Glacier Natl Park, backpacking, bear

. . .  Glacier National Park (we didn't stay at the lodge)

The Train takes you into the city of East Glacier. We stayed at a Youth Hostel, that was interesting, and fun. From there we hitchhiked to Two Medicine Lake to our base campsite. 


Bert crossing on log just before encountering grizzly
A 22+ mile week long backpacking trip going from 5000 feet base camp at Two Medicine Lake, to 9000 feet on Morgan Mountain.

A few years ago we went backpacking in Glacier Natl Park It was late August, warmest part of the year (It was cold). The actual hiking part was 5 days.

We had barely walked a mile when we encountered our first bear. A very large 300# Black bear (brown in color). Even though we were wearing noisy “Bear Bells”, the bear walked from the dense brush onto the trail just about 20 feet in front of us, surprised us both. He stood up and POUNCED on a tree making it sway, as if to say… “You’re next”, so we slowly backed away and soon he wandered off. We had a super sized jumbo can of bear repellent spray but didn’t need to use it. 

 

About 5 miles farther we came across two people standing on the trail. They stopped because there was a HUGE Volkswagen sized Grizzly bear just off the trail about 300 yards ahead.

We waited about 45 minutes and by then there were a few more people, day hikers. While we waited, one fellow pulled out a (smelly bear bait) peanut butter sandwich and we made him put it away.
Eventually we decided to walk around the Grizzly by climbing farther up the mountain. Because of the delay, we barely made it the 7 miles to our Oldman Lake Campsite  before dark.

 Since it was late August we were prepared for temps as low as 40f but the cold air from the glaciers flowed down upon us in the valleys. That night it got down to low 20s and we nearly froze, our water did freeze. We were wearing every single piece of clothing we had with, it wasn’t enough. We didn’t sleep much. It snowed a bit the next morning. 
Next morning we started up the switchback trail, well above the timberline, 3000 feet up in just about a mile distance. No matter where we hiked the trail usually sloped , sometimes steeply, toward the drop off.

Bert on the trail. That day, we traveled with a couple we had met at the campsite. He was a Doctor, a cardiologist. PERFECT, I thought. We were carrying 35# packs (plenty heavy). He and his wife each had 80# packs.

Because of the thinner air near the top, the sun burned like a heat lamp. The Doctor was standing inches from a 2000’ drop to the lake.

 

You can see a group of hikers on the trail. About a mile ahead, we had to walk thru snow in upper right, the highest point in our trip, about 9000 feet, we looked down on many of the glaciers..

 “THIS is where the Doctor was standing. (Arrow)

 We rested and enjoyed the view near the top of Morgan Mountain. Our legs were tired from the climb. The view from the mountain tops was spectacular.

 Then we started off for the most treacherous part of the trip. The trail is wide and level here but quickly became narrower and more sloped toward the drop-off ahead.
   Bert on the trail. The next mile had a shear drop off of several hundred feet right at the edge of the trail and then sloped down a few more thousand feet. 

That was the worst section of trail. Aerial photo of the trail ahead. We had to crouch down to get under the two overhangs near the top of pic, shear drop off at edge of trail.

 Another view of overhangs and trail.

The next 2 miles were on the steep slippery West slope of the mountain, Near impossible to pass someone on the narrow trail. Don’t step on loose rocks. If you fell you would slide and tumble a few thousand feet to the bottom and would only need a sponge to retrieve you.

 Close up from previous photo. We walked here, the two pictures following are from these spots (A & B )

 “A” Bert again

 “B” Bert and Karen

 Karen is on the continental divide, the only flat spot we encountered.. . Glacier on the right.

From the continental divide, we walked down this very steep trail (got blisters) into the valley.

 We camped in the shadow of Pumpelly Pillar at No Name lake and the Glacier on the other side kept us cool (cold).

 The next day we descended toward Two Medicine Lake leaving Pumpelly Pilllar behind us. In the background is the Continental divide, In the foreground is Two Medicine Lake. 

 Before we started our hike the ranger told us that there was a hiker missing for a week on Mount Sinopah on the left. When we got back 4 days later, they had searched but he was still missing and presumed dead. Weeks later he still hadn't been found. Much later we heard he had been found dead.....fallen off the trail.

Approaching Two Medicine lake, this is one of the many clear cold ice water streams where we got and filtered all our drinking water.

 

  










Bert crossing a few of the many creeks.

 

Back near our starting point on East end of Two Medicine Lake looking back where we came from, Mt Sinopah center, Rising wolf on right. Then just a few more miles back to base camp.

 


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