Haute Route Day 11 Gruben to Gasenreid

As usual it was an early start. We came upon some of our trail friends camping site. Their tents were surrounded by cows. It was so funny 

We hiked up to a lovely pass called Augustbord. Once there a number of trail friends converged. We discussed climbing Swartzhorn peak. Only Olga and I were game. There was supposed to be a trail but much of it was scrambling over boulders and scree. There was also a little snow. Olga encouraged me and waited for me all the way. I fully credit her with my makin it to the peak. The view from there was awesome and I  so glad that I did it. 

When we got back to the pass I met a few other trail friends. Leah had continued on down the trail with the guys from Oklahoma. I walked for awhile with Peta. Then on my own until I caught up with Leah. We walked down down down. We got a few good photos from a view point overlooking the valley. 

The day was pretty warm and we were facing some pretty downhill. So we took the cable car down. This could have been free for us because they only sold tickets at the bottom. However instead of jumping off and walking away we hung around while I used the bathroom and empties my shoes thus giving the cable car guy a chance to ask Leah for a ticket. Lesson learned. 

Then we caught a bus up to Gasenreid b we were lucky to catch it because we were told it was at 5:15. Being my fathers daughter I got there early. Good thing  because the bus left at 5 and I think it was the last one for the day. 

While riding the bus we amused a local who kept laughing at us and correcting our pronunciation. 

Once we got to the hotel we weren't sure where to go. Leah walked into a room labeled matratzenlager. I told her that I thought that meant dormitory. After I heard her talking I followed her in. She was talking to someone behind the curtain. The person behind the curtain was saying something about being the only one. Leah asked if he worked there. He said "no it's Hank I'm taking a shower". Yes it was a dorm and yes this was one of our trail friends who recognized our voices and was trying to help us out. 

We then went upstairs and found the owner/manager. She didn't have our reservation. It turns out that we had a reservation at another hotel. She sorted it out for us we got a pretty sweet room. 

We went out to dinner and Hank helped us translate the menu. It was good except they charged 2.50 for a carafe of plain water. That did not impress me. 

Haute Route Day 9 and 10

Leaving Cabane de Moiry was slightly sad as it was so beautiful. We had thought that we would start a little later but a number of early risers woke us and we headed out early.  The light on the glacier was very pretty and so was the lake below the glacier.  Leah did not enjoy the trip out any more than the trip in but the rest of the day did not have challenging footing. We did,however, miss a turn and walked all the way down to the lake parking lot.  We then took a trail that we didn't know and gambled that it would intersect with the trail that we needed. The gamble paid off. 

We walked above Lac Moiry which was a stunning shade of turquoise.   We saw a family of chamois. I think I finally got a few good shots on my camera. Then we hiked up and over Col de Sorebois. We had some nice views but it was cloudy so the views could have been better. 

We walked down to the cable car and caught a few ride down to Zinal courtesy of a card given to us by the cabane. 

We had a fun dinner and drinks with some trail friends and headed to bed.

The next morning there was a mixup. Leah had put her clothes in the drying room. She was worried that the room was locked. I suggested she go check. Then I went to the bathroom. She texted to ask if I was checking. I said no bathroom. She took this to mean her clothes were locked up. She told me to go ahead and she would catch me later.   (We didn't figure this out until she arrived in Gruben)

My walk to the Hotel Weisshorn was great. It was cool and the masses were not yet out. I scared a family of chamois which took off down the mountainside. 

The hotel was old and historic. I had a soda and did a bit of Internet. Then I headed over the Medipass. The view there was phenomenal. 

The walk down was pretty but one of the guys that I was with twisted his ankle twice. I am beginning to think that I am a jinx.  

We all made it to Gruben and stayed in a hotel there. We had dinner with all the people we had met over the last week or two that were also at the hotel (the only one in Gruben) 

The Haute Route is drawing to a close. I am sad to see it end and know that I must return to reality 

Haute Route Day 8 Cabane de Moiry

A big shout out to our accomadation in La Sage.   It was called Cafe Restaurant L'Ecureuil.  They were so great. There was a hang out room. The showers were hot. Dinner was super. They made omelettes for us with potatoes and veggies and a nice dessert of vanilla ice cream with a berry sauce. It did have creaky floor boards.  Also they let us have breakfast whenever we were ready because it was self serve. 

We set out early and climbed 3800ft in 3.6 miles to Col Tsate. I had a very close encounter with a cow when it got very very close while I was seated on a rock waiting for Leah. We were a little confused at one point but saw someone walking towards us. Turns out he is a Californian working as a cattle shepard in the Alps despite being a Swiss physicist. One of his grandmother's lives near Napa and has a cattle range. His other lives in Tracy near where I live in Mountain House. It was an really random coincidence. We didn't see anyone else on the trail today until we got to the Moiry Glacier Parking lot. 

On the other side of the pass we carefully picked out way down. At one point I looked up from my feet to see this huge boulder wobbling. It was huge - at least five feet across. At first I thought it fell from somewhere but as I got closer I realized that it had dislodged from its place in the snow and had moved down the slope. 

At the bottoms of the slope was a collection point for water from the glacier.   The water had that blue green color. Silt was being removed from it before it became part of the water supply held in Lac Moiry. 

It was a big uphill from the lake. It was 1800 ft up from the lake in 2 miles. We walked for a time in the ridge of the lateral moraine.  We crossed a very narrow wet ledge with a sheer drop off. Luckily there was a chain to hold on to which gave me some comfort but Leah didn't feel comfortable but went anyway.  Then we crossed a steep snow field.  It kinda of worried me a little because a slip would put you in an icy lake with a iceberg in it. Luckily there was a rope to hold to. Leah was still apprehensive and has rope burn from hanging on to the rope to tightly. We also had to climb over a number of wet rocks and boulders which made her day. 

She was so focused on the way up that she didn't see a small dog on the trail and skewered him with her pole. I think that despite being vegetarian she was going to roast him on the fire because it was a wiener dog. Just kidding. She only hit it on the head (lightly).  It poor owner did not look very fit and this probably didn't need this to happen. 

We eventually made it to the hut which literally overlooks the glacier and it is incredible. 

Unfortunately there is no diet coke for me or sparkling water for Leah. Also the water is not potable. I plan to filter some instead of paying out the nose for water. I did have a yummy brownie. Leah had a hazelnut berry cake that wasn't as good.

We had dinner with lots of friends at the hut. It was super fun 

Haute Route Day 7 Cabane Dix to Col Roux to Barrage Dixence

The hut guy was really cool. We were able to have breakfast at whatever time. Many climbers were ipa no about before 4am. I am a early riser but not quite that early. It was nice however to be able to have breakfast early without haggling. 

I headed out and crossed a very icy snowfield. The glaciers receedvbehind me and  Lac Dix emerges in front of me. There was a raging waterfall dumping into the lake. Flowers abounded. I walked happily around the lake and bumped into Katy and Jordan. We had a bit of a catch up. After I left  them I climbed up to Col Roux. I stopped by a little hut along the way that was run on the honesty policy. You say or buy water you pay. I was amazed and delighted at this. Then I headed up to the Col. I didn't go quite all the way but I great views of the lake and many surrounding glaciers. From there I descended and walked to Barrage Dixeon. It is world highest gravity dam. I had to walk through many tunnels to get to it. At the start of the first tunnel there was a digging machine. That was a bit ominous. Some of the tunnels were so long that they had lights in them. You had to push a button for lights. The first on I didn't and I stepped in several puddles. 

After the tunnels I emerged at the dam. I chose to walk down but there was a cable car option to shorten the time  at the bottom I picked up a series of buses to get me to La Sage to continue the Haute Route traditional sequence. I bumped into Elise and Jim on the bus. 

Haute Route Day 6 Cabane de Dix

I hiked solo today. Leah considered the risk factor to high.  The weather seemed to have turned overnight and the day was chilly and clear. I hiked up past the Taijiore Nouve Glacier. The views were great. I caught sight of an ibex running over a hill they sure are photo shy. 

I climbed up Pas Chèvre and then down the notorious ladders. These have been improved and were no great problem. Past there I picked my way along a sketchy trail which often had a chain to hold on to. At one spot only half of one foot fit on the trail. I was nervous but all was well. I picked my way over boulders and scree - some icy. Then as I aproached the glacier I bumped into a couple of my friends from Cabane du Mont Fort- Elisa and Jim from Seattle. I was so glad to see them. It turns out that they went down to Louvie Hut and then walked down to the valley. They took a bus to The dam at the end it the lake and hike up to the Cabane Dix (my destination today).  They gave me info on crossing the at times slippery Glacier and I gave them advice on heading to Arolla. 

I also told them that Leah was still in Arolla at the same hotel they had booked and suggested they stop by and say high.  Then I slid and picked my way across the glacier and followed the orange painted rocks to the Cabane Dix

As I travelled I heard the glacier cracking which was amazing. The hut is placed atop a big hill across from the glacier. I don't think I have ever seen such a nice view. The people in the hut are very nice and I got a bottom bunk. 

I bumped into someone else that I had met on the trail and we traded war stories over lunch. Then he he headed off and I washed some clothes. 

I hiked up to a big hill above the hut and took some photos. While there I spotted the top of the Matterhorn in between the clouds. 

Haute Route Day 5 Arolla to La Sage

Due to weather conditions we decided to to an easier later stage hoping the weather would improve. 

Trail had ups and downs but was much easier than some of the other days. We hiked past a brilliant blue lake fed by a waterfall. Then a working milk and cheese farm. Initially it appeared closed. We took a few photos of the buildings. Then an old man came out and we thought that he wanted to show us his establishment. We tried to politely refuse and move on. He then became insistent and started pointing to a sore on his finger. We considered if he needed help but we knew that he was not far from a small village where he could get help. As we moved on with apologies he continues to talk insistently at us. I guess that he wanted money for the photos that we took. I am not sure. 

From there we passed a village and then a beautiful blue lake fed by a waterfall. 

We then walked through Les Haudres and in to La Sage. In La Sage we tried to go to the tourist information center. After walking up the steps of some private home we were politely told that it closed five years ago. 

We then checked out the local shops. It was very small and didn't even carry cold diet coke (or any other cold soft drinks)

I bought a pen and reconfigured the remainder of our itinerary based on our bit of bad weather. I decided to walk tone stage in the opposite direction and take the bus from there to La Sage where we booked a place to stay while we were there.  

From La Sage we walked to Evolene which has the only ATM machine in the region. The first thing we came to was a grocery store. It was quite a nice place with a little of everything. I got some cold diet coke and a few bars to eat on the trail. 

Almost everything else was closed until 1:30.   The door to the bank was closed and locked and we thought it was closed until 1:30.  A nice young guy saw us sitting there and told us the bank was closed for the weekend. I couldn't understand how the only ATM in the region was not accessible on the weekend. Grouchy I moved off down the street. He caught up with us and explained that there is a button to push to open the door to use the ATM. We thanked him and Intold him that I was so happy that I could kiss him. He said I should and when I did on the cheek he told me that in Switzerland it is three kisses so I did. It was embarrassing and funny. 

In the end I got cash out although it seems that my Charles Schwab card isn't working.  

I have been seeing small outdoor oven from time to time. There was one in front of a restaraunt. There was cheese in front of it either to be melted or smoked it I am not sure. 

 Then we went to the pharmacy and I got more ibuprofen. The lady in the shop was so nice. 

As Leah and I waited for the bus we discussed why a metal bar with a circle on the end of it was sticking out of the mountain. The gentleman next to us let us know that it is artwork representing climbing equipment. I am not sure but I think it might be called a piton. 

Our bus journey back to Arolla was uneventful. Once there we saw several people who had preserved in the day before. They had all successful made it with some scraps and bruises. It seems that the trail was pretty difficult with 3 hours of snow walking. I am pretty glad that we made the decision that we did.

Tomorrow the forecast is again rain. I am hiking up to Cabane de Dix. Leah is taking a rest day and avoiding treacherous conditions that I may face. 

Haute Route Day 3 and 4 addendum

I think that I overlooked a few things in my blogs for these days. 

Cabane Du Mont Fort

We had the worst service and food here. I think this was because the poor guy was understaffed. Most of the time it was just him doing everything. However it was probably some of the worst pasta I have had. In addition there was no bread or seconds offered. No advice or help about the trail was offered despite poor weather conditions. We were often chastised for asking anything - like a cup of water. I have since bumped into Hank who I met at Col du Forclaz. He had a great experience. The guy made pizza for everyone since Hank can't eat pasta. He was given advice but I am not sure how good it was as Hank almost fell to his death. 

The trail

I think I forgot to mention that we saw several ibex or chamois. I am not sure which. For some reason they didn't seem to want their photo taken so I am not sure any of the photos that I took in my phone will turn out. 

Haute Route Day 3 Cabane Mont Font

We got up early and headed off. We were cranking it up the mountain making great time. Then we were looking at the book and realizes that we were on the wrong trail. While we were walking through the town we took at turn that was marked Cabane du Mont Fort. However the book specifically said to not take that turn. We had gone 1.2 miles and 1200 ft in the wrong direction. I rarely swear but quite few choice word left my mouth as we then walked 1.2 miles back down. We found the junction were we made the error and walked in the correct direction. 

The views were beautiful. We had great mountain views. 

I will say that we did a lot of up hill -6500 ft over 11.6 miles.   We made some new friends and help each other navigate as needed.  At one point we were an intersection that had a sign that indicated that we should turn right to go to the town that was out next destination. A runner on the trail told us to go the other way as well.  However, the direction seemed seemed to indicate another direction. We did a vote between us and made a decision to go left which was correct because 20 min later we came to the next landmark. 

However it was a stellar day and the hut sat on top of a big  hill on top of the mountain. It was stunning. 

We spent the afternoon discussing our plans for hiking tomorrow. We have decided to leave early and walk together for safety. 

Tomorrow we will go over three passes. 

Haute Route Day 4 Bad Weather

A group of us banded together to try and beat the weather odds. We set out as close to 6:15 as possible. We hiked at a brisk pace but it began to rain before the first pass that we needed to cross. We needed to cross three passes. Two of our group dropped out then. We forged on in full rain gear. It was going well. We had nice views and went over the first pass (Col Tremin)  to see a very pretty lake -  Lake Louvie. We continued along the trail towards Col Louvie. The rain was unrelenting and then the thunder and lightening started. Then we crossed a couple Boulder fields and snow fields. At this point our hiking mates, Katy and Jordan, determined the location of the next pass. It had a lot of snow. I was deeply regretting my decision not to bring any type of traction devices. Leah and I decided that it was not safe to continue. Katy and Joedan debates for awhile but came to the same conclusion. 

The hike back was slippery on the Ricky's and snow. Leah took a little slide on one snowfield.  No harm done except a major adrenaline rush. We hiked slowly and carefully back over the pass. After we went over the pass the weather improved. In fact the views were better than when we went out. It was very spectacular at this point Kary and Jordan debated trying to go over the passes again. My feeling was that the weather was different over the pass on the other side of the mountain. Leah and I headed down as did Katy and Jordan.  We met some of our other new friends on the good weather side of the mountain persevering on. We told them our experience but they were going for it. I hope to meet them later on the trail and hear of their experiences. I may have to come back and do that section on its own 

What to do next was our next question. As the weather forecast looked terrible for the next day as well we decided that staying was not on the cards. Leah and I took an amazing cable car ride down the mountain. To get down it took four different lifts. We saw how steep what we climbed the previous day really was not was amazing. There is no doubt that we are two tough ladies 

Then we took two trains and a bus to Arolla. I really wanted to do the section of the hike from  Cabane de Prafleuri  to Arolla. Leah go to talking to a super nice guy on the bus that had been hiking the same route as us but in the opposite direction. He has given us some good advice and we will attempt to do the hike in the opposite direction and then take the bus back down. This was a piece of great luck bumping into him. He also helped us find a really nice place to stay in Arolla. 

Haute Route Day 2 to Les Chable

Today we attempted to combine two stages. While this made sense in many ways it was also a bit of a reach. 

The trail from the hotel begins as a gentle stroll and quickly turns into a steep grade with many sketchy situations. We saw a helicopter fly over and it appeared to be searching. This did little for our confidence as we had heard that the pass was a little slippery with snow.  We scrambled over boulders and inched our way along eroded steep trails. All the while our trek was overshadowed by the incredible Trient glacier. It snakes down the mountainside with a blue tongue.  Others may disagree but I found the challenging trail well worth it. 

One disappointment was the large school group at the top. They took over the pass and were exceptionally loud. They diminished the experience slightly. 

The trip down the other side of the pass was slippery due to scree and small gravelly rocks. Next we walked over a snow field. It was not too bad. Then we had to clamber over a boulder field following red and white markings on rocks. This went in for awhile and was not the greatest fun.   We leaped frogged with a few people on the trail. 

We finally made it to the Relais Arpette hut. We stopped and had some cool drinks. The waitress also nicely called the Cabane Mont Fort and made reservations for us. That was one thing off my mind.  We bumped into a couple of people that we had leapfrogged in the trail. They were done in. Despite the fact they beat us to the hut. They said we had a pretty good pace. 

We headed down to Champex. We found out about transportation and Leah bought a replacement visor to replace the one that she left at the hotel. We tried to take a photo of the lake but were yelled at for being on private property. We were allowed to take a photo but then we quickly exited. 

We decided that 8 more miles was a bit more that we were up for. Instead we hoped to hike to Sembrancher and catch the train from there to Les Chable. 

We hiked down and got confused at a junction in the trail. Luckily a local lady named Margarite happened by and pointed us in the right direction. We chatted quite a bit with her. In the end she convinced us to walk down to Orsires and catch the train there. We almost ran down the mountain as she told us the last train was at 5:08. We were panicking when we got there at 5:06. However all was well we were able to buy tickets and the train didn't come until 5:15. The train was great- very easy.  

We got to Les Chable and a nice man helped us find our hotel. The Hotel La Poste was great. They were very accommodating.  They even laid out breakfast for us so we could leave early.  Our room was very nice. 

Haute Route Day 1 to Col du Forclaz

We left our amazing gite (guesthouse) early to avoid the crowds and beat the heat. The ascent to Col. du Balme was beautiful with views of Mont Blanc and other glaciers along the way. We took a break at the pass and then headed to Refuge La Grande. There were a few snow fields along the way. Unfortunately one of our party slipped and sprained her ankle on one of the snow fields. She was a champ and hiked on. We helped wrap her ankle and took some of the weight from her pack and put it in our packs.  We met a couple of guys on the trail that had found a huge crystal. Eventually we made it to the refugio (mountain hut) with views of two amazing glaciers - Trient and .Les Grande  Luckily a medic was there and advised us to keep moving before the ankle seized up. 

From there we headed down and almost took a wrong turn but Leah caught it and we were saved from being lost.  

We eventually made it to the hotel walking along a fairly flat trail with a bisse along next to it. A bisse is a water diversion. We saw some historical signed showing how ice was carved off the Glacier and transported down the mountain in rail cars. Leah said that she didn't even like to empty ice trays to her ice much less having to carve it off a glacier. 

The hotel is really crowded because the Tour du France is riding through tomorrow but we had reservations so all is good. 

I am looking forward to a hearty meal after 12,5 miles and 4300 ft elevation gain carrying extra extra weight in my pack. 

Siyeh and Piegan Pass Hike

For my last day I found someone to hike with.  It was nice to have company along the trail.  We decided to do the Siyeh Pass from the lower trailhead (Sunrift gorge).  I had been given advice that this was the best way to hike it and had not tried to do it that way before.  I have to say that I very much enjoyed this as the point of origin.  The views up to Siyeh pass were so pretty.   We saw a ptarmigan hen and her chicks on the way up.  We had great views of the glacier and the waterfall coming from it as well.  I forgot to look for the rare tiny blue columbine that grows in this area.

Of course, no hike that I do is without mishap.  I stumbled on one of the snow fields.  My water bottle jumped from my pack due to it momentum.  It then hit the snow and slid way down the snow field.  While I was glad that this wasn't me, I was too much of a cheap skate to let it go.  I was lucky that it didn't go over the cliff.  I made may way across the snow field and then carefully climbed down to rescue my water bottle at the bottom of the snow field.  This was probably the same water bottle that tried to escape on the Two Medicine Pass hike.  Maybe I need to get a leash for it???

The top of the pass was pretty cold and windy but the views of the surrounding lakes and mountainsides were so lovely.  We walked down the other side of the pass.  We rock hopped across a stream and walked through meadow after meadow of glacier lilies.

When we got down to the junction up to Piegan Pass we decided to hike up to that pass as well.  It was pretty cloudy so I wasn't sure that we would get views.  However, we were really lucky and the clouds cleared as we reached the pass.  We were able to see the lakes down the next valley and the glaciers hanging on the granite mountains around us.  The pass was a marmot playground.  They were rambunctiously running around everywhere.

Although tempted to head down into Many Glacier we return back to the Going to the Sun Road at Siyeh Bend.  It was a mellow hike back.  We caught the shuttle back to our car.  It was a great hike to conclude my time in at Glacier National Park 2016.

Siyeh and Piegan Pass Hike

For my last day I found someone to hike with.  It was nice to have company along the trail.  We decided to do the Siyeh Pass from the lower trailhead (Sunrift gorge).  I had been given advice that this was the best way to hike it and had not tried to do it that way before.  I have to say that I very much enjoyed this as the point of origin.  The views up to Siyeh pass were so pretty.   We saw a ptarmigan hen and her chicks on the way up.  We had great views of the glacier and the waterfall coming from it as well.  I forgot to look for the rare tiny blue columbine that grows in this area.

Of course, no hike that I do is without mishap.  I stumbled on one of the snow fields.  My water bottle jumped from my pack due to it momentum.  It then hit the snow and slid way down the snow field.  While I was glad that this wasn't me, I was too much of a cheap skate to let it go.  I was lucky that it didn't go over the cliff.  I made may way across the snow field and then carefully climbed down to rescue my water bottle at the bottom of the snow field.  This was probably the same water bottle that tried to escape on the Two Medicine Pass hike.  Maybe I need to get a leash for it???

The top of the pass was pretty cold and windy but the views of the surrounding lakes and mountainsides were so lovely.  We walked down the other side of the pass.  We rock hopped across a stream and walked through meadow after meadow of glacier lilies.

When we got down to the junction up to Piegan Pass we decided to hike up to that pass as well.  It was pretty cloudy so I wasn't sure that we would get views.  However, we were really lucky and the clouds cleared as we reached the pass.  We were able to see the lakes down the next valley and the glaciers hanging on the granite mountains around us.  The pass was a marmot playground.  They were rambunctiously running around everywhere.

Although tempted to head down into Many Glacier we return back to the Going to the Sun Road at Siyeh Bend.  It was a mellow hike back.  We caught the shuttle back to our car.  It was a great hike to conclude my time in at Glacier National Park 2016.

Wildlife

Glacier is awesome for wildlife.   One day I went up to Logan Pass and I really lucked out.  In the parking lot were several rams.  They were battling over something on the ground of the parking lot.  It was pretty cool to see.  The ranger told me that it could have been something that someone spilled or antifreeze.  I had heard from my Bakersfield friends that marmots like antifreeze and they will bit into your hoses to get at it.  In fact I was so paranoid that I bought coyote urine to put around my car so that didn't happen to me.  I wonder what ever happened to that coyote urine.  I also saw the above goat on the trail.  It was being observed by someone from the University of Montana.  He was writing down what it was doing.  He also counted the number of breaths that the mountain goat took.  They were collecting this data for a climate change study to determine how the goat deal with less snowpack each year.

The next day I hiked Two Medicine Pass with Jane.  We saw a moose on the way back.  It was walking through a pond eating.  It would put its head into the water and grab some algae to eat.  That was a very cool experience.  When I was at the Grand Teton National Park, I found out that moose can actually dive down to the bottom of the pond to get a meal.  They can dive down 16ft.  To me that is amazing.  However, when you consider that seal, sea lions, whales and dolphins evolved from land creatures, I guess it is not so amazing.

Yesterday I bumped into a bear scratching its back on a tree.    (See yesterday's blog post at http://thereisonlyonetoday.blogspot.com/2016/07/what-day.html )

Today I thought that I wasn't going to see much in the way of wildlife but I was wrong.  I had hiked out the Highline Trail from Logan Pass to the Garden Wall Overlook.  The clouds came in and there was low visibility.  I saw several marmots but no goats or sheep.  In the last half mile back where the trail narrows to a small ledge with a steep dropoff (people have died falling from it) a small group of people gathered in front of me.  Then I hear the word bear.  Yes in the worse place possible there is a bear on the trail.  We can't get off the trail and neither can the bear.  The bear and its cub head towards us.  We make a rapid retreat picking up other hikers along the way.  After about 10 minutes we get to a place where we can get off the trail.  We group up and make lots of noise.  At this point I can see the bear.  It is a grizzly.  The hump on it back is clearly visible.  It has a cub.  Luckily it makes the good choice and leave the trail and heads up the mountain across from us.  Once it is past we hightail it out of there.  Then we hear the ranger loud speaker telling us a bear is on the trail.  Shortly after that we see a ranger with a big orange gun.  I am not sure if this gun shoot bean bags (a tactic that the rangers sometimes use), bullets or something else.  I may check tomorrow.  Turns out that they had closed the trail at the trailhead and there was a group of rangers and people very interested in our experiences.  

What a Day

This morning I left with the intention of hiking the Highline Trail. When I got to Logan Pass it became apparent that was not a good idea due to rain. For some crazy reason I headed down to Apgar where it was also raining. I drove out towards the Huckleberry Lookout trailhead but decided against that hike and returned to East Glacier. By then I needed gas. I headed up to Two Medicine. I decided to stop by the Ranger station and ask them if anyone had turned in the water bottle that I lost yesterday. Some trail angel had found it and turned it in. Thank you Unknown Trail  Angel. I headed up the North Shore Trail with no real destination. I bumped into the CDT hiker that I met the other day. Then I bumped into Lou and Bill, friends of Janes, at Upper Two Medicine Lake. On my return trip I was being safe and calling out when a noise drew my attention. It was a bear scratching it's back on a tree right next to the trail in front of me and too close. To add to that it appeared to be small. It could be a cub and where is mama?  I immediately backed up quite a ways. I contemplated my options. I could take the south shore trail but a bear had been frequenting that trail so I ruled that out. In a worse case I could take the boat back. I decided to clap my hands and make lots of noise. After awhile I took out my bear spray and kept yelling out and took slow steps along the path scanning and listening for any bear activity. There was none. I walked out without problem. Like I said. "What a Day!"

Swiftcurrent Lookout

An early morning start and I was off to the top of Swiftcurrent Mountain where there is a fire lookout and an amazing view.  The mountain is the one on the right in the image above and the lookout is at the very, very top.  The climb up to the pass was steep but pretty.  At the pass I had to make a decision - return or hike another 1.5 miles to the lookout.  These last miles would be the steepest.  This trail is 16 miles and 3400 ft elevation gain (absolute not accumulated) I looked at the weather (some dark clouds) and decided to chance it.  It was a steep climb up through a burned dwarf forest and then I was above the treeline.  It was so very windy.  The lookout sits atop the mountain and it tied down with cables to ensure that it doesn't blow off the mountain.  It is very tiny and has prayer flags whipping in the wind from it.  I took a few quick photos of the Swiftcurrent Valley and the surrounding mountains.  There was an incredible 360 degree view.  Then I was quite chilled and headed down.

I met a young guy who is hiking the Continental Divide Trail.  He had already done the PCT and the AT.  He was pretty interesting.  He had met a grizzly photographer on the mountain earlier in the day.  It must be nice to be able to hike all those long trails.  I would like to do that someday.  I might be 70 by the time that I have the time and resources.   I hope that I would be physically able to do it then.

Scenic Point, Ptarmigan Tunnel and Iceberg Lake

Returning to Glacier National Park is like coming home.  Not only is my very good friend, Jane, here but also many friends at Brownies and in the Park.  It seems to have been a very strange snow year here.  There is no snow is some places where there has been snow in other years and other places are closed due to too much snow.

I drove in to dark, dark clouds so I amended my Plan B (Plan A was to hike down to Hidden Lake which was closed).  Plan B was to hike up to Triple Divide.  It is a long walk in before you start climbing.  I didn't want to risk a long walk out in the rain.  I detoured to Scenic Point - an old standby.  Since you can get cell service from the top, I called Jane and let her know that I was in town.  She jumped in her car and met me on my hike down.  We stopped by the campground and saw another hiking friend.  Then I headed off to Running Eagle Falls.

Today I hiked up to Ptarmigan Tunnel.  It wasn't open but I still had some great views.  I tacked on several extra miles by also taking the trail to Iceberg Lake.  The lake was mostly frozen but was still pretty.  The color was magic.

There were tons of wild flowers out including lots of bear grass blooms.  It was a great day.

Yellowstone National Park

I basically only drove through Yellowstone.  I did stop at Old Faithful and hiked from there to Biscuit Basin.  I lucked out and saw Old Faithful erupt and the Daisy Geyser erupt.  I also saw this massive bison was it lumbered along next to my car.  Those creatures seem prehistoric to me.  They are just so odd looking.  I really wanted to pull my car over and take some video but I didn't want to cause a bison jam.  When I got to Mammoth Hot Springs there were elk just walking everywhere causing this poor ranger stress.  I took some photos and video.

I have never hiked backcountry in Yellowstone.  I really want to do it.  I hope I get to do it someday.

Marion Lake

Marion Lake is a really nice hike although it is rather long. It starts at the Granite Canyon Trailhead which has no outhouse or other toilet facility.   The hike began very early due to the heat and its length. I bumped into several elk hiding out in the trees. I then traveled along a pretty creek. The canyon was very open with lots of wildflowers.  

Marion Lake leaves from Granite Canyon TH. It is almost 19 miles long  the grade is generally moderate. 

I met a guy who camped out the previous evening at Marion Lake. He met some aggressive wildlife. No not bears or wolves. First a deer tries to steal his hat. Then the marmots chewed up his shoes stored in his tent fly. This is most likely due to the fact that they want salt and he sweated out a lot of salt the day before hauling up his backpack. 

Holly Lake (Paintbrush Canyon)

I had hoped to go up Paintbrush Canyon over Paintbrush Divide and down by Lake Solitude into Cascade Canyon.  However, my hopes were dashed by many a park ranger saying that this was too dangerous unless you carry an ice ax and are familiar with self arrest techniques.  ( I had met a couple who had done it and they said it was okay but I decided to err on the side of safety.  I know that if my friend, Scott Crow, read this he will think that a mistake but my friend, Leah Carter, will think that this decision was the right one).

Instead I hiked up to Holly Lake.  Holly Lake was really pretty.  I did hike a bit past it to see the Divide.- a hike left for another day. 

Holly Lake leaves from the Leigh Lake Trailhead.  It is 13 miles long and requires 2600ft of climbing.  

Surprise and Amphitheater Lakes

On the way to the trailhead I saw several antelope as they ran down the road towards me.  Turns out another vehicle startled them and they were trying to get away.  Then I scared them.  Poor things.   They don't need that along with bears, wolves and hunters.

I wasn't sure if I had done these hikes before but as I hiked along the trails I remembered them well.  The first thing I remembered was the busy trailhead even early in the day (5am) as climbers use the trailhead to access Garnet Canyon and climb the Tetons.  I left a little later than normal (6am) but is was still a busy trail for so early in the morning.  I met a few climbers on my way up as the leap frogged me a couple of times going up the hill.  We got to talking and I asked them about the climbers that I had seen carrying the large mats up the sides of mountains.  They said that these guys are actually bouldering.  The mats are for if they fall.  The guys I met were kind of old school and seemed to look down on this activity a bit.  They were drinking from a stream on the side of the mountain without filtering or treating the water.  I asked the about that as well.  The one guy had grown up in the park as he dad is a ranger.  He said that he had been drinking for that stream for many years.  I didn't say to him but it only takes one animal to die in the water or one hiker to poop in the wrong place to break that streak of healthy from that stream.

The trail leaves from Lupine Meadows trailhead and is 10 miles long and gains about 3000 ft in elevation  It is a very, very pretty trail with views of low lakes (Bradley and Taggert)  on the way up and then Surprise and Amphitheater Lake at the end of the trail.  Surprise and Amphitheater Lakes have lovely reflections of the towering cliffs covered in snow that surround them.