MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

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MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by MarxMN »

The 2018 trip to Glacier Park started with a late evening flight from Minneapolis to Great Falls on Friday, July 27. I stayed in Great Falls that Friday night. Saturday morning, I headed to Smith’s in Great Falls for supplies for the week and then to East Glacier for the Glacier Mountaineering Society (GMS) Annual Meeting at the Glacier Park Lodge. The meeting included a presentation by Jim Schroeder on his 2014 trip to the Everest base camp areas in Nepal. After the GMS meeting, I drove to St. Mary and set up camp at the St. Mary KOA. Then I met Tara for dinner. After dinner we drove the Going the Sun Road to Logan Pass. Given how crowded the Logan Pass parking lot is earlier in the day it was amazing to see a mostly empty parking lot around 7:00 pm.
Reynolds Mountain

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Red Eagle Mountain

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We walked part way to the Hidden Lake Overlook. It was a very pleasant walk with few people on the boardwalk.

Green paintbrush along the boardwalk.

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A mixture of flowers including heather and green paintbrush.

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This marmot had an incredible view.

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Tara checks out the view from a different rock.

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As we were leaving, we drove around the back side of the Logan Pass parking lot. Tara took a picture of this guy about to enter the parking lot.

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Last edited by MarxMN on Thu Jul 04, 2019 10:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by teapot57 »

Love the green paintbrush photo!

Oh how I’d love to spend a day as that marmot.

Looking forward to more!
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Re: MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by PeteE »

Hey Bill :)
I loved that picture of Reynolds.
It reminded me of one of my best days ever in GNP, the day EarMountain took me to the summit of Reynolds Mt. via the "Grand Tour" route.
I absolutely loved the traverse along that big crack across the sheer cliffs of the north face. Fantastic views from up there! :arrow:
The crack stands out well in your image.
Thanks for posting that pic.

Tina, that marmot looks a lot like "Hank" my buddy who lives on the un-named ridge going to Reynolds :mrgreen:

pete :wink:
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Re: MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by MarxMN »

Thanks Tina and Pete.

I liked the lighting on the Reyonlds picture - that particular lighting may be becaseu it was late in the day. The traverse across Reynolds shows up particularily well.
Last edited by MarxMN on Sun Jun 30, 2019 3:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by MarxMN »

Day Two – Shangri-la

I volunteered to coordinate a hike over Shangri-la as one of the Glacier Mountaineering Society family day events for GMS week. Four of us showed up in the Swiftcurrent parking lot for the climb and hike early Sunday morning. It was a beautiful day – sunny and not too hot. We started up the Swiftcurrent Pass trail then turned off the trail making our way up through the trees and enjoying the huckleberries along the way. We crossed the stream and climbed to the base of the rocks. We climbed through the rocks making our way onto Shangri-la.


The view looking back at Swiftcurrent Lake and the Many Glacier area. Fishercap Lake is in the lower right.

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Eric, Abigail and Amanda on top.

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We followed the stream up toward the lake. We had lots of opportunities for water pictures.

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We found the old mine marker. I have been told the “BH” is for Bull Head Mine Company.


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Eric getting the best perspective for a picture
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We had lunch at the lake and enjoyed the wildflowers.

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After lunch we walked around the lake and then we needed to climb up the ridge at the head of the lake. It was in this section we met the only other person we saw after leaving the Swiftcurrent Pass Trail and before arriving at Iceberg Lake. He had been sitting on a big rock near the head of the lake while we were eating lunch. He explained that he had been on Shangri-la two days earlier and had left a camera lens on a rock. He found it today and was heading back down to the Swiftcurrent Pass trail. He did not want to go out the Iceberg Lake Trail because that trail would be too crowded.
After reaching the ridge and working our way around the mountain we will be looking down on Iceberg Lake.


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Last look at the Lake on Shangrila.

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The view of Iceberg Lake as we come around the mountain.

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Iceberg Lake with the surrounding mountains.

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Descending to Iceberg Lake (Amanda's picture)

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As we descended, we noticed something strange – there was no people noise coming from Iceberg Lake and we could see no people on the lake shore. We guessed that the Iceberg Lake Trail had been closed and wondered what that meant for us. As we walked around the lakeshore we met Ranger Kaylyn who was eating lunch on the abandoned beach. She told us the Iceberg Lake Trail had been closed mid-morning due to seven bears (a couple sows with cubs and other singles) frequently the trail area for the past couple days. The Park had decided that there were too many bears in the vicinity of the trail. Ranger Kaylyn was waiting there to escort us out but she told us not to hurry - this was the first time in her years of guiding hikes to Iceberg Lake that she had ever been alone at the lake.

Ranger Kaylyn took our picture at Iceberg Lake.

The Group

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Abigail on an iceberg.

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We saw no bears on the trail from Iceberg Lake back to Swiftcurrent. We did see this huckleberry loaded bear scat in the trail. (That is my 52-millimeter lens cap next to the scat for perspective.)

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Last edited by MarxMN on Sun Jul 07, 2019 3:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by paul »

It must have been nice hanging out at Iceburg lake without any other people there. I think the only time that happened to me was on a late hike back in the early 2000s.
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Re: MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by MarxMN »

Paul,

Being at Iceberg Lake with no other people was very nice. There was no noise. And we hiked out on the Iceberg Lake trail that had no other hikers The only person we met was another park ranger waiting for a group to come down from Ptarmigan Lake. I was concerned as we came down from Shangri-la and realized there were no people by the lake. I hoped we would not have to turn around and go back out the way we had come.

Bill
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Re: MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by MarxMN »

Day Three – Divide Mountain
On Monday we met up with Miss Guiness and Heff from the Chat Page and Jen and a couple family members to climb Divide Mountain.

The old fire lookout about half way up Divide is in bad shape but still standing.

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The fire lookout out on the ridge. The surrounding areas were burned in the 2006 Red Eagle Fire.

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The top of Divide Mountain from below. When we reached the summit the air and rock surfaces were full of insects. Those insects swarmed over us too. We each spent less than a minute on top. We took no pictures from the summit.

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We stopped for lunch a short distance off the top of the mountain. The insects that were so thick on the top did not bother us here.
The paved road running across the picture is Highway 89 between Kiowa Junction and St. Mary.

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A sheltered succulent a short distance from the mountain top.

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Mariposa Lily near the base of the mountain.

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The climbing group with Divide Mountain.

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Last edited by MarxMN on Sat Jul 06, 2019 10:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by MarxMN »

This entry was a mistake.
Last edited by MarxMN on Sun Jul 07, 2019 3:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by MarxMN »

Day Four – Siyeh Pass
On Tuesday Jim, MacKenzie and I decided to hike Siyeh Pass. We left our car at Sunrift Gorge and took the shuttle to Siyeh Bend.

Across the road from Sunrift Gorge.

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A Shooting Star near the beginning of the trail.

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MacKenzie performing yoga on a bridge (the bridge wwhere the trail branches off to Piegan Pass).

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Approaching the switchbacks.

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Piegan Glacier way across the valley.

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Another sheltered succulent.

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At Siyeh Pass

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MacKenzie’s yoga with a view.

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Sexton Glacier

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Paintbrush


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Forget-Me-Nots

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Blue Gentian

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Dead trees and Fireweed in the area burned by the 2015 Reynold’s Creek Fire.

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Sunrift Gorge

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Last edited by MarxMN on Sat Jul 06, 2019 11:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by Sue Z »

Fabulous dead trees with fireweed! We did that hike with Pete just two days before you (my husband and me, my son and his girlfriend).
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Re: MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by Jay w »

Wow, Iceberg with no one else. At least they didn't make you hoof it back up the scree and go they way you came.

I'd like to do Divide sometime (when it's not hot and not buggy). I think you frequently do that hike.

Siyeh, another great hike. Keep 'em coming.

Fireweed, I'll show you some fireweed (have poison ivy now).

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Re: MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by MarxMN »

Jay - We climb Divide fairly frequently. It is not the most exciting climb but relatively easy. I think three of the last four times I have been to the top it has been buggy. Last year was the worst - none of us could tolerate the bugs long enough for a picture or anything else on top. We joked that there must be somthing buried there attracting the bugs.

The fireweed blooms are much more attractive than poison ivy blooms.

Sue - I think the reddish (or purplish) firweed blooms are a great contrast to the white trees. I wish I had spent more time there because I am sure thre are some great photos to be taken.

Bill
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Re: MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by MarxMN »

Day Five – Firebrand Pass

MacKenzie and I met Rosie and drove though East Glacier toward Marias Pass on Highway 2. We had decided to try the Firebrand Pass hike, a trail none of us had hiked before. Leaving the parking lot along Highway 2 we entered through an opening in the fence and then started on a gentle climb mostly through trees.

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The first part of the trail is mostly in the trees but occasionally there were open meadows with wildflowers. A section of the Firebrand Pass Trail is the same trail as the Autumn Creek Trail which goes from Marias Pass into East Glacier.

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Fireweed

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Hollyhocks

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Meadow and mountains

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After we branched off the Autumn Creek Trail the Firebrand Pass Trail starts climbing and we had more views of the surrounding mountains.

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After going around the flank of Calf Robe Mountain the trail crosses a rocky scree slope. Then it enters the final valley and the pass comes into view.

Looking Back – the trail is in the middle of the picture.

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Firebrand Pass is in the middle right of the picture, the Trail to the pass climbs up on the rocks to the left. It was a hot day, we were tired and hot so we decided to turn around here.

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The rocky scree slope on the way down.

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Last edited by MarxMN on Fri Jul 05, 2019 10:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: MarxMN 2018 Trip Report - Better Late than Never

Post by indiana hiker »

I am interested in the Divide Lookout. We were going to hike to that about five years ago. A ranger told us there was no real trail, mostly a bushwhack. She also said there was nothing left of the lookout. So maybe she wasn't really familiar with that area. Is the trail fairly obvious? Really just interested in the lookout and maybe a little beyond, so could you tell me what the trail is like and distance to the lookout? I had all that info but got rid of it after deciding not to hike there. Thanks and the pictures and report are great.
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