Wed. Oct. 5 to Oct. 12, 2005 Glacier hikes everyday for a week.
Canada, finally.
Woke up at 7AM and the wind was howling but the temperature was about 40F. I left the lake and headed for Running Eagle Falls, a sacred place for the Blackfeet, Southern Piegna Tribe. Running Eagle was a female warrior of great repute who came to the falls for vision quests. It was a quick walk from the parking lot to the falls. I noticed that the water was exiting from rock half way down the fall face and not from the river bed above as the picture at the trailhead showed. I couldn’t figure out where the water was coming from, and it was a significant amount. I climbed the gorge wall and followed the river up up. The river bed was dry and then I came across a small trickle of water entering the river bed. About one thousandth of what was coming through the opening in the rocks below. There must be a an underground stream feeding the fall at this time of year and then in the spring the river fills up from the mountain and provides a second source of water making for a very unique type of water fall. I can understand why the Indians have a reverence for this place.
Cooked breakfast in the parking lot, porridge, scrambled eggs and fried potatoes and a steaming mug of hot coffee. Read the final pages of Angela’s Ashes. Great book.
This was the end of my visit to Glacier Park. Leaving from a sacred place was somehow fitting. I too had visions of what lay ahead of me. More sleeping on the road. Job search. Decisions. I would miss my daily hikes and the healthy lifestyle. My face was nice and brown, as were my legs because I hike with the pant legs safety pinned up most of the time. I was surprised that I could hike day after day without needing a rest between. I had just covered more than fifty miles in three days. My diet was very basic and yet I had the stamina for all the situations encountered including the cold and duress.
The ankle that had been broken almost a year ago gave me no signs of discomfort no did the steel plate attached. A could feel a difference between it and the good ankle but it was a minor feeling.
So total collateral damage in three months of being on the road, one lost glove. No injuries, illness or malaise. I remember having written previously ‘It’s a great life if you don’t weaken.’ I hadn’t weakened in fact I felt a self confidence, an inner strength that comes from knowing more about oneself and the reality of the world, especially the natural worlds. I was well prepared for the next stage of journey and my life.
I would now head north to Alberta via the Chief Mountain Hiway. The border crossing on the Hiway into Canada is closed so I have to redirect to Cardston.
Crossed the border without a murmur. Declared my hiking boots and binocular and was waved through.
Cardston is an interesting hamlet in the middle of beef and other farming country; It was first settled by Charles Card who brought the Mormon settlers from Utah into Canada. His original log home built in 1897 is still standing and beautifully maintained. I had a genuine Alberta beef sirloin steak in the Cahoon Hotel café. Delicious and well priced.
Tuesday Oct 11, 2005
I was parked on the Looking Glass Hiway on a logging road. I woke to the sound on workmen on the Hiway a few yards below me estimating the potential for avalanches. Engineers with hard hats were scrambling up embankment and shouting down to the fellows on the road the details.
I needed water for my hike and drove to Kiowa, a very small community at the Junction with Hiway 89. There is a convenience store and café all under one roof and a number of cabins all around the junction. The sign on the door said closed but a head appeared in an upstairs window and asked me what I needed and said he would be down in a minute. I ended up speaking to Larry for two hours, .He is the proprietor and hid wife teaches and two of his children are still living at home. We covered a whole gamut of topics. HE recommended two books to me: The World is Flat by Tom Freeman and Camping by Colin Fletcher.
Larry and have two remarkable sons, one in high school and the other gong to Missoula University on a 4 year scholoarship. Larry described activities the boys have been involved in. I should mention the Kiowa is a town on the Blkackfeet Indian Reservation. The population of Kiowa is 4. That’s Larry, wife and two sons. They are a minority in this area. About 3%. The boys go to Indian school and the question of prejudice might be a factor in the school system. However, both boys have done remarkably well fitting in their environment and taking leadership roles in the school and community. I enjoyed sharing ideas with Larry. He provided me with a complimentary coffee and a home baked rhubarb muffin that his Sue makes; it was fabulous.
Larry mentioned that Grizzlies travel through the area and a few weeks ago one killed a cow on his property of 350 acres. It came back to the carcass every day for four days to feed and then would leave. It was observed by the Park Rangers but no interfered with.
I wish I could have stayed longer to talk. Larry’s business is up for sale should anyone be interested in living in the country and meeting lots of people.
I drove to Two Medicine and parked the car at the lake head. There were many construction crews working on the campsite on various tasks. My destination was Pitamaken Pass and the travel along the Continental Divide for about three miles if conditions permitted and descend at Dawson’s Pass and come through the Valley along ….Lake. Total estimated mileage 17.0 miles. I left at 11.30 AM about two hours later than I would have liked however, I could just do the Pitamakan Pass and return on the same path and it would be a 13.5 mile trip. Elevation rise 2400 feet. Like climbing the CN tower in Toronto twice and coming back down the same distance. Note for these trips I carry a backpack weighing about 15 ponds, with a complete change of clothing, lights and lots of food and emergency supplies. My boots weigh a total of four pounds, so there is quite a lot of effort involved in moving all this uphill.
The trial wound its way through beautiful forest an meadows resplendent in fall colors. The grasses were a rich golden yellow and red berries and leaves dotted the landscape.
A number of the back country campsite had been closed due to the bears being very active in this area. In addition to the typical signage that said bears could kill you additional notices had been placed that the bears were very active on this trail. This meant digging into my repertoire of songs to scare them off.
It took me three hours of steady climbing, with the past few miles zig zagging up the mountain in about 6 inches to a foot of snow. It was a long steady slug, And then wow! Looking back down the valley was beautiful. Now a half mile along the pass to the Pitamakan Lookout over the Continental Divide. This meant walking along the flat of the Pass which was shale rock and then climbing up the side another mountain for half a mile in deep snowdrifts. The paths was not discernable and the one signpost had I presumed been on a 45 degree angle because it pointed over the edge of a cliff to reach the Outlook. I pulled my trail map out but it was to general to be off much help. I could not afford time and precious energy trasping though deep snow and not knowing where I was going. The map said I had to go around a mountain to get to the Dawson Pass trail. I headed up the edge of the mountain through the drifts. I slip and death – no kidding. I would slide into the lakes below right off the slopes if I lost my footing in the snow. I dug in deep and traversed the side of the amounting. And then I was on the edge of the Continental Divide. The mountains made a huge oval around an enormous valley about 7, 000 feet below. One could see the hiking trail outline at the summit of each mountain as they followed the divide for miles. I looked in the direction of Dawson Pass and couldn’t see my trail past the rock shelf I was standing on. I got out the compass. It pointed south across a snow covered slope. My path was beneath the snow. No other travelers had gone before me since the snow. This was very disconcerting. The trail was a goat track about a hundred feet below a ridge top. About a mile away I could see what looked like a trail appear briefly and disappear under snow again. I looked for signs of where to begin and found a solitary set of goat footprints launch into the snow. No rocks, ledges or markers just footprints. I placed my feet in the goat tracks. Absolute madness. The snow was 3 to 6 feet deep. It was like walking on air. The drops were 60 degree angles. The goat seemed to know there was a path under the snow and the many adjustments in direction made sense but no visible markers. I dug my boots deep into the impression left by the goats. I walked with my body almost at the angle of the slope and used my knees as extra support and proceeded to cross the mountain sideways. Every step was draining my energy. Wind was cold but not too strong thank goodness.
I needed gloves on my hands to provide extra support but I had unfortunately lost one glove somewhere on the trail. So I took my binoculars case and wrapped it around one hand and continued to drive my hands into the snow for additional support. So I had six points of contact with the snow. I needed every one of them. About half a mile of this and suddenly the resemblance of a rocky pathway appeared for a few yards and then disappeared again. Time was really against me. My 2.5 mile an hour average was dropping to one mile and hour and this would mean walking through 7 miles of forest in the dark. Not good. I hadn’t stopped to each lunch but know that I would need extra energy. Larry didn’t have bread at the store so I bought a small box of chocolate cookies from him – a treat for me. I had packed a jar of peanut butter for protein and here I was trying to dip the cookies into jar and eat on the slope. It worked. I finished of with a big hunk of Swiss cheese and a whole tomato.
It took me over two hours to cover the three and a half miles of goat path. Luckily the goat went to Dawson Pass. I learned not to deviate one iota from the steps the goat took. If I was one inch below its footprint I would often fid no footing in the snow and find myself in a precarious situation. I learned quickly. If I went to high I would sink unnecessarily deep in the snow and it would take far too much energy to pull out.
When I reached what should have been Dawson Pass there was no sign or it was buried beneath deep snow drifts. One had to climb off the continental Divide Paths onto the pass which was around a hundred feet wide. Flat shale ledge. To do this meant navigating small cliffs down. Very time consuming and scary. One onto the wide ledge I looked for the path down into the valley. Too much snow. I thought perhaps I needed to past another mountain along the continental Divide – I could see an outline of a path on the ridge. However, my instincts and timing said I should be heading down now. I checked the map. The lakes below looked in size as the ones on the map. One was called No Name Lake. And I was on top of No Sign Ridge. There was too much snow to figure out where the path down began. The ledge was about a quarter of a mile or more long. I started on a guess. Deep snow and rocks. Not navigable. Then I noticed fresh human footprints going up across my path. Some else was lost and looking. I made a decision. The valley was below, many thousands of feet. It is forbidden to leave the trails in the park system because of the damage that footprints can do the fragile fauna and
And alpine and sub alpine plants. ground. However, one to two of snow should provide some protection to the fragile fronds so I zig zagged down a steep slope that was not precipitous as had been the other side. About three hundred yards down I came across the same footprints that I had seen earlier. The hiker did exactly the same thing that I did. He couldn’t find the path and headed straight down the slope. I wondered where he had come from? If he had come up from the valley he should know the path. Perhaps he had come from another pass ahead of me. I followed his path down and the prints suddenly ended. There was a twenty foot cliff. I climbed down the cliff very carefully, nice sandstone ledges and saved myself a few more hundred yards walking. . And there I was on a snow covered path heading downhill. I was overjoyed. I had an hour of daylight left and only 5 miles to go. There would be some walking through dark woods tonight. Better than being stuck in the snow at the top of a mountain which had seemed a reality an hour ago. I had mentally prepared for that eventuality. I decided that to sleep high up in a snow drift I would be safe from grizzlies and mountain lions. I could put on my entire set of spare clothes, the ones I carried if I got wet, and I could make a windbreak out the poncho.
The trek through the woods was uneventful other than having to change my socks. I didn’t have gators on and a lot of snow got into the boots. At one point I thought I had caught up with another hiker which was a bit of a relief because I heard quite a lot of whistling coming out of the woods. But, I realized the whistling was coming from the woods to my right. Accompanying the whistling were wolf like howls. Whistling and howling .I would have to find out what was making these sounds when I speak to a Ranger.
There were more path specific bear warnings. These were encased in two pieces of Lexan bolted together and then affixed to the post with U-bolts. This is so the bears don’t rip the signs down and that way trap the unsuspecting tourists. I sang louder still.
Oh, I ran into a moose half way down. I was singing, ‘She’ll be coming round the mountain when she comes’ at full bore and there about 6 feet off the path is a large moose without a rack. The singing didn’t disturb it but the sight of me did and it headed quickly into the forest. Darkness arrived and I put on my headlight with the white LED shining ahead onto the path. By 7.50 PM I was at the car, relieved and exhilarated. The hike took a total of 8 and a half hours and with the extra distances I covered about 18 miles. A good day.
Supper was butter beans, cabbage, mashed potatoes and tuna made into a casserole. Delicious. A can of mandarin’s oranges for dessert. The moon shone brightly, the stars were out in a clear sky. The wind had picked up quite a bit and it was time to wrap up the day. One of the most exhilarating days of my life.
Monday. Oct. 20, 2005
I decided to hike the Going To the Sun Road. It is rated as one of the world’s most spectacular scenic Hiways. The road was closed earlier this year because of avalanches and snow drifts. However, I was able to drive up to the 14 mile point and park the car and climb over the gate, apparently an acceptable practice. My destination was Logan Pass visitor Centre which was also closed, but a good viewing area, and then hike a trail from there on the Hidden Lake Trail. Round trip for both hikes 13 miles.
It was uncanny walking on the road. No traffic and no other hikers. The climb was nice and gradual and the mountain to the front and side were covered in snow. Avalanches trails could be seen clearly on the slope which had been stripped bare. I did the bear calls because both sides of the road were dense forests.
The road went up the side of the mountain in long straight stretches with sudden acute turns. The valley below was covered in thick stands of Lodgepole Pine. Waterfalls were everywhere and a river ran through the valley. The valley was immense and stretches fro miles with various mountains jutting up from the floor. One could see very faint paths along some of the mountains, hiking trails. I stopped dong bear calls because the road dropped off into the valley on one side and rock cliffs bordered the other. Relief.
The road went through the side of the mountain at one point and the tunnel was about 150 yards long. I sang Ave Maria and the acoustics made me sound like Mario Lanzo. Past the tunnel there was a couple of inches of snow and the wind was howling. I had been down to undershirt on the way up, now I was in full winter gear. Windbreaker, rain jacket, toque and gloves and hood up. Avalanche rocks were strewn on the road and on one part half the road was buried. The rocks made divots in the asphalt when they landed. And on the valley side quite a few sections of road had washed away. I could see orange road pylons hundreds of yards below looking like arms with red sweaters on sticking out from between rocks.
The snow sowed that a cyclist had been up here and a pedestrian. I gauged the day before. And right along their tracks were those of a big black or brown bear, all the way up to the Visitor centre The bear had come up an incredibly long slop from the valley and was using to the road to get the higher ground.
I went past the visitor about half a mile and this put me through the pass. I sat on the observation platform that gave me a spectacular view of the downside of the valley between the Garden Wall on the north side of the Hiway and Mount Clements on the side I was on. I had lunch on the platform and spent time identifying landmarks where I had hiked previously. The Grinnell Glacier, yesterdays hike was on the other side of the Garden Wall. This area is also part of the Continental Divide. With binoculars I could see my hike destination from two days ago the Swift Current Lookout. Driving distances from the points were about 50 miles but because of the elevation, I was at about 6000 feet one got a good perspective. One could certainly appreciate why this road get millions of tourists every year. I was very happy to have walked it and got a more intimate feel of valleys without having to stop the car every five minutes at the various lookouts. And how many motorists can stop in the tunnels and starts singing. Precious moments.
Now back to the Visitor Centre and a hike across frozen wastes to Hidden Lake. !.5 miles one way. The snow was deep but had a hard crust. I followed the footsteps of yesterday’s solitary hikes. A nice steady climb in open spaces and then a hair raising few hundred feet on a very steep slope of sheer ice. One had to punch in the ice to get a footing and move along one step at a time. I think it must have rained on snow and then frozen. The drop was only a hundred feet but could have been nasty because of the rock outcrops.
Finally over the top of the crest of the pass and there was Hidden Lake, thousands of feel below absolutely sparkling and shimmering in the sunlight. Reynolds Mountain was to the left and this is a stunning mountain; so this a few glaciers as a backdrop made for a memorable view. To the right was another long valley flanked by the mountains and these were on the west side of the Glacier Perk and had virtually snow.
I dried out my clothing sitting on the ledge of the Visitors Centre out of the wind and it must have been 70F. I stripped down and sunbathed.
The walk back to the car was great. Two Big Horn sheep let me take pictures and also a female Elk which plodded in front of me for about a mile before she went into the bush. Numerous white woolly goats dotted the mountain sides. This was the first hike on which I did not meet another soul. Hard to fathom why more people wouldn’t walk the road.
On the way back to St. Mary I stopped twice to photograph large herds of Elk that were grazing on long grasses across from St. Mary’s Lake. They come down from their mountain habitat for the winter. I still find it difficult to think that people hunt these majestic creatures for sport.
Onto Two Medicine for the next adventure. Sun, snow and wind burned I retired a happy camper on the Looking Glass Hiway.
Sunday Oct. 9, 2005
Highlights. Grinnell Glacier 12 mile + hike round trip. 2 more grizzly bears, 2 Big Horn Sheep.
Restless sleep for unknown reasons. I was quite tired from the hike but woke a number of time thorough the night. I was very hot in the sleeping bag even though it was below 32F outside. Started the day with a cooked breakfast and made my hike lunch up. Lots of fruit and sandwiches. I had heard there was snow on the paths near the glacier so I packed a change of clothing. I wore a track suit which was light and wind proofed.
Phoned Kate, Nancy and Ed in Milwaukee. Kate is hostessing their Canadian Thanksgiving and the two friends are visiting her for the weekend. I said I missed being with them because we have enjoyed many a Thanksgiving together as group including our respective family members. I phone Debbie, another one the group and wished her a happy thanksgiving.
The sky was almost cloudless so views should be good. The trail head started into the woods going past a couple of lakes. There was a large lodge on one of the lakes, but closed for the season. The trail opened up onto the side of the foothills of the mountain and rose steadily, making a steep climb. I could see all the way up to a glacier. About half way three young people obviously very excited said they had just surprised two large grizzly bears on the path. They sowed me pictures one had taken. I asked how the bears acted; they said the bears were just as surprised as the trio and quickly hurried further up the path. Another couple who had been walking following the trio saw the bears and decided they didn’t wan to go any further. I asked more questions as to the bear’s behavior and direction. The path at this point was a few thousand feet up and very narrow with some sharp drops. Not a good place to evade anything .single file hiking for a while with lots of sharp turns around rock outcrops. Did not look good. I asked the trio where they were from. The two men were from Chicago and Denver and the young lady was from Georgia. They were working for the National Park service for the summer. I weighed up their reaction the facts and my desire to finish the walk. I had no desire to meet the bears on the path. I told the trio what my car looked liked and help themselves to anything they wanted if I didn’t make it back.
I pulled out my pepper, increased the frequency and amplitude of my bear call and continued up the path. There were a lot of blind nerve wracking curves. I stopped more frequently on the turns and hollered. Apparently the trio had been making lots of noise too but the wind was carrying it in the wrong direction. This was also the least favorable condition for the pepper spray. It would come right back at me if I sprayed it and have minimal impact on the bear. I continued for about a mile and then a rock cut appeared. The first time I could see anything but sort lengths of path. And lo and behold about a hundreds yards up the slope above the path were two big grizzly bears busy digging up something from the ground. I continued my bear holler to test their reaction. There was no reaction which meant even at that short range the sound was being carried off and so was my scent. I took a chance and continued quietly along the path hoping I could far enough ahead of the bears to be able to see them coming. There were lots of avenues they could use. Along the top of the rock cut, through the trees or back down the path and catch up with me. They can travel at30 MPH so I needed a good head start. The glacier area was about half a mile ahead, but a steep climb first up a slope. I couldn’t see well enough fro the slope to see the bears so I climbed a 100 foot high shale ridge. Wind was howling up there but I could see all paths except for a wooded area. No bears. I dropped a few feet down the ridge found a rock to sit on, out of the wind and really enjoyed my salami and cheese sandwiches.
The glacier was lie being on the moon. Frozen lakes of water with icebergs I them and shorelines of ice walls. The ground in front of the glacier was a beautiful sandstone colour. The mountain cliffs rose a thousand feet out of the glacier, sheer and jagged at the top and snow covered. Awe inspiring.
The area was about half a mile wide and I trekked along the shore of the frozen lake carefully picking substantial looking rocks. There were many small frozen ponds on the visible at the sides of my path and I hoped there were surprise holes under the snow. I made it to the sign that warned that going beyond this point was dangerous. Drilled into the rock was a survey marker but they hadn’t inscribed the height. I had seen a sign earlier that said that the glacier was at 2046 metres.
I watched small birds dipping their heads into the icy water at the waterfalls that ran from the frozen lake. The wind was about 40 MPH and probably never lets up. I presumed these birds to be dippers. There were lots of footprints of small animals around the rocks. The glacier looked vary dangerous in pars with large crevasses. I noticed that another person had visited the area recently and I wondered why I hadn’t seen them. The prints were fresh so I followed them down the path past three rock urns that had been developed by climbers. I had scanned again for the bears and could not see them However, surprise I found their footprints coming up the mountain in the snow and meeting the other person who I had not seen. That means that the bears followed my foot steps at some point. I started my bear call proceeded down the slope toward the trees. On the first bend I found a lady scanning the slopes. She had the two grizzlies in her sights about two hundreds yards away. One big brown and one dirty colored yellow for with a dark patch on his hump. The same to bears I had seen earlier. We watched them and the lady proceed down the path. She had been watching them for about an hour while I was exploring the glacier. They had heard me hollering and moved farther down the slope in response the noise.
I caught up with the lady about twenty minutes down the slope and continued to walk down to the trailhead chatting. Her mane is Mary and she is the Superintendent of trails for the park. I told her how impressed I was with the location and condition of the trial –which falls under her jurisdiction. She said the most difficult par of the job is getting adequate funding for maintenance. Presently the Iraq war is resulting in a 20% cut to park budgets. I asked Mary, who had followed me up the trail, and who had also been advised by the young trio of the bears ahead, if she had been worried. She said o, she comes out to see the bears and is familiar with these two and their habits. She has been in the park service for thirty years and has never had a bad experience. She mentioned the couple who had been mauled a few weeks ago on this very path. She said that they had probably run into bears that were traveling and the couple had surprised them. We discussed favorite places we had visited in Glacier and in the State of Wyoming. I told her that I had driven thousands of miles in the Big Horn Mountains, the Big Horn Canyon, the Big Horn Gorge and the list goes on, and I had not even seen one Big horn Sheep. Before she had time to respond two Big Horn sheep were standing 10 yards away from us above the trail. I was ecstatic and bewildered. This is unbelievable, I said. How on earth in the very instant I am telling her my story can two magnificent rams show up? It’s called mathematical probability but for me it was just a great big coincidence.
I decided to do a hike in another part of the park the next day so I drove south to St. Mary’s Campground, made a delicious meal and slept in a small grove of Silver birch trees. I t was very windy and the small twigs kept breaking off the trees and hitting the car.
Sat . Oct 8, 2005
Chatted with Cathy and Larry from Kalispell about their experiences in the park then set off on my hike. They had a great grizzly come right into campsite. Larry had a business card with the bear’s photographs as the background.
Swift Current Pass was the destination and the Granite Park Chalet if I had time. 15 mile total both ways and a steep 2400 foot climb in the last third of the hike. Started off following a series of lake on an easy gradual slope into a dead end canyon. Took pictures of a mother moose and her young one. They totally ignored my bear calls. The trail went through a lot of dense brush and I sung, clapped and made hooting noises so as not to disturb a bear, especially one that might be sleeping on the path. This was a piece of information provided by Bill. Bears like to sleep in the day time and the ‘crash’ anywhere they want to. Because all animals use the trails the hiker’s do it is not unusual to fond one sleeping on the paths. They don’t like to be surprised or woken out of their sleep – I suppose that’s the same thing. Then they get nasty.
The path out of the canyon to the pass was a zig zag goat uphill trail and it disappeared into snow. some where up the mountain. The climb was a steady slog but the fun part was where small avalanches had wiped out the goat path. One had to clamber over loose rocks and shale. There was absolutely no room for error. If one slipped on the shale it was a thousand foot sheer drop or very steep slope. Managed to navigate over two of those and then the path, which is only one to two feet wide was buried under a series of snow drifts with the snow hanging over the edge of the precipice. The drifts were up to four foot deep and about 10 feet long. The only way to traverse the path at these points was to push ones foot into the snow and deep as it would go and get a balance on one leg and then do the same with the other leg. Any loss of balance would result in tumbling down the mountain. There is no exaggeration in this account. It was with utmost concentration that I had plan and then execute the moves to make it through the drifts. On one side of the path were sheer walls of craggy rocks. Where possible I held ledges to get balance. Because the path was going up and around a mountain the wind would howl as I turned a corner.
I finally made it off the zig zags and found myself in a winter wonderland. Of frozen snow. It festooned the treed and hid the rocks. Other than tiny tufts of grass pocking up here and then it was sheet ice and still going up. I lost the trail a number of time and wasted time and energy backtracking. Snow drifts up to four feet made going slow. I finally decided to follow the running stream up the mountain and came across small glacial ponds. I finally could see where the pass went through to mountain walls and was rewarded once again with a spectacular view of the Livingston Range and many other mountains across a deep valley. I decided head for the Granite Lodge but had to hurry because the climb up had taken me 4 hours. The lodge and a few outbuildings was perched on a cliff and afforded magnificent views.
And lo and behold who should I meet at the Granite Park Chalet, three intrepid travelers Julie, Eric and Russ. And what a warm welcome they gave me. They had hiked in from the Sun Road and traveled just a few miles. A much easier route. They now my route, having done it before and they encouraged me to start heading home soon. So I left them at 4.30PM with about two and a half hours before dark. I definitely had to get into the valley and off the mountain before nightfall. I was going to climb to the Swift Current Lookout Tower but it was a torturous slope and covered in deep snow drifts. I wisely decided to give it a pass. The first part of the climb to the pass was up hill and through the winter wonderland it was flat for a short distance and then the descent. I stopped to eat an orange and there about 6 feet in front of me were 6 White Ptarmigan. They were feeding on the tufts of grasses and flowers pocking through the snow. They looked at me with curiosity but not fear so I was able to get a get photo of them with the valley and lakes thousand of feet below. I also took pictures of a glacier to my left and the reflection of clouds I a glacial pond a few hindered feet below me. I looked up at the Lookout Station hundreds of feet above me on Swift Current Mountain with a small tinge of regret. I would have liked to meet the challenge of climbing up there, but with the drifts if could have taken hours. Julie had mentioned their friend used to be a look out at the tower and was in it when forest fires were raging on the mountain. There was the danger she could be asphyxiated by the smoke. Apparently they didn’t rescue her and she survived.
Friday Oct. 7, 05
Slept in till 8AM even though I lights out had been 10PM night before. Was woken up a number of times through the night by torrential downpours which pounded on the roof of the car like a tin drum. The rain didn’t let up with daylight so I decided to drive to the one horse village of Babb and get a cooked breakfast at the Supper Club. I was greeted by a cherry welcome from the owner, Bob Burns – I was mistaken thinking the owner was the man who had sent me across the street a couple of days before for my hamburger. Bob and a couple of locals were chatting about the problems of the world. Naturally I quickly added my two cents worth and ended recommending they read Noam Chomsky’s literature on treaties and how they establish the basis for world politics. Bob said he and his people were experts on broken treaties and didn’t have much faith in them. I asked Bob about his business. He has been in this location for thirty five year and is very busy in the summer. At this time he does banquets and weddings. The café which is considered a separate business serves breakfast daily and may start to stay open all year round. I brought my laptop in to show Bob what I had written about my earlier experience with one of the staff. He invited me to go upstairs and look around the restaurant. I welcomed the opportunity and took photos of some of the remarkable surroundings including the sculpture of the Indian buffalo jump. The tables were set for a function that evening and looked inviting. Each place setting had a story about Bob’s and his wife’s native family history. Moonshine run by a grandfather provided the seed money for further business development.
The breakfast was superb. I chose the corn beef hash and eggs. Big portions including chunky hash browns (not the stringy kind) which were nicely spiced, and thick slices of toasted wheat bread washed down with unlimited mugs of coffee and real cream. At $7.95 plus coffee. I chatted with Mike the chef and he told me of his love for cooking and experimenting with new ideas. I gave him a written list of some of my favorite cookbooks and food related books and a suggestion that he try making some Borscht soup, something he had not heard of.
Suggestions:
Much to do about dinner - Margaret Visser's
Higher taste Hindu (Hare Krishna) cookbook which has a fabulous 5 nut meatloaf recipe.
Smithstonian Institute cookbook that describes many recipes those immigrants brought with them and how they adapted them to North American foods – e.g. baked Raccoon and Sauerkraut,
Wild food cookbooks for locally adapted recipes for a region.
So remember, if you go Bob’s don’t forget to ask for Borscht soup and oh yes their very famous Montana steak with Bob’s own secret recipe sauce.
The drive back to campsite was eventful. A crowd of a dozen or so serious photographers, all had tripods, telephotos and even space telescopes were shooting a big grizzly bear on a slope about a hundred yards above the road. It totally ignored the throng on the road and the coming and going of cars. It was wearing a collar to which was attached a radio signal device so the Rangers could track the bear. Sort of a Martha Stewart renegade no doubt. I wondered what it had done to deserve such an ignominious ‘status’ symbol. Probably raiding the camper ‘stock’ piles.
I chatted with Kelly the hiker I had met before and she let me use her 4 oz. Zeus binoculars. Spectacular clarity. She told me the Ranger’s had fitted a dozen wolverine with radio devices. We chatted about the hike up to Ptarmigan Tunnel and she described the ordeal she gone through in the snow. Due to operations on her hands she was unable to use her hands to support herself from falling in the deep snow and had to use her elbows and body. No wonder she was so wet yesterday after coming down the mountain. She and Rick are camping for a month in this region. I promised her I would send Dick’s list of survival equipment for serious hikers.
I drove on a few hundred yards and studied a river basin and spotted a giant brown bear that was a big as a grizzly. He walked in and out of the river and up a slope feeding on the ways. A group of Merganser ducks swimming in the river gave him a wide berth. Got a half a dozen good photographs.
Drove to the Grinnell Glacier trailhead another hundred yards down the road and studied the grassy slopes that rose for miles both high and wide on Apikuni Mountain. 9068 feet. Using my binoculars I spotted an adult grizzly directly in front of me about a hundred yards away. A younger bear came and went but I lost sight of it. Again some good photographs. Then half way up the mountain, just very small shapes with the binoculars and impossible to see without I spotted a herd 30 + of Big Horn sheep, distinct with their white rumps. This was my first real sighting in 1000’s of miles in Bighorn country. This side of the mountain provides shelter and food year round and gets very little snow.
It was now noon and even though there was some sunshine to the east train clouds were still above all the mountains and visibility was be very poor in the valleys so I decided to stay in the car and write and then go wildlife spotting which seemed to be a common activity in this valley. I think most of the people still camping are all serious photographers. The lodges are all closed and the motels in Babb didn’t look as though they had many customers.
Score card now reads 6 grizzlies and two Brown bears plus the assortment of goats and sheep. I am a happy camper, although I must admit seeing the bears in the distance doesn’t have quite the same impact as meeting them on the path. But, I honestly hope that I don’t meet any more on the path having seen the size of them. The words dangerous and unpredictable stay with me. Definitely not worth the risks. A couple I met on the path to St. Mary’s falls had a small dog on a leash – not recommended in all the literature provided by the Park. I told them I had seen the grizzly tracks. The man said, “Oh, it would be fun to see a bear in the wild.” I hope the bear makes a wise choice culinary choice and spares the dog.
The camper animal patrols are out in force. I am parked in a choice viewing spot and the same cars keep going by me but not stopping. My strategy pays off. I read a bit and then scan the mountain slopes. I spot three grizzly bears a few hundred up the slopes. They look similar to the trio that I saw yesterday miles away to the west. So they are now 5 in general vicinity today.
By 3PM the clouds had thickened and all the mountains disappeared and the rain was incessant. I put my big wool jacket and toque on to save running then engine and started office paperwork. I am culling files and making decisions about various types of information we gather over long periods and the best was
I would like to spend a moment talking about my general state. It is good. 11 weeks on the road. At least two of the meals a day cooked on campfire. Out in all weathers. No idea of what is going to happen in the future. Health very good. Not even a sniffle, cough or sore throat. Energy level very high.
While typing a young couple came along and I asked what they were doing walking in the rain. The young lady replied and from her accent I said I know because you are British. Nel and her partner Mat were on a driving tour through Montana and Wyoming. And would you believe that Mat was from my hometown of Eastbourne, England. Went to Cavendish School, I had gone to Ratton. His father is a Professor at Brighton University. I had gone to Brighton Tech. which is now part of that University. Mat works for Norig,,,,,, Insurance. I was in the process of asking where Nel works, she has a degree in Ecology, but she had to get back to their car because her lips were turning blue in the wind. It was so gracious of them to stand out in the cold and exchange stories with me.
As I said, the bear patrol was in full force, and Bill rolled up in a truck and asked me if I had spotted anything. I gave my report and in turn told me about the ‘Bear nuts’ that inhabit the park in addition to the bear. These people are similar to the people who follow tornadoes. They are a fraternity. At this and many other parks they spots bears, the follow them, they report to each other any thing and everything they can about the bears they have sighted. While Bill and I were chatting about bears and his career another regular announced that he had called the Ranger office about a small fire that was giving off a lot of smoke up one the mountains. It may have been a distress signal. Rangers were dispatched to investigate. About 6 weeks ago and father and daughter had been mauled by a grizzly in that area and the bear had not been killed. It was now dark and I left Bill to go and cook my supper. Lovely home made tomato soup with fresh vegetables and meat stew.
Thurs. Oct. 6, 2005
Today was the day. I say this in retrospect because I had no idea it would be such an absolutely brilliant day. Had a long sleep from 9PM to 8AM. Last night I read for an hour from Angela’s Ashes with my new infra red headlamp and was pleased with both the book and its illumination. Breakfast was nutritious and my packed lunch had me longing for that part of the day. My planned hike was a leisurely 10 miler to Iceberg Lake with a possible add on of 5 miles to Ptarmigan Tunnel and pass. I wanted time to use the binoculars and really get to know the terrain without trying to maintain averages. This schedule also meant I could enjoy my breakfast, clean and tidy the car and come home to a nice environment.
The first mile took me through bush and then onto a trail on which one side was rock ledges and great meadows rising up to the bottom of the soaring cliffs. There were clumps of bushes scattered across the meadows and the vast open spaces made it easier to spot animals. However, easy is not the right word because the range of visibility stretched for miles so one had to be vigilant and thorough in scanning the terrain. This meant frequent stops, something that is not consistent with the average hiker’s aims. Most hikers average about 2 MPH. I try and maintain 3 MPH.
About a mile on the trek I met Bob Chinn who looked as though he was going to do a documentary. He had a large professional movie camera, a sort of CBC model and a tripod. I asked if I would see any of his work published. He laughed and said in a year or so on the internet. Bob new the Glacier area very well and said he was on an easy hike that day and focusing on filming. We both scanned the meadows and within seconds Bob picked out three objects which he said could be rocks or bears. I checked with my binoculars and by that time the rocks were moving and we were watching a hug Grizzly bear with 2 year old cubs foraging. They traveled quite quickly and closer to us. Luckily they were a few hundred yards up the mountain slope and a layer of heavy brush separated us. We watched the cubs follow the mother until she stopped by various foods sources. The mother had a huge hump on her back and the body hair around the hump was that of the fall coloured grasses. The babies had similar markings. We watched a while. I took a few shots with the digital on zoom and left Bob to do the serious photography.
The rest of the five mile hike was pleasant and interesting. Sun was shining and temperatures were about 50F. There was day old snow on the trail and a mountain lion had left tracks, as had a Grizzly. I became more fervent in my delivery of “She’ll be coming round the Mountain when she comes.” I could see the mountain lion had been stalking small game and hunter and hunter prints disappeared into the bush. Then the bush opened up onto a mountain side which gave me clear visibility down the slopes. I should mention I was surrounded by peaks of mountains in every direction and I was in the valley. Then on the path were large ‘dumpings’ of partially digested orange berries at about hundred yard intervals. Another sign of bear, but Black Bear cleaning out it’s intestines before hibernation. I could see the berries were being picked on this path. I was vigilant. But nothing appeared and I arrived at Iceberg Lake in a howling snowstorm with clouds swirling over the mountaintops. The snow died down but the wind didn’t and I sat on a rock looking at an amphitheatre of mountains surrounding me. The lake was pretty blue even without sun on the water. My enjoyment of a sandwich was suddenly disrupted by a loud crack like a rifle shot, followed by thunder and an avalanche launched down cliffs to my left. I managed to get a shot of the snow clouds. I didn’t think there was enough snow on these almost vertical cliffs, however, the areas one looks at is so vast that large fir trees look like matchsticks. And because these are glacial deposits the snow can be covering crevices that are hundreds of feet deep. Two more eruptions occurred in the next thirty minutes. Other than the cold, a beautiful spot.
I went back on the same path and made lots of noise and there it was, the intestine cleanser. Just about 100 feet ahead of me a few feet down the slop from the path, my path, a big black bear. It had heard my singing and stopped eating and was sniffing the air. It didn’t pick up my scent and by this time I was silent. I took a few pictures as it ambled from bush to bush eating the orange berries. I was stuck. I needed to go past the bear. I risked getting its attention. I hid behind a fir tree and my whooping bear noise. The bear immediately ran up the slope to the path. Now I had to reveal my presence so that it wouldn’t run toward me. By this time the bear was on the path, stood on its hind legs, sniffed, and saw me. I raised my arms and made a V with them to make myself look bigger. The bear bolted along the path away from me. I gave it about a minute and followed. I took pictures of its fresh prints and kept making the whopping noises. I found a stream gulley which was its obvious escape route. Great moment. Both bear and I live to tell the tale. I had been practicing all morning how to draw the pepper spray from its Velcro holster and not get flustered. I was very happy to have seen 4 bears today and still have $35 worth of spray (7 ounces) in the can.
Now who do you think was watching all this? Two familes of goats. One group was brown and the others had fluffy beautiful white fur. The male of the latter group had four prongs coming out of his head. I must avoid getting in front of him. Luckily they stayed on the ledges about 75 feet above the path.
I was doing on my timing and decided to hike another five mile return to Ptarmigan Tunnel. It was steep climb to a lake and there ahead of me was a almost sheer vertical cliff covered in snow. Mountain slopes on either side. A lake at the bottom. Very picturesque by where was the tunnel? At that point to hikers who I had seen earlier (the only two on the trails beside myself) stopped to tell me the conditions were tough, and dangerous. They made it to the tunnel but legs and footwear were soaked and they were freezing and in a desperate rush to get back to camp before getting hypothermia. They were wearing cotton which is suicide in these conditions.
I followed their path and the trail up the cliff face. It was a typical goat track going from left to right across the entire expanse of the cliff face. The snow was up to three feet in place and the wind was howling at about 40-50 MPH. I was quite hot from the climb and decided to change into dry clothing at the tops. There was very small loose shale under the snow and the drops of the path would be unforgiving. I didn’t look down. I just stepped in my predecessor’s foot holes and focused on staying balanced. Half an hour of this and there it was, a tunnel carved through the rock about fifty feet below the crest of the pass. There were large steel doors at either end of the tunnel. I set the camera on automatic and posed for a picture in the tunnel entrance. Great picture – not. A whopping great icicle dropped from the rocks above and bounced off my toque and flattened me. I slipped on the sheer ice floor and thanked my lucky stars I was wearing head gear. I walked to other end of the 50 foot tunnel. Oh my goodness. 10 foot high snowdrift by the exit and then the most amazing view down into the valley below complete with the obligatory aquamarine lake. Breathtaking. I noticed that the way down was by goat track on the edge of a cliff. I didn’t have a map so after anther sandwich I headed back down my side of the mountain. I had stripped down and put on dry clothing under my wind jacket. My new boots and socks were toast and my windbreaker pants were doing their job. I pulled the hood of my jacket over my toque and headed down the slopes. It was not easy. However, having someone else’s footprints helped a lot. I was pleased to back in the valley safe and sound. I stopped to look for mountain lions but no luck. Too early, not quite dusk. A few miles I was back at the campsite and cooked a new stew on the stove while it rained. I can manage to sit in the car and have the stove by the door and keep dry. The car looks like a Chinese laundry with all my wet stuff hanging around being dried by the heater. I leave the air conditioner and heater on at the same time to get rid of the moisture. So pouring rain ends the day. But what a day. 15 miles of hiking in 8.5 hours, three grizzlies, one black bear, mountain goats and a tunnel through a mountain.
Wed. Oct. 5, 2005
Last night I left Browning and headed for East Glacier and went to one of my back woods haunts to sleep. It was very cold overnight and I awoke to the sight of trees laden with snow. A nice hot water shave and wash stripped to the waste started the day. The early morning sun was warning and there was very little wind so I survived the ordeal. Full hot breakfast and I was on the road by 10 AM.
Drove north on the Looking Glass Hiway to St. Mary’s. There was still snow on the winding road that clung to the mountain although plenty of gravel had been put down. Nevertheless, it was a nail biter on a few curves, but the views were worth every bead of sweat. One could see across the valleys and lakes into a cluster of 10,000 foot high mountains. The air was clear and sunny and it made for some great pictures.
At St. Mary’s ranger station I was told that the ‘Going To The Sun Road’ would not be opened again this year. A great pit because it is the focal point of Glacier Park. So I drove up the 14 mile portion that was open and hiked the trails to St. Mary’s Falls and Virginia Falls. Only about 4 miles round trip but very pleasing. Virginia Falls is a couple of hundred feet high and cascades nicely down rock ledges after it leaves the pool. The highlight of the walk was finding fresh Grizzly bear footprints on the trail in the mud and in the fresh snow on the bridge by the falls. A ranger later confirmed they were Grizzly prints from my photos. .
A few more quick stops on the road to admire the mountains. There are about ten visible from this road to where it is closed. Each has a distinct shape and many of the names reflect this. I liked Little Big Chief and Fusillade, although Going To the Sun Mountain was the most impressive with its sheer cliffs and
Pointed peak. Building a road around this mountain was an engineering masterpiece especially in the 1930’s when it was completed. At the end of winter there are numerous avalanches that have to be cleared and up to 70 foot deep snowdrifts. Crews work from both side of the mountain till they meet.
Finished hiking about 4 PM and drove up to the crossroad of Babb. There is a famous Supper Club there that specializes in steak and seafood. The exterior of the building is somewhat non descript but the inside is resplendent in lacquered wood finishes and rock formations. Apparently is was rated as one of the top eatery attractions in one horse towns in USA. The owner was a little miffed when I unwittingly asked for a cheeseburger and fries to go. As I said the outside didn’t do the establishment justice. And perhaps my being sent across the road the Pizza and Burger joint, a giant bar and eatery, was a shame. Had the owner of Babb, s given me a tour of the place, explained its history and the menu specialties, I would have been willing to splurge on one of their famous steaks.
I settled into a $6 wilderness campsite at the Many Glacier park campground and got ready for a cold night. There was an enormous snow covered mountain rising right out of the campsite area and a strong wind was blowing up the valley. I picked a campsite sheltered by pines. Only half a dozen of the over 150 sites was occupied. The lodge across the road with hundreds of wooden cabins was already closed for the season. The general store was boarded up. Winter has already arrived here. Remote, wild and unpredictable. Really looking forward to my hike tomorrow.
