Glacier Park Chat
due to an Achilles injury she got on the 6 nite backpack earlier this month (the one I turned back on).We went and checked into our 3 bunk bed minimal cabin at Thompson's Campground at St Mary's, where we found Deborah waiting. We decided to go to Two Sisters for dinner where Deborah's daughter Mary and 15 month old baby Walker would meet us. After, they would set up their car tricks.
The next morning Tina would drive us up to Logan Pass for the start of our hike. By her driving us it saved having to get up there by 6:30AM to get a parking spot. And even though it was after 9, as luck would have it, we were able to get a parking spot. It is a madhouse. We geared up, got a group photo and I wouldn't see Deborah and Mary/Walker again until Haystack Butte saddle plus the trail was posted for bear frequenting. Thus, I really missed having Tina along; I even gave quick thot to turning back but I decided I could hike alone with all the others on the trail, as it's a heavily used trail.
It was a warm day for Glacier so it was nice to hike almost 3 miles in the shade. The flowers were putting on quite a show so needless to say, Tibbermode commenced.
It was a super highway of people coming and going all the way to Haystack. I wish I had someone hiking with me that enjoyed the wildflowers as much. After all, they don't call this the Garden Wall for nothing. This is my 4th time hiking this direction since 2010.
There was some water flowing here and there but it was pretty dry after Haystack Butte. I did encounter an older female ranger on the hike so I spoke with her briefly. I had to sidestep a deer on the trail. It was one of those situations where you look up and there is a deer almost right in front of me, now I know what the saying "deer in the headlights" really means
! I ran into a couple gals and gave them some solicited advice as this was their first time in Glacier. I would do that again for a young man who asked me to take his picture. Before starting the long switchbacks to the saddle, I filmed a deer just below us and a man was pointing out the mountain goats high above so I zoomed in, but they were pretty far away.
A gal paused at the corner of the switchbacks and it would turn out that we would hike together the next couple days (the workshop the next day and out the Swiftcurrent the day after that).
I met the people I started the hike with and we had a snack at the saddle. This was the last time I would hike with them until I went up to our room at the Chalet. However, I would try and get some pictures of them ahead of me.
There were more people on this part of the trail than I thought there would be. There are a couple long hills on the downside so I was glad to be going north; especially since it was a tad warm.
I knew there was this one area where we got internet access a couple years ago so I stopped there to do a Facebook post. I only had a little over 2 more miles to go. It was nice to have the occasional breeze thruout this entire hike as it's mostly exposed. It seemed when you went through a treed area the temp was much warmer. The amount of flowers was terrific
. There were batches on both sides of you like Paintbrush and Lyall's Penstemon and Sulphur Buckwheat.
It was hard to photograph that, kind of like a meadow except on a steep hillside.
I was glad to finally reach the junction with the Grinnell Overlook. The steep trail was quite crowded with people coming and going. Now, after doing that trail, I am truly impressed with the amount of people who tackle it. It just goes to show you that if the payoff is big enough, they will come. It has to be particularly hard if you're doing an out and back as it makes for a 14 mile day or longer.
I was glad the Chalet, that seemed so far away
was now within my grasp as I was out of water. Picture shows Vulture Peak with Vulture and Two Ocean Glaciers. There is one last little climb up some stairs and here you are, home for a couple nites. We got Room 6 that faces Heavens Peak at the front of the Chalet. I wish I could have enjoyed the moment a little longer, but I needed water. After clarifying that the water was potable, Deborah and I gathered our water containers to hike the quarter mile down and over to where we could get water. Once I filled one of my containers I guzzled a bunch of water and felt much better for the hike back up to the Chalet. There was a deer as I topped out, but it was not fazed by me.
Later that evening Professor Jeff Kuhn gave his geology presentation and it was great as usual. What I found interesting is some of the descriptions were also tied into my Joshua Tree trip this spring. He remembered me from the Ahern Pass workshop of 2021. After, despite the high winds, I wandered around the Chalet capturing the sunset in all directions.
Oh, I was able to get 5g when I was at the south side of the Chalet so I was able to touch base with a few folks and even do a couple Facebook posts. I really like this hike and as usual it didn't disappoint. So much reward with all the wildflowers and wildlife. Tibbermode is obviously posted here with 5 pages of photos https://hikearizona.com/photoset.php?ID=71077; I truly tried to filter. If you sign up for HAZ, you can avoid the ads and won't be hassled by hikearizona.com; the sign up is just to avoid ads. However, if you hike in Arizona and other areas, you can find lots of info there.
Including drive to the Park
to Haystack Butte
from Haystack Butte
to and at the Chalet including distant but zoomed views of glaciers
