Montana: Hasta Luego

My friend Dave and I have a lot in common.  On his birthday and last day of our trip, he asked to be left alone–no driving to the national park, no crowded trails, and silence. Dave headed off to hike some closer trails outside the park, while Ruth, Julia and I drove about 90 minutes to  East Glacier/Two Medicine.  Dave did a lot of the driving during our hiking days.  I was glad that he was getting some needed alone time.

The East entrance was a lot less crowded than the West entrance even though it was a Saturday. We warmed up with a nature trail and the short hike to Trick Falls.

Next, we drove Two Medicine Campground, which I immediately put on my list of places I want to camp when I’m in the area again.  Perfectly-sized sites for a small trailer, the campground is directly across from a beautiful lake with big mountains all around.

It was time for some hiking.  Julia promised easy hikes with moderate grades. Our first destination was Paradise Point.  We continued down the twisted trail towards Rockwell Falls.

Somehow, the trail signs changed, providing a destination of Aster Falls and only a couple of tenths off the main trail.  Ruth suggested hiking to the top of the falls and coming back later for the bottom of the falls.  We quickly agreed, although the trail began to climb and then climb away from the falls.  Without Dave to complain to and knowing that  the route was her idea, Ruth silently climbed and climbed and climbed.

The trail did not end at the top of the falls but did provide a beautiful scenic overlook at which to take a break.  On the way down, I found an unmarked side trail that did lead to the top of the falls.  The route was challenging.

Once on top, we scampered across a couple of big rocks to get to the other side.  Then we followed a trail back down to the base of the falls.

The day’s hike provided just enough difficulty that everyone felt good.  But, wait, there was a bonus.  Between Glacier’s entrance and the town of East Glacier,  we saw a young Grizzly bear run across the road directly in front of the car that was in front of us.

Now, I’ve seen a Grizzly bear up close on my last Glacier trip over ten years ago.  In one of the more stupid decisions that I’ve made during hiking, I continued hiking with two companions past a Grizzly that was eating huckleberries a very short distance off the trail.  When we reported the occurrence to a ranger, he scolded us for getting too close.

The car in front of us had no trouble braking to avoid the Grizzly.  The bear headed directly into the woods on the other side of the road.  This was an ideal Grizzly encounter.  No harm, no foul.  Well, the photo that someone took from the back seat could have been better, but the photo-taking opportunity was very limited.

That night, we celebrated by going out to eat at the outdoor space of the Gunsight Saloon in Columbia Falls.  The local Subaru dealer sponsored a Texas band.  Everyone had a good time.

Dave and Ruth

Julia and John

Not mine, but next time...

Elk Mountain

All four of us resolved to hike together.  Dave did such a good job of picking out the Scalplock Lookout hike that we let him research the hike for the group.  He picked Elk Mountain because it was “only” about three miles up once the trail started.  Unfortunately, it was also 3000 feet of vertical climb.  We did not reach the summit, but it was a great adventure.

The trail is not well-marked, and we drove past the turn-off twice before we drove out on to a gravel access road at the base of the mountain.  Even then, we had to use my Gaia app and research some trail maps before we confirmed that we were in the right spot. The right spot is on Road 1066 directly across from Mile Marker 192 on Hwy 2.

There is no trailhead sign that we could find, but we did find an unmarked trail to the right of the gravel road (and just before all of the “no trespassing signs”), which leads to the railroad access road.  That access road crosses the tracks.  Soon after that, there is a trailhead sign for Elk Mountain.

This hike was a lesson in patience.  Everyone has different hiking styles.  Dave and I like to get up and go.  Ruth and Julia prefer to rise a bit later and enjoy a pancake breakfast. As a result, by the time, we started hiking,  the sun had already come up over the mountain.

The steep ascent grew hotter and dryer as we climbed.  The hike was challenging for all of us, but Ruth had never hiked anything quite so challenging.  Ruth is almost always in a good mood, and that changed as the hike became more and more brutal. 

We took a long siesta in a meadow to discuss whether to proceed.

Ruth was willing to continue or wait for us as we continued, but we decided as a group to head back down.  While the descent was not as heart-pounding, it wasn’t easy either.  I slipped a few times and almost ended up flat on my butt.  Turning around improved Ruth’s mood.  Soon, she was back to smiling and singing. We made it to the railroad tracks and back to the vehicle, no worse for wear.

The women decided that the hike wasn’t nearly as beautiful as some of the other trails that we hiked in the park.  On the other hand, Dave and I appreciated the challenge of the hike. We also appreciated the solitude of not seeing another hiker for four hours.  That doesn’t happen on the popular trails.

Someday, I’d like to finish that hike, but there are so many great trails in the area.  I know one thing. I want to return to this area of Montana again but with the Brew Hut (Scamp trailer).

That night, we celebrated our hike with excellent “Jersey-style” pizza at North Fork Pizza in Columbia Falls.  Then we hung out at the Farmer’s Market, which included live music.  A great day with friends!  One more day to hike, and then it’s time to go  back home.

Scalplock Lookout

After hiking the Highline Loop, we spent a day driving around Flathead Lake, which claims to be the largest freshwater lake by surface area in the Western states. Along the way, we stopped at a couple of state park units, a winery, and a brewpub.

On the next morning, Dave and I got up early to hike Scalplock Lookout, which Dave picked out because it looked challenging (over 3000 vertical feet in 5 miles) and did not require driving through the national park. The trailhead was an easy drive east on Hwy 2.

I was concerned that the climb would be unpleasant, based on some reviews. However, Dave picked a perfect hike for both of us. The ascent was gradual in the beginning, crossing a creek on a wobbly bridge rated for one hiker at a time. Although it was very windy, the heavy forest shielded us.

The terrain seemed like favorable grizzly country, so we passed the time alternately yelling out, “Hey Bear;” and out-of-tune singing of old classic rock songs from our youth. Eventually, we rose above tree line and were greeted with amazing views and brooding skies.

From the false summit, we climbed more steeply across a beautiful meadow of wildflowers. If I was a bear, this is where I would hang out all day, but no bears were seen on this hike.

At the summit, there was an unoccupied ranger lookout: a sign indicated that they would be back by the weekend. We ate trail mix at their small picnic table (who hauled that up there?) and rehydrated. We gave each other high fives just like we did in ninth grade basketball and headed back down for just under ten miles. A perfect hike and a great day with an old friend.

Hiking the Highline Loop

Yesterday, Julia and I woke before dawn and drove into Glacier National Park, arriving at Logan Pass just before 7 a.m. As soon as we parked the car, we saw three bighorn sheep sauntering across the parking lot, completely unafraid. It just seemed wrong to post a pic of these animals so here’s the bighorns who hadn’t crossed the road yet.

This was the beginning of the Highline Trail, which was probably one of the easiest and most beautiful eight-mile hikes I’ve ever completed. The trail is basically level and provides spectacular high elevation vistas. The trail is narrow in the beginning, so chains have been installed against the mountainside so that one doesn’t fall off. After that, the trail widens and no such safety measures are necessary.

The snowfield looks tougher than it was and didn’t last long. We saw one deer, a couple of grouse and many marmots.

The best part of the hike was the scenery.

After hiking about six or seven miles, we came to an innocent-appearing sign, which said “Wall Garden Trail, 0.6 miles.” Julia then mentioned that she had read about this little trail and that it was worth hiking. I looked up at the steep ascent and muttered something unpleasant but started hiking up.

Without question, that was the longest, toughest 0.6 miles side trail that I can remember. That trail absolutely kicked my butt going up and down. Was it worth it? Yeah, probably. We ended up sitting on top of the Continental Divide, looking down upon a glacier and several lakes with the valley opening up to us below.

After the knee-aching descent back to Highline, we made our way to the Park Loop Trail and descended another four miles through full sun and burned-out forest. Julia had become quite grumpy and put on her angry, determined face to gut out the final descent. I was afraid for my life so did not take further photos. There wasn’t much to photograph in the final section anyway.

After driving back to the cabin, I collapsed and was asleep by 7 pm. Julia rebounded and was annoyingly energized until about 10:30 pm. Later, I learned that one of my college friends completed the same hike with hardly a complaint a few days earlier. I must be getting old! Or maybe I was lulled into complacency by the first six miles of the hike. Anyway, I’m feeling much better on the day after.

Hungry Horse, Montana

Our trip to Montana is a Julia-inspired trip, so travel is different than a Brew Hut trip. We drove down to Chicago after making a quick stop in Whitewater for lunch with our son Justin. Then we checked into the Sheraton for a stay, park and fly package.

Our package included a $15 voucher for food and beverages, so we dined during happy hour and turned in early. Our early morning flight was delayed due to the need to find a replacement pilot for the one who didn’t show up. We ended up still landing in Kalispel in the early afternoon.

The accommodations were lovely: a log cabin just outside of Hungry Horse, Montana.

Our friends, Dave and Ruth, arrived a few hours later. I’ve known Dave since middle school. When Dave and I bicycled across Wisconsin in our late 20’s, he met Ruth. They later married, and Julia became very good friends with Ruth.

After an evening of burgers on the grill and brews on the patio, we were up early this morning to hike up part of the Columbia Mountain Trail, which is just outside Columbia Falls. The weather and hiking conditions were spectacular.

We all marveled at the incredible blue color of the Montana sky.

In the afternoon, after a quick stop at the Backslope Brewing Company, we drove to the Hungry Horse Dam, parked the car, and hiked back and forth along the top of dam.

Great hiking, friends and beers. A recipe for a wonderful trip.