I wake up at 4am to get into Glacier National Park before 6am because I don’t have a reservation. The park opened last minute reservations at 7pm yesterday but I’m in the airport looking for food and forget to log in to get a reservation.
I’m in a bit of a panic driving through Kalispell in the dark and getting to the West Glacier entrance before 6am. As I’m driving I’m trying to figure out how to charge my phone and realize my rental truck, a Toyota Tacoma doesn’t have a USB port. I panic and try to problem solve how to charge my phone and envision the entire day without a charged phone (PANIC). I stop at a gas station hoping they have a solution. I purchase a charger for the outlet and then continue on to get to the park entrance by 6am.
I make it in time and breeze through the entrance, it’s not manned at 5:30am. The sun is starting to rise and I’m relieved that I’m here. Now it’s time to get to Logan Pass and find a parking spot. It’s still early but spots fill up fast, so I don’t stop at any of the turn outs with views – I just drive to the top.
As I drive up Going to the Sun road to Logan pass there are cyclists biking too. I’m in awe of their legs and lung capacity to bike up this steep, windy road. It reminds me of my time living in Colorado when I was training for Ironman and biking up Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. I lived in Granby, and the west side of the park was the “quiet side” of the park. My friends and I would bike through Grand Lake and into the park and up to the Visitor Center. That was over 15 years ago, but seeing these cyclists brings back this great memory.
I think “fit people doing amazing things in the park” hmmmm, reminding me, also of my trip west when I was 17. I was always seeing people doing amazing things or meeting people in hostels who were biking across the country or backpacking through the mountains or visiting all the parks. This trip today is all about remembering that trip 36 years ago and this is a great memory.
I think interesting, adventurous, curious people are drawn to our National Parks and I just love meeting them, and seeing them.
I can’t remember if I hiked Highline Trail with my group in 1988 but I know I wanted to hike this trail as part of my trip. It’s an iconic trail with amazing views that parallel the Continental Divide. I’m a bit obsessed with seeing and writing about the Continental Divide.
Not only does the Continental Divide split the water of our continent into different oceans but I’ve seen and lived near it for many years when I lived out west: in Granby and Steamboat. I’ve run on its ridge and love to see the sun rise over it. It’s a symbol, to me, of living western.
My heart sinks when I see a sign that the parking lot is full. I land a parking spot despite the sign. There are several spots available at 6am. I realize later that this sign just stays up all the time. I head to the trailhead but first the iconic highest point sign:
There is a sign that warns hikers that this trail is hot and exposed. Do you have 3L of water? Do you have sunscreen? Yes and Yes. I continue on.
The first wildlife I see is on the trail the first 10 minutes – a Mountain Goat. It looks over at me and continues chomping on grass. I keep walking and I’m in awe.
Garden Wall and the Continental Divide loom ahead. The view of the valley and mountains is like nothing I’ve seen.
I’m still not sure how many miles I’ll hike. Ideally I’d like to make it to the chalet and then turn back. In retrospect I should’ve done the loop and taken the shuttle back, but I didn’t want to rely on a shuttle in case I’m stuck in heat or rain. So I opt for an out and back.
This trail didn’t even open until July 11 and it’s July 29. Going to the Sun Road didn’t open until June 22. I see only snow on the high peaks in the distance. I really only picked these dates for the only open date at Glacier Park Lodge; everything was planned around the one night there, for tonight. But I digress. My hike:
I am following Garden Wall and am always looking up to my right. There are parts of that trail that seem long and flat, and there are some up and down. I hike past the ledge that hangs like a shelf but wasn’t really bothered by the trail. I held on to the hand cables a few times. I don’t have a fear of heights, a fear of many other things, yes, but not this. I could see the Going to the Sun Road below me and just didn’t look down much.
I opt to turn around at 6.5 miles because there is full sun exposure and I’m getting worried about the trek back. I know I’m close to the trail to view Grinnell Glacier but I’m okay with turning back. I’ve gone farther than the original plan and am ready to go back.
There are so many hikers and I listen to conversations. I hear one group talk about getting to the chalet for their overnight stay and I’m a bit jealous. I see families with children and two couples with a child in a carrier. I just hope they all have sunscreen and plenty of water. When I started out much of the trail was in the shade and now most of it’s in full sun. I lather on the sunscreen and hope I don’t fry.
Going back the way I came is a different experience. I see everything I didn’t look back to see; one benefit of an out and back. This trail is spectacular and as I hike I know I want to come back and do the loop so I can see the chalet. I hike past the rock slide that has purple rocks. I saw it going out and the purple shade of the shale are stunning. This time, I take a rock as a reminder of this hike. This theft reminds me of my past thievery from Mount Washburn in Yellowstone National Park during my Western Park hiking adventure in 1988. I took a rock from the summit and I had it as a souvenir for many years. I realized I didn’t have it anymore and it got lost in moves. I forgot about that rock until just this moment. This trip is all about remembering something special and that Mount Washburn rock memory was part of it.
I get back to Logan Pass and I’m thrilled that I didn’t run into a grizzly and that I’m not burned to a crisp from the sun. I go to the Visitor Center and look around at the interpretive signs. I’m too tired to hike the trail to Hidden Lake which is just past the Visitor Center. It’s a 5 mile out and back. I think to myself, I’ll do it on the way back to Kalispell tomorrow after Grinnell Glacier.
Now it’s time to look for food. As much as I’m a planner, I didn’t research places to eat east of Logan Pass. It turns out to be the hardest part of the day.
I’m driving east on the Going to the Sun Road heading to St Mary’s Visitor Center area. I stop at the Jackson Glacier viewing and wish I was hiking toward it. Jackson Glacier is the 7th largest of the 25 glaciers in Glacier National Park. As I write this my plan next year is to hike in this area.
I continue on in search of lunch/dinner.
Unexpectedly, I see a traffic jam ahead. Initially I think it’s an accident. As I get closer I notice people looking to the north and their cameras are out.
I look over and it’s a freaking Grizzly bear chomping on grass. I see the cinnamon color on his back and the sun reflecting on him and I’m thrilled. I’ve never seen one. I don’t stay long because I’m starving and need food. In retrospect I should’ve stopped but I always feel like gawking at wildflie is the wrong thing to do so I continue on. Again, in retrospect, I should’ve gawked and taken photos.
I stop at the Visitor Center, where I miraculously find a parking spot. I go in, walk around and don’t buy anything. I am just hungry and need food. As I turn east, I see a restaurant sign hanging on a building in St. Mary’s Village just outside the park. I enter the building not knowing what I will find and by some, again, miracle, there is no waiting line and I sit at a table and order food.
I eat a real meal: a bison burger and bison chili, and a Montana brewed IPA. As I take in everything: the hike, the experience, the road, the people, the lakes, the rivers, the mountains – I did everything today that I planned to do. This is a big day.
I drive to East Glacier and home for the night at the historic Glacier Park Lodge where I visited in 1988. This is the place where I bought a postcard from its gift shop while staying down the street in a hostel. I have a memory of the lodge and this trip is partially about going back and staying in this lodge.
The lodge is as grand as I remember, or remember from the postcard. The room is not worth the nightly rate and I’m disappointed but the view from the back porch is worth everything.
Tomorrow: Grinnell Glacier
Distance: 13 miles.
Time: 4 hrs, 48 mins
What I ate: GORP, Kind Protein Bar
What I drank: 2.5 L water
What I wore: an old backpack, Title Nine skort, t shirt, Columbia long sleeve hiking shirt, Pistol Ultra baseball hat.
What I saw: Mountain Goat, awesome views
