Backpacking Glacier National Park
It’s been a while! We wanted to make this year financially sustainable (hence living in a people carrier/minivan rather than a high end Sprinter van!) but we also want to maximise the good times. To that end, Amy took July and August off work giving us a “summer of fun” for the first time since our university days. A rare treat and one that we’ve savoured - hence the lack of blogging on my part.
Anyway - we’re now somewhat back to reality with Amy signing on two days a week to work remotely. And I’m catching up with our blog! This first post goes back to our first “big ticket” backpacking trip of the summer - in Glacier National Park.
We knew we were going to Glacier but had very few plans until about a month before when I had a look at the backcountry permits page on the off chance something was available. The day booking opened for permits I had a migraine and missed the boat on getting something in advance - these advance releases will sell out in minutes. I hadn’t spent time studying the different routes but I could see that there was most of a point to point trip available just around the time we would be in the park. I booked us a slightly wonky itinerary (which has us backtracking 10 miles one of the days) and hoped that we’d be able to get the one middle night we didn’t have booked sorted as a walk up.
I also figured that as it was the only thing available this late in the game, it probably wasn’t going to be the best trip Glacier had to offer. But we were excited in any case for our three nights in the backcountry and our first hike in grizzly bear country.
On our way out to Glacier I hurt my back (the perils of hitting 32!) so we got a hotel for a blissful night in Spokane. While we were lounging around I checked the Glacier backcountry permits site again and, miraculously, the exact camp spot we wanted was now available for the night we needed! We also realised that we’d be spending the night near the fancier of Glacier’s two backcountry chalets and would be able to get a three course meal there - allowing us to carry a day less of food which would make the trip a lot more comfortable. The plan was really coming together! We were booked for a fairly short 20 mile trip from Jackson Glacier Overlook to Lake McDonald with potential for an 8 mile side trip up to Sperry Glacier.
About twenty minutes into Montana we’d already had a slightly terrifying encounter with a grumpy moose who wasn’t happy that we stopped to look at her. It made us a bit nervous for the bears as moose are meant to be herbivores! Having spoken to a few people since though I’ve found out moose can actually be more dangerous than bears. On average per year they injure more people in Alaska than black/grizzly bears combined. They remind me a bit of daddy long legs (those spindly flying spiders) with very little control over where they’re going.
We were far away but this moose was so annoyed with us. We didn’t linger!
The drive into Glacier itself was incredible. Ancient towering peaks (some of the oldest sedimentary rock in the world) covered in snow fields and glaciers giving way to lush forests interspersed with natural meadows and snow-melt waterfalls. It was breathtaking. Everyone we’d met on our trip so far told us Glacier was the most beautiful place but I wasn’t prepared for the majesty of it.
We’d managed to grab a last minute campsite for the night before our trip so we circumvented the need for a vehicle reservation to enter the park and headed straight to the ranger station to pick up our permits and watch the backcountry safety video. I think this was filmed in the 90s - it has some excellent “bear’s eye view” camerawork and very straight-faced delivery of what to do if a marauding bear starts to eat you.
This would be our (my) first time doing a bear hang. In Glacier, unlike many parks, they have sturdy metal bars set up at each backcountry site. Rather than using a bear-proof canister, they like you to store your food in bags and suspend it from these metal bars out of the bears’ reach. Without a properly designed bear hang station it’s really difficult to execute a bear hang for example from a tree so we’d never considered it before now. It was great though to ditch the bulk and weight of the bear canister.
A Glacier bear hang pole. You’d think one day the bears will figure out they just need to break the ropes the bags are hung on to get at the goods. It works for now though…
We settled down to try and get some sleep before starting our trip the next day. Glacier has an awesome free shuttle bus service so we planned to park our car at the end of the hike and then catch the shuttle over to the beginning. The timings that morning worked out so perfectly. We popped into the shop to get some lunch for the day and a last minute gatorade and as we left snacks in hand, the shuttle was just pulling up. It was pretty much empty so there was plenty of space for us and our backpacks. Our driver was great too, telling us that we’d be spending our second night of our trip at the most beautiful spot in the park (Lake Ellen Wilson).
We both really loved not stressing about driving or parking and having the longish shuttle drive to wind down and get excited for the trip.
A bumpy ride but it was free and efficient - can’t complain!
We made it to the start of the hike around 1pm, had half of our really disappointing sandwiches (as seen in the video above) and set off down the trail. The first day was a fairly easy 6.25 miles although it was very hot (a theme for us in Glacier). It started out heavily forested, weaving past some beautiful rivers and waterfalls before gradually opening up to beautiful views of Mount Jackson, Gunsight Mountain and our objective for the next day - Gunsight Pass.
Feeling fresh and heading into the mountains on day one
We arrived at our first campsite, Gunsight Lake, at 5pm and went to hang our food before picking a site tucked into the trees with nice views of the mountains on both sides. After that we went straight down to the lake to cool off with a quick swim. It was a really stunning spot - with views straight over to Gunsight Pass framed by snowcapped mountains on both sides. We’d have stayed there all night if we weren’t so hungry.
Contemplating the view (and the chilly water)
We headed back to our tent before it got dark as we were planning an early start the next morning. After the heat of the first day and hours spent staring at the imposing Gunsight Pass we really wanted to get the majority of our 1600 foot climb done before the sun got too strong. Amy spied a raggedy white mountain goat peering into our tent before stomping away and we had a somewhat broken night as they came through every few hours to see if we’d left yet so they could nibble our stuff.
A lovely first campsite - despite the mosquitos. This head net made them a lot more bearable even if it does look a bit silly
I woke up ridiculously early the next morning - too excited by the promise of another beautiful day. I crept out of the tent with my bearspray and headed down to the lake to watch dawn break over the mountains. I’d planned to do the crossword (my favourite morning activity) but it was too beautiful so I just sat and stared at the scenery. Within half an hour though I was heading back to the tent to wake Amy as a moose had appeared next to the lake!
Sunrise over Gunsight Lake
It wasn’t as angry as the last moose we’d seen and we cuddled together on the shore watching it munch leaves before it disappeared into the bushes. About ten minutes later it was back though - this time setting straight out into the middle of the lake! She swam so easily all the way across the lake with just her head sticking out of the water until she got to the other side, shook herself off and started grazing on the aquatic plants. We were so psyched and it woke us up more than any coffee.
Gracefully swimming across the lake - on land they’re all limbs
We did need our real caffeine though for the inevitable post-moose crash so we quickly packed the tent up and went to the food prep area to retrieve our food and have a quick breakfast before hitting the trail. We’d taken a while watching the moose (100% worth it) so the sun was very much up but, thankfully, not yet hitting the west-facing mountainside that we were going to be hiking on.
Breakfast (porridge) and tea/coffee in the shared food prep area at Gunsight Lake
It was incredible hiking straight from the beginning as we crossed a huge suspension bridge under the watchful gaze of a marmot. We began hiking up a series of switchbacks getting higher and higher above Gunsight Lake - pausing often to marvel at the view. The wildflowers were looking amazing and the meltwater was flowing which gave plenty of opportunities to cool down and refill our water bottles. After a couple of hours we were high enough that we had to cross a snowfield! It was small and not too steep but still felt a little terrifying to step onto - what if it picked that exact moment to crumble away?!
These seasonal bridges are installed every summer and they’re really wobbly to walk on!
After that it was only another hour or so before we said goodbye to Gunsight Lake and climbed over the pass to sit on some wide flat rocks for our lunch overlooking Lake Ellen Wilson, our home for the next night. Widely agreed by everyone we spoke to to be one of the best backcountry sites in Glacier to say we were excited was an understatement. And it was barely midday so we would have plenty of time to enjoy our time there.
Going down over the pass it was hot! The sun had hit the rocks and we knew we were in for a long descent. Our thoughts of the heat quickly evaporated though as we came across a tiny baby mountain goat - it was so cute! Its mum wasn’t far away and kept a close eye on us as we hiked warily past. We then realised that the pair were following us! We got off the trail to see if they would walk past and go on their way but they seemed keen to stick close by. My favourite part was crossing a stream over the trail with the goat hovering a few feet away. I’m glad they were relatively timid compared to some of goats we’d meet later down the trail.
The final portion of the descent to Lake Ellen Wilson was brutal. We were hiking on a south facing, rock covered slope that had been baking in the sun all morning and felt like a sauna with the heat reflecting back off the rocks. It was so hot. And then whoever made the side trail down to the lakeside campsite was clearly a bit of a sadist. It was a series of ever increasing switchbacks taking you back parallel to the open air sauna you’d just walked across and then turning away from the campsite again. It felt like it would never end!
The trail architect perhaps intended to prolong this beautiful view with the neverending switchbacks - it would have been awesome if it wasn’t 32°C out
We were the first people to arrive at the Lake so had our pick of the four campsites before we settled in the shady food prep area (a godsend!) to cool down a little bit before jumping in the lake. It was freezing - a lot colder than Gunsight Lake I think - but once you were in it was so refreshing and brought our temps down to a more acceptable level. Sat on the rocky shore we were almost chilly which was a welcome relief.
We opted for this site on the lakeshore
As we were having dinner, the other three groups began to arrive. Everyone was very friendly and we enjoyed the fact that three of the four groups camping there that night were all female. Two of the women hiking in had had a difficult time, with wrong turns, injured knees and a broken water filter making for a rough hike in.
Amy pumped a good five litres of water for them with our filter which would hopefully see them most of the way out the next day and in return one of the women let her use the portable massage gun that she’d lugged in to try and help her injured knee. A good trade all round!
Morning at Lake Ellen Wilson featuring a deer
Our next day was originally going to be a bit of a rest day but we’d shortened our trip by a night so it was actually going to be a a beast. A couple of miles (and almost 1000ft of elevation) to get to Sperry Chalet, followed by another 8 miles and another 1500ft out to Comeau Pass and back. For those last eight miles we’d be able to drop our packs at the Chalet though and carry minimal weight. We also knew we had a hot dinner waiting at the Chalet for us that evening!
The goats can move pretty fast when they want to
Passing through sub-alpine meadows filled with more mountain goats and marmots we had a gentle morning hiking out to the Chalet. It was already roasting hot even though we got an early start and I found a can of bear spray (pepper spray on steroids designed to repel a charging grizzly bear) sitting on the rocks slowly cooking. Apparently they can explode if they hit 49°c so I took the hit of looking like a real overprepared bear nut by carrying two cans of bear spray for the rest of the hike. As we found out later in the summer - no one wants to be near deployed bear spray so I think it was a good choice.
At the campsite near Sperry Chalet we quickly pitched our tent to reserve our spot (a prime site overlooking the valley) and threw a few rocks inside to weigh it down before descending the final half mile to the Chalet itself. There was a bit of confusion over whether we were booked in for dinner but everyone was really friendly and had no issues with us leaving behind a backpack while we headed up the pass.
Our gorgeous spot at Sperry campsite. A couple we’d met on the pass told us to head for this spot which we did - I love tips from fellow hikers!
I was getting a cracking headache at this point - either from the heat, altitude or allergies (maybe all three) and, despite dunking my head in a freezing waterfall which provided some relief, I don’t really remember the hike up to the pass. I was head down and just hoping that I’d enjoy the return journey.
A solid backcountry headache cure - the colder the better
Amy enjoyed the view on the way up and trusted that I’d be better company on the return journey
We had a conservative turnaround time to give us plenty of wiggle room to get back in time for dinner at 6pm which would have given us a good half an hour to explore the pass above the steep staircase cut into the rocks at the top. We hadn’t bargained however on the mountain goats up there. They were a family of three adults with triplet babies who all aggressively pursued us wherever we walked! If we dared put our backpack down they came running over to see if they could snag a treat from inside.
It was gorgeous up on Comeau Pass but the goats were a real handful
We quickly descended the staircase again pursued by the goats and I was immediately blown away by the scenery that I didn’t notice on the way up. It was stunning! Just below the pass are a series of “hanging valleys”. Carved by smaller glaciers than the one which created the vast valley below the Chalet, these hanging valleys are flat steppes connected by waterfalls. They were mossy and boggy - an unusual sight this high up (around 8,000ft). It was hard to drag ourselves away.
Comeau Pass hanging valley
All trip we’d been hallucinating bears. There are two types of bears present in the “lower 48s” (states of the USA not including Alaska or Hawai’i) - black bears and grizzly bears. Of the two it was the grizzlies that were really on our minds. With males averaging 600lbs (270kg) - they’re huge and can be aggressive, which was why we were both carrying bear spray. Despite numerous rocks and tree stumps that looked like bears though, we hadn’t yet seen the real thing.
Until out of nowhere on the switchback below us, and a bit too close for comfort, I saw a huge golden bear making his way down the path. It was unmistakably a grizzly - with the massive size and the big shoulder hump making for a fairly easy ID. “Amy it’s a bear - for real this time” I called as she looked down where I was pointing and managed to snap a couple of quick pictures as the bear lazily glanced in our direction before sauntering behind some rocks and out of sight.
On a computer this video really shows the size and power of the bear! It’s bottom left of the frame
No other hikers in sight Amy grabbed the bear spray and we considered our options. The bear had been heading down the trail in the same direction as us. We could see the trail pop out from behind the rocks a few hundred metres beyond where the bear had disappeared and waited for a while to see if it would reappear. Our hope was that it would continue on its way or drop down into the valley well below us. We waited. Nothing. With dinner time inching ever closer (for us not the bear in sha’Allah!) we decided to continue down the trail a bit, talking loudly so the bear knew we were coming that way. Rounding the switchback where we’d first seen the bear - we suddenly saw its face appear in the distance. It was coming back up the trail directly towards us!
We stopped and had a brief debate over what to do - quickly deciding to stay on the path for the time being. The bear popped its head up to give us a good sniff, and apparently decided that after our three days of hiking it didn’t really like what it smelled! With an incredible amount of power and agility it turned and loped up some really steep rocks, cutting the switchbacks and heading up into the mountains with just a couple of glances back our way.
Off goes the bear - I love its tail in this picture! It was this point where I felt comfortable enough to start taking pictures again
Hearts still pounding, we watched the bear leave - the first ever bear either of us had seen in the wild. It felt like all three of us had had similar reactions to the encounter, curiosity but ultimately a total lack of interest in getting too close. In Glacier they talk about bear sightings (where you observe a bear from afar); encounters (where you have some kind of interaction with the bear); and incidents (where something scary happens). This was a textbook bear encounter - everyone played their part nicely!
The bear spray stayed in Amy’s hand the whole way down
As we continued down the trail we kept talking and glancing nervously up the sheer cliff to our left, worried that the bear might make another appearance. Thankfully it didn’t and we arrived back at the Chalet in one piece half an hour before dinner would be served and still running on a big adrenaline rush.
For dinner, they seat everyone at big tables and we were a little disappointed to be sat next to a couple who asked the only black guy in the room pointed questions about where he was from, rather than with another young LGBT couple who we’d met outside the Chalet. That same man was also insistent on grabbing my shoulder every time he wanted to talk to us which I really didn’t appreciate either. It was really nice to have a hot, non-freeze dried meal though and we enjoyed talking to the people opposite us. It was also a novel experience to have an actual bathroom on a backcountry trip!
Sperry Chalet dining room. On the menu for us was chicken parm with pasta, a spicy soup and chocolate cake. It was warm and filling but very mediocre (apart from the hot chocolate which I thought was incredible but I might have been a bit mountain loopy!)
After dinner (which was good considering it was hauled up on pack horses and cooked in the wilderness but probably wouldn’t make the grade in any other context) we returned to our campsite for a well earned rest. Usually the stomping of the mountain goats around our tent all night was a bit irritating but this evening we were happy they were there - reasoning that if the goats were chilling and checking in to see if we’d happened to leave any snacks for them, there probably wasn’t a grizzly in the vicinity.
A happy evening with full bellies and a gorgeous view
The next morning was a special one. The minute I got out of the tent the mountain goats were tailing me - sometimes they were just a couple of feet away. They didn’t seem aggressive but were definitely waiting for something. I soon realised that they were after my pee - sorry if that’s TMI! They love the minerals and salts in urine and know that humans usually pee when they get out of their tents so they stuck close by until I picked a suitable spot to go. You’re meant to pee on bare rocks so the goats won’t dig up vegetation in their search for minerals and I chose a rock that I hoped would make for some picturesque shots of the goats overlooking the valley.
A goat and a hoary marmot sharing sunrise over the valley with me
The goats let Amy know when it was time to wake up and pee
There isn’t too much to say about the next day’s hiking itself! It was a fairly long, boring hike out through the forest in really hot weather. No bears which was both a relief and a disappointment! The day before we’d heard a story about two hikers who were “chased” several miles down the trail by an adolescent grizzly. It was an amusing story told to us by a couple who had seen these hikers running down the trail and told them to stop and stand their ground (the first rule of a bear encounter is not to run - they will chase). The running hikers declined, apparently reasoning that they only had to be faster than this other couple to escape the clutches of the bear. The other couple though merely stepped a few feet off the trail and watched as the bear bounded by, loving the game of chase which apparently lasted all the way to the car park.
An amusing story for sure, but one that will sadly have lethal consequences for that bear if it decides to try and make more hikers join in with the game of chase. We were grateful not to have to put our commitment to not running to the test!
It was such a cool trip. Everyone we met on the trail and in the Chalet though (some of whom had been visiting Glacier for 50 years - like Jeff) recommended that we don’t skip the Many Glacier area of the park. With no solid plans for the next little while we decided to see what we could cobble together from last minute cancellations at the campsite in Many Glacier and head out there to discover a place allegedly even more beautiful and wildlife filled than the dreamscape we’d just walked through.
Finishing our hike at Lake McDonald
