July 19th, 2024
You can’t pull a trailer over the Going To The Sun Highway to get to the east side of Glacier National Park. You must loop down round the south side of the park on Route 2. That is alright, as it is a scenic route along the Flathead River and then over the Continental Divide at Marias Pass. My destination was the campground at the eastern end of Two Medicine Lake.
I attempted to make this 4 day reservation back in January. All the sites were taken. I kept trying for 3 days in the hope that somebody would cancel. On the 3rd day, a site came open, but by the time I pressed the “Reserve” button, somebody else had beaten me. I tried again after 15 minutes, and the site was again open. I was still to late. Again it opened up after about 15 minutes. That time I got the site. But, this made me wonder why twice before people reserved the site, but then within 15 minutes cancelled. After a little investigation, I discovered that the site was marked as “unlevel”. A lot of times, people with big rigs or long trailers have difficulty leveling when a site is on a slant. They apparently discovered this and cancelled. My trailer has the advantage of being short (15 feet) and having a single axle. I can usually get it straight. I kept the reservation.
When I got to the campground, I discovered it truly was not level, and it was curved with trees on both sides. I could get the trailer in a suitable spot, but then would be unable to open the door. It took me several tries from both directions before I barely managed to get set up.
In the early evening, I walked the half mile to the mercantile store and boat dock. I needed to verify the time for the next morning’s boat shuttle to the trailhead on the other end of the lake. It was another hot day, and a lot of campers were wading and swimming in the crystal clear waters of the lake and creek.
I set my alarm for 5 a.m. the next morning. I needed time to make breakfast, get my daypack prepared and locate my bear spray. I also wanted to be at the dock in time for sunrise photographs. It was 60 degrees when we pushed off.
The hike up to Upper Two Medicine Lake was eventful. I had the trail to myself, as most people chose to take the shorter walk to a waterfall. So, I was alone when at the 2 mile mark, I looked to the left and saw color that didn’t match the green of the meadow. Cinnamon brown motion had caught my attention. About 100 yards away was a grizzly bear. It saw me as I pulled out my bear spray. It made a quick left and disappeared into the brush. I could no longer see the bear, but I could see the brush tops thrashing back and forth as the bear headed away. I kept on hiking, which seemed to help diffuse my adrenaline rush. About a quarter mile further, I came upon a pond, and there stood a bull moose. It gave me a look and continued eating submerged weeds. About 50 yards further, I looked back and saw a cow moose peering out from the shoreline shrubs. Below I posted the photograph of the moose. I did not get a shot of the bear, as it is hard to hold a camera and a can of bear spray when you are shaking all over. Oh, and trust me ladies, if you run into a bear or me, out on the trail, you WILL BE my new hiking partner.
I had another hike planned for the next morning. This trail was to the north in the Many Glacier Valley. With the winding mountain roads, the drive would take 1 1/2 hours. I again wanted to be there at sunrise. This time I needed to be up at 4 a.m. I timed my arrival about right, and only waited about 20 minutes before the suns rays hit the opposing peaks. After a few photos, I stopped in to the Many Glacier Lodge for coffee and sausage, egg, and cheese nuggets (don’t laugh, they were good). About a quarter mile into the hike, I caught up with 3 ladies. They asked if I was hiking alone. I replied “yes” and we were suddenly a group of 4. Maybe they had seen a bear.
This time I did not have a round trip ticket for the boat shuttle. I needed to hike all the way in to my destination at Grinnell Lake. But, I only needed to return about 1 1/2 miles to catch the boat back, reducing my hiking distance by 2 1/2 miles. I caught the boat at 10 a.m. for the ride back across Josephine Lake, made the walk over the hill to Swiftcurrent Lake, and caught a second boat from there back to the lodge.
The Many Glacier area of the park is a magical place. There is no direction you can face where the press of a button won’t create an outstanding photograph. You are surrounded by tall, steep, jagged sedimentary rock, that is still frosted with snow in July, rising from a base of green mountain lakes and accented by cloudless deep blue sky. There are even a few remnants of glaciers high up in hanging valleys.
I am seeing that everywhere to the south of me is expecting temperatures in the 90s and even triple digits for the next couple of weeks. So, I got lucky and was able to extend my stay here for an extra 2 days. There is a nice breeze blowing down the valley every afternoon and there are still plenty of trails to explore. A group of Bighorn Sheep check my site out each afternoon. They sniff through the fire ring ashes looking for treats. I think I will stay for a while.
My son said these sheep look like zombies. It is true, as they have shaggy coats and their ribs show as they have just come through the long winter.
After seven straight days of 6 a.m. hikes, I am tired and ready for a break. It is time to head back south towards my next destination near Seeley Lake. I hope to come back to Glacier some day. I don’t think I can wait for 45 years this time. And, I have to build up my tolerance again for crowds of people.
Starting All Over 