Glacier Park Chat
Usually the 53 mile Loop is done in 6 days and 5 nights but the family thought 5 nights would be too much so our first two days covered what most do in three. Difficult, but doable.
Starting from Many Glaciers day one was a 13.7 mile hike with a 2,400 ft climb in the first 5.7 miles to the Ptarmigan Tunnel Pass. The view from the pass is most likely the best I have ever seen. Still 8 plus miles to camp and somewhat downhill made for a great but long day. We beat the expected rain into the Cosley camp site which was a big relief. The front was expected to pass quickly and bring cooler and clear days. More on that later.
During the descent to the camp it was obvious my daughter Morgan would need to bail and my son Travis agreed to guide her back on the second day. He was under the impression that they would have to retrace the 13.7 miles and climb the pass again (OMG!). The relief on his face when I told him he only had to follow the river valley trail for 8 miles to the nearest trailhead was priceless. Still they would have to hitch a ride from Customs back to the car nearly 30 miles away.
Day two was WET. The rain that started the prior evening around 11 and continued during the morning as we had breakfast. We went back to our tents to wait it out but by 11 it showed no signs of letting up. Packing up we redistributed the food and crew gear. I gave Travis $60 and told him where additional cash was stashed in the car. A hug from them and away they went down the valley trail. We would not know their fate for several days.
Pam and I were disappointed they had to bail but they had made one of the great hikes that Glacier has to offer in going up and thru the Ptarmigan Tunnel and had completed a 21 mile backpacking trip in 2 days. We were in high spirits as we hit the trail at 11:30 confident the rain would end soon. We had a long day of 10+ miles and 2,700 vertical the last 4.7 miles but on the bright side expected the waterfalls to be at a peak due to the rain.
However the rain did not stop as we approached the climb to Stoney Indian Pass. The stream crossings were difficult as the stepping rocks were under 6-8 inches of water. We did not bother with fording shoes as our boots (waterproof not!) were filled with water. We made the Stoney Indian campsite on the far side of the pass around 4:30 and setup in the pouring rain.
Close to being hypothermic we quickly ditched our wet clothes and dived into our down bags. We both had the shakes at first but warmed up. A very thoughtful young man checked on us twice to make sure we were okay. Seems we were not the only wet campers at this site.
Convinced the rain would stop that evening we ate Cliff bars and took naps hoping to cook a proper meal later. However it continued to rain all night. We awoke the next morning to a lighter rain and a lot of condensation dripping on our bags. The temp was in the low 50’s so that was a plus (forecast was for a big drop to the 30’s). We decided to make a PB&J sandwich for breakfast. It slowed to a light drizzle around 9 and we heard one group pack up and hit the trail. Moments after they left it poured!
FINALLY at 11am the rain stopped for good. We had been in our tent for 18 hours and it had been raining for the last 36. We packed up and had a warm dinner meal for lunch. We were joined by 4 other parties of which 3 had stayed 2 nights to avoid hiking in the heavy rain.
They were shocked Pam and I had come over the pass during the rainstorm due to the swelling of the creeks and slippery going. On the plus side a dozen or so high mountain creeks were now full of water and crashing down into Stoney Indian Lake, it was noisy!
We hit the descending trail at 1:30 enjoying the views as the sun broke out. We were now in the most remote part of Glacier and enjoyed the wild berries (thimble berries mostly) as we approached the valley bottom. We then had a 2,800 ft climb out of the valley but it was over 6 miles and very consistent. The views improved as we climbed and the wind and sun continued to dry us out.
We made camp at Fifty Mountain (named because you can see about 50 …) around 6:00 and spread out our wet gear. We had a great DRY evening and enjoyed the company of 6 young men from Indiana (24 to 35). They did an annual big hike and had a lot of great stories from other adventures. We all had a big laugh when we figured out they had left earlier that morning before the big down pour. They had followed our same route from Many Glaciers but had used 3 days instead of 2 to make it to Stoney Indian.
The next morning was cool but clear and dry. Having our first normal breakfast was a treat as was packing up almost dry gear. We made good time over day four’s hike which only had 1,500 vertical and was free of trees giving great views as made our way to Granite Park 11+ miles away. We passed 2 groups going the opposite way. We only passed 3 groups during the entire 5 day hike. I expect many trips were cancelled due to the persistent rain.
Pulling into Granite Park my concern for Travis and Morgan’s safety was at a peak. I had concerns about possible hypothermia or problems with the many river crossings they had back to the trail head at Customs. If they had no problems we expected no contact from the Park Rangers as this was the most likely first contact point they would make with us.
I grew tense as a Ranger approached us as we setup camp. I relaxed as he did not ask us our names and we shot the breeze about the rain and how badly it was needed (yeah but 36 HOURS!). We had another normal dinner and enjoyed the company of four “pro” backpackers. We felt like tenderfoot scouts on our first overnight trip with the troop! They gave us several ideas for next year (Windy Range, Titan Alps, Everest Advance Base Camp, etc). Still they gave us knowing smiles as we told them about the 36 hours of rain and 18 hours in the tent.
Day Five was the easiest day, 7.6 miles, 800 vertical up front and a spectacular 2,400 ft descent back to Many Glaciers via Swiftcurrent Pass. We breezed up the pass with packs free of food and almost dry boots. Incidentally I felt that wet socks actually were better for the descents having experienced this over drops totaling over 3,000 feet. The views were equal to Ptarmigan Tunnel Pass and the waterfalls coming from the Swiftcurrent Glacier and snowfields were beautiful.
We passed many day hikers and enjoyed lunch at a secluded waterfall. We proudly cruised into Many Glacier around 1:30 standing tall in our backpacks. I immediately found my daughter Morgan and gave her a deep hug, Travis was also safe, asleep in the SUV (okay on his computer). As we had dreamed about on the trail for the last few miles Pam and I both inhaled a large cup of delicious Huckleberry Yogurt from the park store while still wearing our backpacks.
As we rode back to our KOA cabin in St Mary everyone excitedly told their stories from the last five days. We capped the evening with a gigantic supper at the Park Café followed by delicious pie al la mode. That night I dreamed of our next adventure in Glacier.
