a few seconds and I decided not to risk it. A little further up the trail was Virginia Falls and then it paralleled the famous Going-to-the-Sun road on the other side of Saint Mary's Lake. I continued to hike, and when I stopped for lunch I checked my maps and saw there was a long 2.3 mile almost loop ahead with a 0.2 mile gap across the Red Eagle Creek. When I inspected the gap I found that the river was a super easy ford so I took that instead of the long walk out to a bridge. Again, the CDT is the trail of alternates!

Indian Pintbrushes and Alberta Beardtongues.

I arrived at the campsite and was worried to find it in the middle of a burn zone. There were only a couple living trees right at the edge of the lake and I managed to get my hammock hung between two of them. It was definitely a top 5 hammock spot. More hikers arrived, we all had dinner together, and I met Backtrack, from Staten Island, who coincidentally knew my good AT friend, White. Although I struggled to remember White's real name to confirm. After everyone had gone to bed, I edited some photos in my hammock when I heard some heavy splashes in the lake. It was much heavier than the ducks I heard playing around earlier in the day so I peeked under my tarp and saw the outline of a moose against the distant night sky. He plodded through the shallow water and was soon out of sight.

Day 6, 18.1 miles to Old Man Lake.

I had to get over the Triple Divide Pass AND Pitamakan Pass today which I knew was going to be tough. So I packed up early and was on trail by 730am to finish the valley of burned trees. As I began the climb I saw the fiery colors of a Western Tanager and caught some great shots of him eating a yellow jacket. Zoom lens for the win yet again. Further up I saw a rabbit, some waterfalls, and great view up top. On the other side was a Jurassic Park-esque scene of towering cliffs dropping down to Atlantic Lake below. I had lunch near the lake at a campground and on the way out I was attacked by a protective grouse. Her giant red eyebrows and aggressive demeanor really cracked me up as I had to push her away with my trekking poles. Pitakaman Pass started to grind me down. There was a mile long snowfield with soft snow that was very slippery and I slowly picked my way up. I was running on empty and even a peanut butter & honey wrap seemed to have no effect to my energy. I was quite displeased to find the the campgrounds at Old Man Lake were 0.3 off trail and then the water was another 0.2 further down the hill. After eating dinner I went straight to bed.

Western Tanager munching on a yellow jacket.

Day 7, 17.2 miles to East Glacier Village.

Another chilly morning led me to staying cozy in my hammock and getting a late start. At least it was a gentle downhill grade for a few miles into Two Medicine Campground where I saw a group of bighorn sheep wander around the streets. At the ranger station, as I was filling up on water, I met two nice ladies who were on a kayaking trip throughout the West. They had a massive tub of dehydrated Mountain House meals in their truck and insisted I take a few with me. I thanked them and then took off down a wrong turn onto a maintenance road. It led to a graveyard of old picnic tables and trashcans before I had to bushwhack about 100m to get back on trail. I stopped for lunch under a shady tree and two more bighorn sheep waltzed on by and looked at me expectantly like I was going to feed them. I blasted up some switchbacks to the abrupt edge of the mountains which is also the edge of Glacier National Park. I could see East Glacier Village off in the distance and it was an easy downhill six miles to the finish line of this section. I saw some more bighorns on the way down and called Nhandi since I had service for the first time in seven days. She safely made it to Austin and we swapped stories of our adventures over the past week. I found every place in town was booked but discovered one motel had a hiker special; camp out back and get a hot shower for ten bucks. I set my hammock and hung out with some other hikers for the rest of the night then I settled in and was excited for my upcoming Zero-Day.