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.