Any nature and/or hiking enthusiast would be sorely remiss not to make the pilgrimage to Glacier and Grand Tetons National Parks. This trip I undertook with my Mom. It is a solid 12 hour drive up from Salt Lake City to Northern Montana, but quite beautiful. Passing through Idaho we were greeted by an omen I am always pleased to see. Also took a good look at the Sawtooth Range which would be saved for another trip. Incidentally, the photos appearing in this Trip report were taken with a Canon Powershot s70. If I had known then what I know now………
Once the park is reached, it takes little time realizing why Glacier is nicknamed, “The Crowning Jewel of the Continent.” Quite the heady moniker, but well deserved. The Going to the Sun Road is a breathtaking path through the mountains. It was also very costly in both resources and lives, for which I give my humble thanks to those who sacrificed to built it.
Logan Pass is clearly the crux of the route and the epicenter of many hiking opportunities. A nice preview and introduction to the park is the popular boardwalk trail up to the Hidden Lake Viewpoint. This is an excellent way to stretch your legs and possibly see some very habituated wildlife.
The goats will basically act like you aren’t there and really heighten the experience on the trail. Other places in the park they will generally shuffle off when people come around. Hidden Lake lookout has an extraordinary view, especially considering the distance from the parking lot. Hiking down to the lake is also very nice, with the half mile beyond the viewpoint being a highlight.
The next morning found us at Many Glacier ready for a more serious jaunt. The lake which resides within the Shangri-la basin, in the lap of Mount Wilbur, is beyond description and beckons a chilly swim by anyone passing by. This area is a secret little treasure for those willing to go off trail to find it. It is also prime grizzly bear habitat so be on guard and make sure to make your presence known.
Obviously, it is possible to return from whence you came down the access seam, I however prefer to head over the low ridge above the lake under B7 Pillar. Here is my Mom, Janis, heading over the aforementioned ridge. Staying on the tiny stream lends itself to a more lush wildflower display in summer. Mount Henkle and Mount Wynn are framed nicely by the jewel lake.
This would be the reason to push on over the ridge. It really is a magnificent view and you are given ample time to savor it on the decent to the lake. From the foot of the lake it is a good 5-6 miles of very popular and gentle trail back to Swiftcurrent.
The next day was another exceptional Many Glacier hike. This one up Grinnell Valley to the tucked away glacier. Once past bear alley, the views of Lake Josephine open up underneath the stark cliffs of Mount Gould and the Continental Divide. I had been up this trail many times, as I had lived and worked at the Many Glacier Hotel in the summer of 2000, but for my Mom it was her first visit to the park. Tomorrow would be an off day for her and I had my sights set on summiting Gould for the first time the next day. I knew doing this hike the day before would light the necessary fire in the belly for a legitimate Glacier summit.
This is as far as we went. Originally had designs on summiting Angels Wing, but it was a very warm August day with no cover to be had, so decided to live to hike another day. Not before soaking in the destination a bit.
The Next day was a rest day for Mom and a crusher for me. Mount Gould had long been on my radar for the fact that I looked at it every day for an entire summer and because it has a unique distinction within the park. It sits well below the highest peaks in the park but offers a completely unobstructed view of every other peak. Its actually not a very long hike. The route starts about 3.5 miles from Logan Pass or shorter from a shortcut off the road. You then simply blast up the class 3 western face and there you are. This gentleman was hanging about to pose and provide an even more impressive view on the accent.The view from the top is spectacular but there was a casualty. I unfortunately shredded my favorite L.L.Bean hiking shorts on the final push. They had a good Spartan death.
It was tough to force myself to head back down, in the end I started thinking about food and sometimes thats the only thing that can pull me away. I always find it interesting to look down or at places that I recently was, like at the shore of that milky glacier lake down there. I have always marveled and been appreciative of the ability to zoom around a place like this like it was my personal playground.
Our last big hike was from Logan Pass, so a final trip up the east side of the Going to the Sun Road from St.Mary Campground was in order. The view of Wild Goose Island is perhaps the most photographed view in the park and definitely deserves a peak, to be sure.
The jammer buses used for the park tours are ancient marvels of automotive maintenance as well as a glistening reminder of wonderful sentimentality. One of the greatest aspects of Glacier Park is its accessibility and these great buses epitomize that trait.
Being able to drive to a trailhead such as the highland trail is a bit of a guilty pleasure if you are used to having to earn that type of prominence. I’m not going to complain and neither are all the Whistle Pigs (Columbia Ground Squirrel), who make Glaciers high country their home.
Roughly 10 miles from Logan Pass is Swiftcurrent Lookout. This perch is the highest viewpoint to be obtained by trail and provides breathtaking views in every direction.
To end the time we had left in Glacier we headed down to check out Avalanche Gorge and the Trail of the Cedars. Its a nice little nature walk on boardwalk, a great way to interest yourself with the local flora as well as see a well chiseled waterfall. A boat ride on Lake McDonald and swim in its pristine waters was also in order after about 40 miles and roughly 10,000 vert hiked over the last 4 days.
Jumping out of the boat was a great way to cap a trip where I finally got to introduce my Mom to my favorite place on Earth. Heading south out of the Flathead valley on Hwy 93 is always bittersweet. It’s never enough time, I never want to leave and it always goes by too fast. Some places can capture your heart in such a way that they become part of your soul.
Thankfully I had a short stop in at Grand Teton National park to take some of the sting off. After a couple rest days, I must admit, I had some serious intentions. I had done the Middle Teton when I lived at Jackson Lake Lodge during the summer of 2001, but not the South Teton. My plan was to rip up the 6000 vert to the South and if weather, energy, and time permitted bag the Middle as well. That is a big day and should not be taken lightly. If completed this route if roughly 20 miles and 8,000 vert topping out at the 12,800 foot summit of the Middle Teton. I chose the South first because the later in the day you summit the Middle the better the light is. In addition, ascending the SW couloir creates somewhat of a nice driving peak fever. The view of the Grand is totally obscured until the summit is achieved. Bailing before the summit is painful and depressing so I knew the inevitable fatigue I would feel at this point would be overcome by adrenaline.
I have always enjoyed the nice switchback warmup from Lupine Meadows to the serene meadows of Garnet Canyon. The water helps get you in the right frame of mind, the flowers have that nice whimsical effect and the Middle stares at you with that mesmerizing black diabase dike screaming, “here is my summit, come get it if you can.” Being someone who likes a good challenge, I started my Led Zeppelin mix on my iPod and went straight up the route to the right of the snowfield in the Canyon images. I have to admit, part of me wishes I could be 29 forever because I will never get up a mountain like that again.
The South Teton has a tremendous view down the Southern portion of the range and was my main focus while spending a solid hour on the peak. This vantage point is obstructed from the Middle by this peak. There is a very interesting angle on Buck Mountain (jagged peak, center middle) which I enjoyed after being on that summit a few years earlier. The panorama with me in it was very fun and a little tricky to construct. It is a composite where I made half if it then scurried into the portion I could get into then finished the rest of the shots.
Couldn’t fake the smile I carried around all day or swipe it off, any words I could try to muster would fall short. After refueling and soaking the last moments on the South it was time to return to the saddle and muscle up for the class 3 couloir and fun little snow section of the Middle accent.
The Summit of the Middle Teton is easily in my all time top 5. I have more summits to investigate but I think a perfect view of the Grand Teton will be difficult to bump off the list. After 8,000 vert I considered taking a nap up there but to be honest sometimes the worse thing you can do is let the lactic acid catch up with you on a day like this. Getting back to Lupine Meadows can seem a bit daunting at this juncture and as a hiker its time to get the mental game in full gear. It really is just about getting down to Garnet canyon proper and to the trail. Its possible that this hike will give nightmares of endless granite, but generally after a little recovery time they turn into dreams of more forays into the clouds. From any direction the Grand Teton steals the show and acts as a hiking magnet. If you are a hiker, you see the Teton Range, and because there are no foothills, it seems like you can touch them. All the canyons of the Tetons, but particularly, Paintbrush, Cascade, Death, Open, Hanging, and Garnet provide incredible access to this area.
Not only do the Tetons also look spectacular from a distance but they are home to a wide variety of animals including, Bison, Black and Grizzly Bears, Owls, Elk, Moose, marmot, Coyote, Gray Wolf, Mountain Lion, Red Fox, Bobcat, Canadian Lynx, Deer, Pronghorn, Mountain Goat, Big Horned Sheep, Wolverine, River Otters, Badger, Mink, Snowshoe hares, Jackrabbits, Pikas, Beavers, Bats, Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, Trout, and many, many more. I have not seen all these creatures but I have seen more and of more variety of animals in Grand Teton and Jackson Hole than any other place I have visited.
