Glacier National Park has very little cell service/internet and so I’m not doing daily posts.
The 21st we had our train ride to East Glacier and our hike beginning. Of course Amtrak was almost two hours late. Which meant we got started after lunch rather than in the morning.
The heat wave was in full swing. We hiked 14.1 total miles and ended up in Two Medicine with a ranger putting us in one of the hike and bike spots (Glacier has a number of these that are hike only).
We had some hiking that looked sketchy from a distance but the actual trail was pretty mild—day hiker appropriate.
In Two Medicine the camp store closed up their grill early but they let us have unlimited refills on our frozen yogurt. We got to use a bear box to store our food.
The ranger station there is closed. CDT hikers won’t be able to get permits and that will make things rough.
On the steep sections I had hip pain and really felt like I was hurting. The three thousand feet of vertical ascent was hard.
The next morning we were on trail before 6:00. 15.4 miles (including a campsite off trail) and another day of over three thousand feet of ascent.
I was starting to wonder if I had just gotten really old. But once we got past the steep sections my body loosened up and I felt much better.
After an early dinner we hung our food from a provided hang that had real height on it.
Cooled off enough for a decent nap by 5:30.
The 23rd should have one bar of Verizon.
We have 11.3 trail miles to get done then the next day is Many Glacier.
The heat is rough. The steep up and down trail is tough too. We are doing one pass a day.
On the other hand the trail is beautiful but we have a burn zone coming up.
Lots of people hiking and trail running the park.
Well. We were off before six o’clock which was a good thing given how the other hikers at the campsite got an early start with yells and shouts.
There was already a warm breeze as we started up. The trail was a narrow track that went straight up and had been blasted into the side of the mountain.
The trail to the pass went right through the campsite so we were up and on trail immediately.
I drank a liter of water and a little more and carried two. Ran out of water after about eleven miles and pushed through to our reserved campsite rather than stop.
I’ve drunk another couple liters. The steady wind really dried me out.
We picked a campsite, hung our food and built a windbreak down at the lake.
Most of the area is bleak. A fierce fire left a large burn zone with burned trunks howling in the wind. There were a few trees on the lake that survived.
Verizon has up to two bars but no thru-put so there is nothing we can do with the cell service out of St Mary.
Tomorrow will be a flatter day. Our campsite will be right before another peak and then we hike into Many Glacier for showers, laundry and resupply to the border.
We have the trail through Ptarmigan tunnel, one campsite and then the terminus on day two.
Today now that we’ve reached the campsite we are hiding in the shade (all the camping is completely shade less and our tent is set up in the heat). We will use the cooking area for dinner and head out in the morning.
Win built a windbreak that is almost three feet tall.
I’m wishing I had more pastry for breakfast but we have food enough.
The park is really pretty. The ups go places where it looks like there is no passage. They then drop into the next valley quickly.
The Red Eagle Lake Foot campground is really exposed to the wind. That makes the Bear hang harder as the wind blows the cord about. We have a good hang though so we will be able to eat our breakfast without having shared it with the bears.
More of a possibility is the ducks. A flotilla cased us out several times. They acted like other hikers might have fed them.
There is up to two bars Verizon but no Internet from it. just a waste of battery power and hiking up to the rise.
Two more days and we are in Many Glacier.
I’m looking forward to that.
Almost thirteen miles to the falls this morning. Then we caught a shuttle to the only restaurant on the route.
Hiding from the heat.
Happy’s post from West Glacier +
And from Whitefish.