Glacier National Park: My Favorite Day - Pitamakan Pass & Dawson Pass

Glacier NP – 8/23/13 – Pitamakan Pass & Dawson Pass – 15.8 Miles

“What day is it?”

 “It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.

 “My favorite day,” said Pooh.

My favorite day at Glacier National Park!  Also a day that I was very nervous about because timing was important.  The Pitamakan-Dawson Pass Loop is challenging in distance and elevation, but the distance can be shortened by taking a boat shuttle.  But rather than shuttling at the beginning of our hike as many people would, we wanted to do the loop counterclockwise and end with the shuttle…and the last one of the day was at 5:15 p.m.  Anyone who missed it would have a few more miles to walk.

So after repeatedly asking questions about the trailhead location and drive time, poring over the hike description, losing sleep over various tragic scenarios and generally obsessing that I wouldn’t be able to hike fast enough to make it to the boat, I arose extra early in the morning to get prepared.  Cathy and Dolores were also up (we were always up before the guys) and I asked if they would mind leaving early.  Dolores was reluctant to “split up the group” but I said that we would quickly get split up on the trail anyway, and Cathy was all for moving ahead, so we drove off as the guys were still making their lunches.  (No suspense:  they did catch up to us on the trail later in the morning.) 

The trailhead is located in a section we had not yet explored called Two Medicine, which borders the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and features a string of lakes (similar to the Grinnell Lakes) including Upper Two Medicine, Two Medicine and Lower Two Medicine Lakes.  Where does the name Two Medicine come from?  One story I found online is that when the land was set aside to become a national park, names were given to many of the natural features.  On the shores of the lake were the remains of two medicine lodges that were once used in initiation ceremonies for young boys of the Blackfeet tribe.  The term “the lake of the two medicine lodges” eventually got shortened to Two Medicine, which encompasses the areas all around the lakes.

With the help of a ranger we found our trailhead, starting with a wide footbridge crossing Dry Fork (not dry here where it flows between Pray Lake and Lower Medicine Lake).  The first 2.6 miles were an easy walk through a lodgepole pine forest with glimpses of Rising Wolf Mountain on the left. 

We crossed wet and dry sections of Dry Fork Creek on footbridges (Jeff’s photo).  Interesting fact:  some footbridges are removed and secured during the winter and put in place after the snow melt in spring/early summer.

Cathy and Dolores moved ahead and I found myself again enjoying solitude with my bear spray canister securely on my belt.  Experience had taught me that as the trail climbed the trees thinned and the views opened up.  But something was different today.  There were no clouds but the sky was gray, and why was that haze around the sun?  Answer:  smoke from wildfires in southern Montana had reached Glacier NP.

I’ve learned to keep an eye out for faint side trails.  Just a few yards off the trail I was rewarded with this lovely waterfall.

An even better view of the waterfalls

I had a gentle but steady climb to Old Man Lake.  There is a campground there somewhere in the trees but I didn’t go close to the lake edge.  I thought this tree exhibited lots of character.

The first serious challenge awaiting me:  climbing the switchbacks up to Pitamakan Pass.  It was steep, breathtaking, and I was breathless for most of it.  Déjà vu’ back to climbing Hurricane Pass in the Grand Tetons, only now I knew what to expect so I could enjoy it more – and here there were no snow fields to tiptoe across. 

Old Man Lake, Flinsch Peak on the left, which Jeff summitted later in the day (of course), and part of Mount Morgan on the right.  There is a photo later in the day taken from the low saddle looking over to the point where this photo is taken.

Mount Morgan with a tiny bit of Old Man Lake in the lower left.  Once the trail topped out at the pass, our route continued counter- clockwise around on the far sides of Mount Morgan and Flinsch Peak.

As I moved slowly and steadily up the switchbacks, I noticed tiny movements below me and realized that the guys were catching up. 

Pitamakan Pass is a long, narrow saddle, only about 25 feet wide, and standing in the center of it I could look down at Old Man Lake on my left and Pitamakan Lake on my right (in the photo here) and a smaller unnamed lake above it.  Pitamakan Pass Trail continues winding its way down between the two lakes.  With all that I’d seen so far on this trip, the majesty of the mountains continued to surprise and impress me.  Standing there, taking deep breaths, I tried to open my eyes wider and wider and yet I still could not see it all.  Even as I write this months later, with my topo map spread out on the table, I can feel the contradiction of my insignificance and yet my special place in the world.

And there were more marvels yet to come.

At Pitamakan Pass, Cathy and Dolores had met some other hikers and stopped to eat.  That is Mount Morgan looming ahead.

Looking back along the pass, Ken and Jeff are on our heels.  Pitamakan Pass Trail goes down to the left bottom corner.

Bighorn sheep having a little battle over girlfriends

Taking a minute to rest and reflect

From there the trail stayed level for about four miles as it skirts along the slopes of Mount Morgan and Flinsch Peak.  Level, yes, but very narrow ledge walking and no place to get lazy about watching your footing.  Dolores was a bit nervous and walked alone in her zone while Cathy and I shouted and woo-hooed and grinned all through the too-short 3.7 miles.

Walking along the open area between Mount Morgan and Flinsch Peak, we can see Old Man Lake again, the long saddle of Pitamakan Pass in the middle left.  The smoky haze stayed with us all day.

An outcropping of rocky pedestals – do we dare?  Yes we do. 

Flinsch Peak looks intimidating to me, enticing to Jeff.  Here he and Ken passed us and Jeff headed for the summit from the back side.  Ken didn’t go up this one, just waited for Jeff.  Brandon was a bit slower today, still walking on sore feet. 

Cathy moving fast down the switchbacks at Dawson Pass (she and Dolores are both like mountain goats on the downhills).  This was the most difficult descent of the week and my knees were crunching and grinding no matter what I did, slowly and deliberately stepping down or lowering my center of gravity and skipping, so I opted for the quick and dirty…because I had a boat to catch, remember?

We blew past No Name Lake backcountry camping area when the trail leveled out and kept our eyes open for the South Shore Trail to the boat dock.  As we drew closer, we encountered a couple of ranger-led hikes so we knew we were in the right neighborhood.

Let’s at least stop for one flower, though, lovely blue gentian blooming by the trail

And we made it to the boat dock by….4:00 p.m.!  Ahhhhh…. 16 miles in 7.25 hours.  We took our boots off and waded in the water, then laid down on the tiny beach as we waited for the guys to arrive.  The clock ticked closer and closer to shuttle time.  Where were they? 

They strolled up right at 5:00, just minutes before the boat.  They tried to look cool but I’ll bet there was a little bit of sweating going on in that last hour.  Sitting on the boat as it slowly puttered across Two Medicine Lake, I mentally gave myself a pat on the back that I had completed the hike in good time AND enjoyed the entire day.  I think I’m improving.

We collected cars and gear and met Marta for dinner in East Glacier.  She was camping at Cut Bank and planned to join us for our last hike tomorrow.  We enjoyed a marvelous meal at Luna’s:  salmon burgers with avocado and huckleberry pie!   This is the life.

“When you see someone putting on his Big Boots you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.” ~Winnie-the-Pooh

 

Glacier National Park: Hidden Lake, Piegan Pass & St. Mary Falls

Glacier NP – 8/22/13 – Hidden Lake & Continental Divide Trail to Piegan Pass Plus St. Mary Falls – 15 Miles

Wait, didn’t we just get here?  This morning we broke camp again and left Avalanche Creek Campground, heading back to the east side of the park and St. Mary’s (yay, showers again!)  Today’s adventures included a short hike, a medium hike, and a last-minute short jaunt to a waterfall.

First, another ride on the Going-To-The-Sun Road back up to Logan Pass and its crowded parking area.  Gee, don’t all these people ever leave?  When does school start?  This is where you catch the trailhead to Hidden Lake.

Hidden Lake Trail to the lake overlook is 3 miles round trip, much of it on boardwalk, through lovely meadows with open vistas.  We hid our hiking poles under the boardwalk and strolled along.  There were already more people than I wanted to see on a trail and I imagine as the day went on it became a full-on throng of folks peering over shoulders to see the lake.  But…we want people to see and enjoy our national parks so they will support them financially and otherwise, so bring on the crowds!  It’s similar to Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains.  You just have to be ready to share the wonders with lots of new friends.

Clements Mountain on the way to Hidden Lake

Hidden Lake and Bearhat Mountain – on the other side of Bearhat Mountain is Avalanche Lake, where I was yesterday

Reflection in Hidden Lake

The guys do not seem to be in a hurry to get to our next hike

The trailhead to Piegan Pass is a short drive away at Siyeh Bend, a hairpin turn where Siyeh Creek flows underneath the Going-To-The-Sun Road.  We will hike up through the trees in the right foreground, then on a level trail just below the edge of the mountain stretching along the background before we disappear between the mountains at the notch on the left.  Easy, right?  It really wasn’t bad, or else I had finally become accustomed to the terrain.  The trail climbed moderately through fir and spruce trees.  At Mile. 1.2 we turned left onto the Continental Divide Trail and easily climbed through increasingly open areas on the slope of Going-To-The-Sun Mountain.  At mile 2.7 we turned left again, away from GTTS Mountain, toward Piegan Pass.

I. Love. Walking. On. The. Edge!  Walking on the talus slope of Cataract Mountain toward Piegan Pass.  See the sharp pointy peak?  That's one of two peaks that Jeff and Ken bagged today.  The pass is on the far side of Cataract, beyond the snow field.

With Cataract Mountain behind me, this is looking directly at Piegan Glacier on Piegan Mountain (which Jeff and Ken also summitted because they are insane that way).

Looking down at Siyeh Creek running through the valley, Piegan Mountain and Piegan Glacier in the top right.  

Welcome to Piegan Pass!

Some notes about where we were in relation to where we’ve been:  I am pointing at Mount Gould, part of the Garden Wall where we hiked two days ago on the Highline Trail.  Today we were on the opposite side of the Wall.  And if we had continued on the Piegan Pass Trail today, we would have descended steeply down to walk at the foot of Angel Wing, then around Lower Grinnell Lake and Lake Josephine (on the opposite side from where we hiked three days prior).  Awesome, am I right?

Laid back at the Pass (Jeff's photo).  We spent the better part of an hour eating, gawking and marveling much as we had for the past five days.  Jeff and Ken did their superhuman peak bagging; Brandon skipped these two because of blisters plaguing his tenderized feet.  Cathy, Dolores, Brandon and I enjoyed a leisurely trek back down the trail. 

Soaking in Siyeh Creek

While Brandon waited for the other guys, the fearless females added to the itinerary a quick hike to St. Mary Falls, just a couple of miles down the road (if we had planned ahead better, we could have continued to hike southbound on Piegan Pass Trail all the way to the falls).  From the parking area it was a speedy 1.6-mile round trip.  St. Mary is a stunning two-tier falls and there is actually a third tier as the river makes a quick turn to the right.  Virginia Falls is farther along the trail but by this time we were ready to clean up and sit down so we headed back to the car.

Cathy and me at St. Mary Falls

At St. Mary Campground again, we located our new campsites.  There was a most impressive pile of bear scat in the parking pull-through.  (The next morning the rangers were there examining, measuring and photographing it, and asked us if it had appeared overnight.  “No, it was here when we got here.”) 

We set up our tents, got showers and waited…and waited…and waited for the guys until we were a little concerned.  Around 7:00 p.m. they showed up, though, and we enjoyed another marvelous meal, this time at the St. Mary Lodge. 

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.” ~Edward Abbey

 

Glacier National Park: Avalanche Lake & Trail of the Cedars

Glacier NP – 8/21/13 – Avalanche Lake & Trail of Cedars – 6 Miles

When Jeff sent me his itinerary for our Glacier NP trip, I looked it over and raised an eyebrow at the Sperry Glacier hike he included.  I said, “This may be my town day,” and he replied, “I thought it would be.”  Mid-way through the week, the longest, hardest, most ambitious hike:  it wasn’t hard for me to say no.  I was ready for a day off, to wander around and relax and do the easy stuff. 

I waved goodbye to the intrepid hikers and took a photo in case I needed to describe them to SAR workers (just kidding).   Then I headed for Avalanche Lake, a popular gentle hike nearby.  The hike begins at the Trail of the Cedars, a handicapped-accessible loop, and follows this for about half a mile to the main trail.

Avalanche Creek Trail winds upward alongside Avalanche Creek, which flows from Avalanche Lake, which is fed by waterfalls flowing from a hanging cirque valley formed by Sperry Glacier.  (The glacier can’t be seen from the lakeshore.)  Thundering cascades are around every bend in the trail before it finally turns away from the creek.  I was early enough that only a few hikers were in front of me and I was alone most of the time.  The trees, including western hemlocks, were huge and made a dense canopy with very little undergrowth.  Gargantuan fallen trunks and tree stumps made me feel like a small child lost in the forest of a Grimm’s fairy tale who would surely come to a bad end. 

I misunderstood the mileage; the hike was shorter than I expected.  The nearest edge of the lake is only about 2 miles.  The hikers ahead of me hung around this area while I continued on around the western shore, now absorbing spiderwebs with every step. 

At the far end was a sweet spot for a snack, looking back at Heaven’s Peak (which we saw from a different point along the Highline Trail yesterday).  Soon a couple arrived, we chatted and took photos for each other, and then they turned back.  I had nowhere else I needed to be, so I hung around for another half hour enjoying the peace.

Avalanche Lake – the prominent peak is Little Matterhorn

Waterfalls flowing into Avalanche Creek Valley and the lake

On my return hike, the crowds had arrived in full force, families, grandmas, sulking teenagers and careening pre-schoolers.  Great timing!  At the junction I turned right to complete the eastern side of the Trail of the Cedars.  A mystery:  only a couple of people on this lovely interpretive boardwalk which is a very impressive feature of Glacier NP.  The boardwalk winds through magnificent giant cedars, some more than 500 years old.  The interpretive signage includes lovely haikus.  Read more about the Trail of the Cedars here.

Along the Trail of the Cedars

I made a carload of people very happy when I vacated my parking spot at the trailhead.  I turned back onto the GTTS Road southbound and checked out a couple of the pull-offs alongside Avalanche Creek, which is now bigger and more impressive as it approaches Lake McDonald.  At one overlook I chatted with a man riding a fully loaded touring bike on a cross-country trek from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Seattle, Washington.  He was very excited to have a clear dry day on the GTTS Road through Glacier. 

I cruised down to Apgar Village and walked to the edge of Lake McDonald to watch the standup paddleboarders.  I collected a few stones from the shore, very colorful when wet, but upon drying they all turned the same light gray.  I wandered briefly through a couple of souvenir shops and indulged in some ice cream.  Next I bought a cheap Styrofoam cooler and filled it with ice and beer and sodas to be ready for my hiker friends when they returned from their long day. 

I drove back up the GTTS Road to Lake McDonald Lodge and wandered through its common areas, the lobby and the wide porches (very “western National Park” style décor – imagine that) and perused the restaurant menu.  The rear doors opened onto the beach of the lake, where I perched on a rock and watched more families splashing and posing for group photos and building rock cairns for posterity.  Nice to enjoy without having to pay for it.

The triumphant return of the uber-hikers and the smiles of surprise at the cool beverages awaiting them.  I’m glad they had a great day – I did too.

“I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it.  I want to have lived the width of it as well.”  ~Diane Ackerman