Friday
Another rest day before my trip out to Granite Park. I decided to drive out to Glacier’s Edge Cafe for breakfast, and search the Many Glacier road for bears while I was at it. No bears spotted today (it’s hard driving and looking too far up the hills - I usually rely on bear jams for spotting), but I do believe I saw a fox. Breakfast and coffee were quite good.
I took a short walk to Fishercap Lake, but no moose there today. I spent the afternoon at the Many Glacier Hotel - the smoke was quite thick and I couldn’t really stand sitting outside, so I grabbed a chair facing the windows in the lobby.
That afternoon the wind really picked up (it was a little disconcerting how many people came close to having body parts smashed in the doors leading outside). Eventually, the wind blew some of the smoke away, and I had a great view when leaving the hotel for the evening.
Saturday
I took the 7:30 am hiker’s shuttle from Swiftcurrent to the St. Mary Visitor Center. We got there after 8, and had to wait OVER AN HOUR for a GTTSR shuttle to pick us up. I knew it could take that long, but I still was hoping for an earlier start on the Highline, heading out to Granite Park.
The air on the east side of the divide was still clearer than previous days because of last night’s wind. I remember thinking it would have been a great day to do Piegan Pass as we passed Siyeh Bend. But as we approached Logan Pass, I could see the smoke was still really heavy on the west side of the divide.
Conditions on the Highline were not ideal, and I could tell that I was breathing in smoky air.
However, I still enjoyed the trail (especially the new parts past Haystack), and was surprised by some great colors. And I believe the trail was much less crowded than it would have been on a good weather day.
Because of the smoke, I passed on the Grinnell Glacier Overlook today. That’s my only real regret of this trip - because of the weather, I didn’t get another chance to go up there.
At the chalet, I was given room 20. It had a nice view of Swiftcurrent Lookout - I felt like it was mocking me - it looked so close. I also didn’t make it to the lookout. I was planning to hike up there on my way out, but it was obscured in the clouds on the morning I left, so I thought it best to save the hike for another trip.
I made a run to the water source. I had read a lot about how difficult it is to get water, but it was really no big deal. I filled all available containers and stuffed them in my pack (7 liters). It ended up being more than I needed for two days - I left probably 1.5l in my jug at the chalet.
I had pre-ordered all my food since I don’t have a larger pack. Tonight, I made the beef stew (the smaller of my two options), and it was pretty good.
It rained this evening, which made everyone happy. I didn’t get any sunset pictures.
Sunday
A cloudy morning also meant no sunrise pictures. But it was wonderful to finally have a smoke-free day again, and I set off on the trail to Ahern Pass around 8 am.
I was alone all the way to the pass, and then some, and it was really nice. On the way back, I passed one backpacker and a group of ladies from the chalet. I’m glad I didn’t tag up with them, because they got a much later start and didn’t think they’d make it to the pass. These goats wondered what I was doing in their territory.
The view from the pass was great. The wind was also great - I sat for maybe 15 minutes before I got too cold and needed to start moving again. It was nice sitting and watching the clouds roll over the mountains.
I got a brief drizzle of rain, and when I looked back on the trail, saw this neat rainbow.
On the way back, I FINALLY caught a glimpse of Heaven’s Peak, which had been hiding behind smoke and clouds until now.
I was back at the chalet by noon, where I sat to eat my trail-snack lunch and read my book. I had just decided to make the trek up to the Grinnell Glacier overlook, when I turned around and saw that a downpour was quickly approaching, and made the wise decision to stay inside. It poured and rained continuously all afternoon and evening (with thunder and lightning after I had gone to bed). Again, it was much needed and welcome.
Our coffee talk that night was given by the ranger working at the chalet whose job it is to make sure we had safe drinking water, and safe toilet facilities. It was definitely an interesting topic.
Again, no real sunset.
Monday
It had stopped raining but was still cloudy, and I got a brief glimpse of Swiftcurrent lit up.
It was a cold evening and morning, and I put on almost all of my clothes for the hike out. Overnight, I found that the provided blankets kept me warm enough, but other guests were too cold and had to put on hats and socks to keep warm. I hung around at the chalet a while waiting to see if the overcast sky would clear up - there was a patch of cloudless sky, but it didn’t seem to move.
I hiked out the Swiftcurrent Pass trail, glad it was open again after being closed for a few days because of a bear on the trail. Despite the low clouds, the views were still nice. Again, the downhill was easier than I thought it would be, though the strong wind did try to push me off the mountain a few times. I enjoyed watching the view of the lakes as I came down.
There was also some nice fall-like color.
And my first visit to Bullhead Lake - it was somehow nicer than I was expecting, but I didn’t stay long.
Required stops at Redrock Falls and Fishercap (again, no moose, but it was mid-day), even though I was anxious to eat lunch.
After lunch, I left Swiftcurrent for my “farewell tour” across the park, on my way to my hotel in Columbia Falls. I quickly came upon my final bear jam, for this parting bear sighting.
Along the GTTSR, the pullouts that had been closed due to the fire were now open (but still closed to foot traffic beyond the parking areas). The view from the Wild Goose Island overlook was clouded over, but I did get this nice view (better in person), that shows some of the fire damage.
Since my hike this morning was shorter than intended, I decided to stop one last time at Logan Pass and go to the Hidden Lake Overlook. Again, I contemplated heading down to the lake (next trip, I really must do this), but was ready for a shower and internet connection, and limited myself to the 3 miles RT.
A few stops for pictures along the road, and a farewell to the beach at Apgar (gorgeous afternoon here) before I drove out of the park.
I spent the night at the Travel Inn (formerly the Super 8 ) in Columbia Falls. It was not as nice as the in-park lodging, but the price was right. And it made for an easy early-morning drive to the airport the next day.
Glacier Park Chat