After carrying too much weight (55lb) in my Porter backpack a few days before in the Maroon Bells, I came up lame at a hotel somewhere in Wyoming. Or was it Montana? I can’t even remember now. But I clearly remember not being able to sit, or stand, without excruciating back pain. Like a T-Rex, it couldn’t get me if I was absolutely still, though. Sam and I decided to cancel the first of our two planned backpacking trips in Glacier National Park. We car camped and made a few day hikes in the park instead. After a day or two, my back had returned to normal. I must have pulled a muscle trying to support the extra weight on my shoulders. That pack is very comfortable for me up to about 35 lbs, but comfort decreases quickly from there, and I definitely won’t try to carry over 50 lbs in it again. Our first choice trips had been denied in the permit process, so we showed up at the ranger station around 5am to stand in line with the other motivated backpackers, everyone hoping to get a decent route. Luckily, it’s Glacier, and everything is at least decent. I would definitely advise trying to get your permit in advance, though, as there is quite limited availability the day of, or the day before. We were able to put together a route that traversed some of the more beautiful areas of the park, while not being too long or strenuous for my iffy back. Sam was excited, as she had never been to Glacier before. 

Because of our late permit acquisition, we had accepted a trip itinerary that wasn’t a loop. We left our rental car at Many Glacier and ate at Nell’s, which tasted exceedingly meh. We started walking east on the road, thumbs out, hoping to make our way to St. Mary, where we would begin our trip. A nice lady picked us up and ended up driving us all the way to St. Mary, where we boarded the Glacier shuttle, which very slowly took us to The Loop. The Loop is a tiny parking lot and shuttle stop somewhat near the center of the park. 

At about 4pm, we started. Hiking down into the expansive McDonald creek valley made all of the logistics worthwhile. The afternoon sun was hot, and we took a break to cool off at the Mineral Creek suspension bridge. The water was clear and the views were spectacular. We began the long climb up Flattop Mountain, leap-frogging another couple who were headed to a further campsite than we were. We talked a little until they left us behind in order to stay on their schedule. The scenery on the ascent was captivating, and the shade provided by the nearby mountain was welcome. Eventually we reached the Flattop campsite, which was situated on top of small rolling hills, in a burn. After over 2000 feet of ascent, we set up our tent and started to make dinner in the food prep area. The mosquitos were very “friendly” so Sam wore the headnet as we talked with a group of Microsoft programmers from Seattle, who were also staying the night here. We retired to the tent before too long and slept well that night. 

In the morning we got up early, packed up, and headed back down into the valley, the way we had come. The descent went quickly, and we were more than happy to stop at the bridge again and enjoy the scenery. After lunch, we were talking loudly and making noise when Sam and I heard a noise in the woods off to the left. She immediately thought it must be a griz. I told her that it hadn’t been very loud, and was probably just a squirrel or small deer. Of course, a few seconds later we saw it, and it was a grizzly. About 30 feet away, looking at us through the trees. It immediately began to amble away once it figured out what we were. I was clutching the bear spray, just in case. I tried to get pictures and video, but there were too many trees between it and us for any of the photos to turn out well. It moved about five miles an hour effortlessly through the thick brush. We stood there and listened until we couldn’t hear it anymore. It had gone off in the general direction we were heading, so we walked slowly to allow it time. We made a lot of noise and continued on. Sam told me she couldn’t relax anymore, and nothing I said reassured her. I tried to tell her that they are always nice to people who are involved in the Bear Literacy Program (see first photo of post), but that didn’t work. We passed another couple coming down and told them to look out as they hiked. 

We walked back to a split in the trail, and diverged off our previous path to head up to the Granite Park Chalet. This would be a 3000 foot ascent, in the afternoon heat. It was made more difficult by the throngs of people headed the opposite direction. We must have passed at least 300 people, almost exclusively day-hikers, descending from the pass above. Many would not yield the right of way, and I got fed up with stepping off the trail every hundred feet and just started charging upward. That worked, and we were able to make good progress upward. Sam and I were able to joke with each other and encourage each other onward the whole way. We reached the chalet in the afternoon and went in to look around. I knew from a previous visit that the chalet didn’t have a whole lot in the way of amenities, so we bought a couple Gatorades, only to find out too late that we would have to pack the bottles out. I should have known they didn’t pack out hiker’s trash. A kind day-hiker couple offered to pack them out for us, as they were headed down to the loop that evening, and it was all downhill for them. After taking in the views from the chalet and sitting down (on benches!), we made the short trip partway down the mountain to the campsite area. Unfortunately, the mosquitos and flies were really bad here and Sam was driven into the tent almost immediately after we got there. We cooked and ate dinner, and I walked around and explored a bit. I had stayed at this campsite with some friends 5 years before, in September of 2013. We had gotten to hang out for an hour or so with Balls and Sunshine, the day before she finished her Triple Crown at 13 years old as the youngest finisher ever. I remember being in awe of those two when I saw them back then. I still am. 

In the morning, there was a group of deer 30 feet away from our tent, licking my urine off of a rock, Bear Grylls style. Yum! We headed out early, while it was still chilly outside. We ascended past the chalet, and up to the pass. Looking back down the valley from near the pass was unforgettable. I put a full 20 second clip of it in the video above (which I never do), because I couldn’t stand to edit any of it out.

The top of the pass was the psychological turning point of the trip, as it was all downhill through a single valley from here. We enjoyed the walk down, marveling at waterfall after waterfall. We descended into the trees and watched a moose forage on the other side of a placid lake, and made lots of noise as we hiked through the thick forest back to our car. As great as the trip had been, getting back to the air conditioned car felt awesome. So did eating Mexican food shortly after. Writing about trips like these, I’m always reminded of how lucky I am to be able to travel through the backcountry with my wife and best friend. Thanks Sam!