The Wilds of Glacier

            Last weekend I had the opportunity to explore Glacier National Park.  Not just drive through like so many visitors, but actually take in all the park had to offer; at least in one little section.

            Joined by my friends Levi and Lucas, we were determined to set out and explore the back country and see what we could see.  The trip had been planned some weeks in advance.  Not really planned, rather an allocation of time.  We all wanted to camp in the deep recesses of the park and had a general idea of where we wanted to go.

            After work on Thursday we were to head up to Glacier for an early start on Friday.  This did not happen.  Levi left and ended up hanging out with a friend who was leaving the next day.  Needless to say, he was worthless on Friday morning.  That’s ok, it allowed Lucas and I to sleep in.  We left for Glacier around noon and did the tourist thing; spending three or four hours checking out the area around Lake McDonald.  It was actually a good thing because I was able to buy some gifts for my family while I visited the lodge.

Lake McDonald

            Lucas and I drove part way up Logan Pass and stopped multiple times to take pictures.  I even took some of him pretending to fly fish.  These were for a newsletter associated with an organization which had awarded him a scholarship.  He wanted to at least look the part; a bass angler getting a fly fishing scholarship.  You go buddy.



Mt. Oberlin



            Later that evening we hooked up with Levi and his friend Carlton.  We would stay at Carlton’s place that night and hopefully get an early start in the morning.  As the evening wore on this seemed like an impossible task.  This was due to the fact that we ended up at a local bar and were settled in for a long haul.  I left at nine or ten knowing that to stay any longer would jeopardize any hope of hiking the next day.  I’m not as young as I use to be. 

            I went back to Carlton’s house, got out my sleeping bag and went to sleep on the front porch.  The rest of the motley crew arrived sometime after one AM according to what I was told.

            At around six in the morning I got up.  I had been pretty much awake anyway and didn’t sleep much that night.  I rousted Levi and Lucas and we were out the door by half past the hour. 

            We decided to go to the permit office at Lake McDonald instead of the Two Medicine side.  It was an hour or more away and there was no telling if we could get a permit if we waited. 

Upper Two Medicine Lake

            When we arrived at the permit office there was already a line. Damn!  So, if you are trying to get a back country permit in Glacier National Park, go early.  We joined the group of back country enthusiasts and waited for fate to grant us passage.

            The available camp sites were filling up quickly, so we didn’t get the area we were planning on, which was Old Man Lake.  We had wanted to do Dawson and Pitamakan pass; a sixteen mile loop staying at Old Man Lake on the way out.  Fortunately, there was an opening at Upper Two Medicine Lake which was in the same general area of high peaks and deep valleys.  Plus it was only a five mile hike.  That was a good thing because it almost killed me.

Mt. Rockwell

            Permit in hand we headed for the trail head stopping for breakfast along the way.  It was eleven in the morning when we finally hit the trail and made our way up to the lake.  Three hours later we arrived.

            It was beautiful, eye candy, and I had to just sit for a while and take it in.  Once the awe inspiring view loosened its grip we found a camp site and settled in.  Then it was time to play.

            It soon became very apparent that nature had no intention of letting us explore without a fight.  The vegetation was extremely dense and there were downed trees to contend with.  If we left the trail it was slow going.  This and the fact that it was late in the afternoon restricted our activities to the area around our camp.  I made it about 300 yards around one side of the lake but got tired of climbing over logs. 

Levi & Lucas

            In lue of hiking we decided to go fishing.  It would keep us busy for the next hour or two before dinner.  Lucas and Levi did great, catching many unsuspecting trout out of Upper Two Medicine Lake.  I on the other hand, only managed to catch sticks and loose two flies.  Certainly not my best day, but at least there was the view; of course I was fly fishing and did I mention there was dense brush.

            We ate dinner at the communal cooking area which also had a bear box.  A bear box is a metal container where we and everyone else camping there, stored our food.  Being known for grizzly bears, Glacier National Park requires all back country visitors to properly store their food to help avoid human / bear interaction. 

            Dinner consisted of MREs or Meals Ready to Eat, which really aren’t too bad on a limited basis.  It’s like opening a Christmas present because you never know what you’re going to get.  However, I wouldn’t recommend them on any trip longer then a day or two; they weigh a ton, most of it being packaging.  I had beef stew and a strawberry shake. 

            After we got to camp Levi had gotten a little annoyed with me because I was carrying around a water bottle with Gator Aid in it.  He said I should only drink that at the cook area.  Whatever, camp Nazi.  His concerns may have been warranted, but I didn’t feel I was endangering anyone and I did store the water bottle in the bear box that night.

Rising Wolf Mountain

            Once it started to cool down the bugs came out and drove us all into our tents.  We played a few games and called it a night.  It was kind of funny looking at each other through the mesh screens of the tents while we kept ourselves entertained.

            The next day we hit the trail around nine and stated the trip out.  I intentionally took my own sweet time stopping often to take pictures and look at the scenery.  It was a beautiful day and I was going to enjoy it.  The hike out took about three hours.  I found Lucas and Levi waiting for me by the car and was rewarded with a cold beer upon my arrival.