Chandlerwest's post about Glacier got me thinking about our recent trip to the National Park.
My daughter and son-in-law had to back out due my daughter's knee surgery, so it was just my son and I as we left Northern California after work on Friday. We drove up through Oregon, Washington, and across Northern Idaho camping on the way before crossing in to Montana and on to Glacier National Park. There were fires out west as usual which made for some nice sunsets.
I had entered the permit lottery earlier this year but our number was not picked which left us with no plan as of yet. We stayed at a motel not far from Apgar and we were up early the next morning and at the Backcountry Ranger Station by 5:30 am. We were the fourth party in line with 2 more showing up just moments after us. Two groups had spent the night sleeping on the walkway to score an early spot and one couple had flown in at 2 am and driven straight to the Ranger Station from the airport and slept briefly in their rental car before getting in line.
We lucked out and got the itinerary we wanted. It was going to be an easy trip with short miles most days. Kintla to Upper Kintla to Hole-in-the Wall to Upper Kintla and then back out. A trip of about 47 miles.
There was a Bear warning for the section of trail between Kintla Lake and Upper Kintla Lake. The weather forecast was perfect, with pleasant nights and mild days and no rain for the days we would be hiking.
The drive to the trailhead was uneventful and we hit the trail around 10am. At Upper Kintla was a loud bunch, some were younger and on their first hike to Glacier while there was also four retired folks that had a list of accomplishments that were amazing.
Some time in the middle of the night it rained for awhile and we awoke to clear skies.
The hike was nice and we talked to several groups that had seen a bear. One group even had a guy up front with a shotgun at the ready! A little overkill if you ask me, but to each his own. We did see the bear on the trail in front of us near the head of Upper Kintla Lake. He/she walked the on the trail for maybe a 100 yards before dropping down to the lake and we followed far enough behind just to keep him/her in sight.
At Upper Kintla campsite some weather rolled in and it rained for awhile. While enjoying the view of the lake I saw a person on the far side of the lake with shorts and a T-shirt. There are no trails over there and it would be quite a hike to get there. The fact that he had no pack and did not appear dressed for the weather and was far from the trail was kind of crazy, but not as crazy as what was to happen next.
Raindrops on Upper Kintla Lake
I watched thru binoculars as the person on the far side of the lake walked up and down the shore. I was wondering what he was doing and what he was going to do when he removed his shirt, dove into the lake and began swimming across the lake! The trail crew that was camped there said it was just Rick and he did crazy shit like that all the time!
The rain stopped around sunset and it was a pleasant night. Tomorrow was going to be the hardest day of the trip, not the longest, just a long climb up to Boulder Pass.
Suspension Bridge Across the Creek
This was bridge was in the process of being replaced last time I was here a few years ago. While eating dinner last night I was talking to some of the trail crew and one of them said they were here to help do the bridge replacement, what are the odds?
It is a long slog to Boulder Pass but it is well worth it for the views on the way up and for the views once on top.
Views of Upper Kintla on the way to Boulder Pass
Sections of trail on Boulder Pass
Boulder Pass
Flowers
View Of Hole-in-the-Wall
I really hate to say this, but I was not impressed with the campsites at Hole-in-the-Wall. The views when you first see it are amazing, along with the hike around the rim of Hole-in-the-Wall which is stunning.
The bathroom at Hole-in-the-Wall and, yes it is peddle operated.
Again we got some rain in the night and the next morning the skies looked threatening. We were off to a early start and ate breakfast on the trail.
Shortly after breakfast it started sprinkling for a little bit and we had some dramatic views down the Bowman Lake drainage.
Trail around Hole-in-the-Wall
Basin up on Boulder Pass, with the red colored mountains in the distant being in Canada.
At Boulder Pass it looked like we were going to be in for some serious weather. As we crossed over the pass we were hearing thunder every couple of minutes. As we headed down towards Upper Kintla Lake we could see the rain of in the distant.
I hoped the weather would pass us by. We were now seeing some of the lightning flashes along with almost constant thunder. The wind picked up and the sky opened up upon us. The rain was coming down in sheets and the wind was whipping it around as the lightning flashed and the thunder shook us.
Coming up the trail was an older gentleman, moving slowly. We stopped to briefly chat and he asked us to do him a favor, could we check in on his friend? He was further down the trail with back problems! He said his friend had recently had back surgery and this was his first real trip since the surgery and it was not going well. He said his friend had hiked many times in Glacier and for him to continue on and he would catch up later.
To me that is just a little insane to be leaving your injured hiking partner in the backcountry. We said, of course, we would check in on your friend. He asked how close to the top was he? We told him he was a little over halfway.
A ½ mile down the trail we came upon his hiking partner, he was asleep on the trail, rolled up in a bivy sack against the rain. After waking him up, we offered to carry his pack down to Upper Kintla Lake, but he said he would rest here, maybe spend the night, and then catch up with his partner tomorrow.
We again asked him to come down with us and again he refused, he was worried about his partner. He said his friend was not a backpacker and didn't have much experience! Jesus, people!!! We asked if he needed anything and he said 'No', I asked about his water situation and he had about 8 ounces so we filled up his water bottles before heading out.
I really did not like the situation, but people are free to do as they choose. I now felt even worse knowing that his partner was an inexperienced older hiker heading up into some weather by himself.
The rain continued until we were almost at the Upper Kintla campsite. All that afternoon as hikers came in after us I asked about the injured hiker. Some said they saw him in his bivy and thought he was just waiting out the weather, while another group saw him up with no pack on and thought he was just taking a break.
One other thing of note happened on the way down from Boulder Pass, we passed a group taking a break and they said they were part of a larger group that they were out in front of. We talked a little about Glacier before moving on.
Twenty minutes or so down the trail we passed the other members of their group. They said they had left a brand new gravity feed water filter setup at Kintla and since they were not going back that we could have it. We asked what they were driving and if it was there we would place it on there vehicle.
That evening at Upper Kintla the rain and thunder continued for a few ours stopping around sunset. Then a long continuous roar of thunder started, but was going on for so long that we down to the lake to see what was going on. Across the lake on a towering peak was a massive landslide that last for what seemed like minutes. A couple of times you would hear what sounded like huge boulders crashing down the face of the mountain.
I did manage to poke a hole in my air mattress that I was unable to patch so I figured I would just isolate the hole from the rest of the mattress.
Our last day again dawned clear. While making breakfast we struck up a conversation with some fellow hikers that had done the Northern Traverse of the park and today they were going to try to follow an old historic trail north in to Canada. His wife was a First Nations person and this was an old route her Grandparents used to take.
Last thing was stopping at Kintla to see if the water filter setup was there, and there was one there, but there was also someone camped there that was out on a day hike. We left a note, explaining about a lost water filter and if they found one could they leave it at the trailhead? I wonder how that all worked out?
Lots of crazy stuff on this hike, Glacier was amazing as ever, we had some great food on the road and I got to spend time with my son. A damn near perfect trip!
My daughter and son-in-law had to back out due my daughter's knee surgery, so it was just my son and I as we left Northern California after work on Friday. We drove up through Oregon, Washington, and across Northern Idaho camping on the way before crossing in to Montana and on to Glacier National Park. There were fires out west as usual which made for some nice sunsets.
I had entered the permit lottery earlier this year but our number was not picked which left us with no plan as of yet. We stayed at a motel not far from Apgar and we were up early the next morning and at the Backcountry Ranger Station by 5:30 am. We were the fourth party in line with 2 more showing up just moments after us. Two groups had spent the night sleeping on the walkway to score an early spot and one couple had flown in at 2 am and driven straight to the Ranger Station from the airport and slept briefly in their rental car before getting in line.
We lucked out and got the itinerary we wanted. It was going to be an easy trip with short miles most days. Kintla to Upper Kintla to Hole-in-the Wall to Upper Kintla and then back out. A trip of about 47 miles.
There was a Bear warning for the section of trail between Kintla Lake and Upper Kintla Lake. The weather forecast was perfect, with pleasant nights and mild days and no rain for the days we would be hiking.
The drive to the trailhead was uneventful and we hit the trail around 10am. At Upper Kintla was a loud bunch, some were younger and on their first hike to Glacier while there was also four retired folks that had a list of accomplishments that were amazing.
Some time in the middle of the night it rained for awhile and we awoke to clear skies.
The hike was nice and we talked to several groups that had seen a bear. One group even had a guy up front with a shotgun at the ready! A little overkill if you ask me, but to each his own. We did see the bear on the trail in front of us near the head of Upper Kintla Lake. He/she walked the on the trail for maybe a 100 yards before dropping down to the lake and we followed far enough behind just to keep him/her in sight.
At Upper Kintla campsite some weather rolled in and it rained for awhile. While enjoying the view of the lake I saw a person on the far side of the lake with shorts and a T-shirt. There are no trails over there and it would be quite a hike to get there. The fact that he had no pack and did not appear dressed for the weather and was far from the trail was kind of crazy, but not as crazy as what was to happen next.
Raindrops on Upper Kintla Lake
I watched thru binoculars as the person on the far side of the lake walked up and down the shore. I was wondering what he was doing and what he was going to do when he removed his shirt, dove into the lake and began swimming across the lake! The trail crew that was camped there said it was just Rick and he did crazy shit like that all the time!
The rain stopped around sunset and it was a pleasant night. Tomorrow was going to be the hardest day of the trip, not the longest, just a long climb up to Boulder Pass.
Suspension Bridge Across the Creek
This was bridge was in the process of being replaced last time I was here a few years ago. While eating dinner last night I was talking to some of the trail crew and one of them said they were here to help do the bridge replacement, what are the odds?
It is a long slog to Boulder Pass but it is well worth it for the views on the way up and for the views once on top.
Views of Upper Kintla on the way to Boulder Pass
Sections of trail on Boulder Pass
Boulder Pass
Flowers
View Of Hole-in-the-Wall
I really hate to say this, but I was not impressed with the campsites at Hole-in-the-Wall. The views when you first see it are amazing, along with the hike around the rim of Hole-in-the-Wall which is stunning.
The bathroom at Hole-in-the-Wall and, yes it is peddle operated.
Again we got some rain in the night and the next morning the skies looked threatening. We were off to a early start and ate breakfast on the trail.
Shortly after breakfast it started sprinkling for a little bit and we had some dramatic views down the Bowman Lake drainage.
Trail around Hole-in-the-Wall
Basin up on Boulder Pass, with the red colored mountains in the distant being in Canada.
At Boulder Pass it looked like we were going to be in for some serious weather. As we crossed over the pass we were hearing thunder every couple of minutes. As we headed down towards Upper Kintla Lake we could see the rain of in the distant.
I hoped the weather would pass us by. We were now seeing some of the lightning flashes along with almost constant thunder. The wind picked up and the sky opened up upon us. The rain was coming down in sheets and the wind was whipping it around as the lightning flashed and the thunder shook us.
Coming up the trail was an older gentleman, moving slowly. We stopped to briefly chat and he asked us to do him a favor, could we check in on his friend? He was further down the trail with back problems! He said his friend had recently had back surgery and this was his first real trip since the surgery and it was not going well. He said his friend had hiked many times in Glacier and for him to continue on and he would catch up later.
To me that is just a little insane to be leaving your injured hiking partner in the backcountry. We said, of course, we would check in on your friend. He asked how close to the top was he? We told him he was a little over halfway.
A ½ mile down the trail we came upon his hiking partner, he was asleep on the trail, rolled up in a bivy sack against the rain. After waking him up, we offered to carry his pack down to Upper Kintla Lake, but he said he would rest here, maybe spend the night, and then catch up with his partner tomorrow.
We again asked him to come down with us and again he refused, he was worried about his partner. He said his friend was not a backpacker and didn't have much experience! Jesus, people!!! We asked if he needed anything and he said 'No', I asked about his water situation and he had about 8 ounces so we filled up his water bottles before heading out.
I really did not like the situation, but people are free to do as they choose. I now felt even worse knowing that his partner was an inexperienced older hiker heading up into some weather by himself.
The rain continued until we were almost at the Upper Kintla campsite. All that afternoon as hikers came in after us I asked about the injured hiker. Some said they saw him in his bivy and thought he was just waiting out the weather, while another group saw him up with no pack on and thought he was just taking a break.
One other thing of note happened on the way down from Boulder Pass, we passed a group taking a break and they said they were part of a larger group that they were out in front of. We talked a little about Glacier before moving on.
Twenty minutes or so down the trail we passed the other members of their group. They said they had left a brand new gravity feed water filter setup at Kintla and since they were not going back that we could have it. We asked what they were driving and if it was there we would place it on there vehicle.
That evening at Upper Kintla the rain and thunder continued for a few ours stopping around sunset. Then a long continuous roar of thunder started, but was going on for so long that we down to the lake to see what was going on. Across the lake on a towering peak was a massive landslide that last for what seemed like minutes. A couple of times you would hear what sounded like huge boulders crashing down the face of the mountain.
I did manage to poke a hole in my air mattress that I was unable to patch so I figured I would just isolate the hole from the rest of the mattress.
Our last day again dawned clear. While making breakfast we struck up a conversation with some fellow hikers that had done the Northern Traverse of the park and today they were going to try to follow an old historic trail north in to Canada. His wife was a First Nations person and this was an old route her Grandparents used to take.
Last thing was stopping at Kintla to see if the water filter setup was there, and there was one there, but there was also someone camped there that was out on a day hike. We left a note, explaining about a lost water filter and if they found one could they leave it at the trailhead? I wonder how that all worked out?
Lots of crazy stuff on this hike, Glacier was amazing as ever, we had some great food on the road and I got to spend time with my son. A damn near perfect trip!
