Glacier Hiking

Last year, Day 4 -- Helen Lake aka "My Happy Place"

In less than twenty four hours the National Park Service responded that our trip was approved. They really are efficient and helpful there. In the last three years, I have never had a complaint. This is really is one of the best parks in the nation.

Our trip is from the southwest up over the Continental Divide to the southeast of the park. We don't really have enough time for a full extended backpack, so we are going to cover some decent mileage and elevation change over a shorter window. My preference is to spend a couple of days prior to the backcounty to get acclimated, check gear, etc... I then like to have a day to do the touristy things at the end of the trip to get all the stiffness out of the legs prior to flying home. Instead, we go out on day one and come out the afternoon prior to flying home. I am working on getting Nicole to come out with me a few days early, so I will be in good shape, but I do worry a little bit about the other guys. However, my fitness level will even out the pace to compensate for the altitude, I am sure.

http://www.nps.gov/glac/whatsnew/bcres/bcmap.htm

Day 1: Fly in most likely to Kalispell (or Great Falls) Night One will be in the Many Glacier Hotel (http://www.glacierparkinc.com/ManyGlacierHotel.htm) where they have the best breakfast buffet in Montana. I will take the guys to a couple of local holes-in-the-wall (Park City Cafe http://www.we8there.com/rest_detail.php?busid=1090 and Two Sister's Cafe) for a calorie overload with a joyous ending of good pie. I alreay know that I will get the strawberry rhubarb or banana cream or the razzleberry or the...

Day 2: Drive around to the southwest side of the park and check in with the Rangers and watch a fun little video on why you don't want to look appetizing to the folks ahead of you on the food chain (black bears, grizzly bears and mountain lions). This video is much better than the one at Yellowstone (my first big trip back in 1999) where they show someone being carried out in a body bag after Yogi got a little carried away. The first hike is an easy 7.2 miles to the Lower Park Creek campsite (PAR). We use this part of the trip to ensure that everybody's pack is comfortable and no one is having too much difficulty adjusting to the altitude. The view will not be too spectacular today, but we will be really isolated.

Day 3: We get up this morning and hike a leisurely 7.5 miles to the Upper Park Creek campsite (UPP). Our goal is to cover more distance than see the sites, but we have an excellent chance of seeing a good number of black bear.

Day 4: Today is the shorter day with a 2.3 mile steep 1,000 ft. climb to Lake Isabel (ISA) which is rated "Very Good" for catching Rainbow Trout. I will bring stuff to cook all the fish the guys will catch -- but in all honesty I have had to carry out every single fish-cooking-ingredient as no one I have ever hiked with has ever caught anything. We should have some free time today (Nicole stop reading) to climb/scramble up some cliffs beyond (Nicole start again) just fishing.

Day 5: The good news about Day 5 is that the higher you climb in altitude, the better the views become. Today is our longest, our highest, our most brutal. We backtrack the 2.3 miles and 1,000 ft. down from Isabel and head the 6.0 miles to Cobalt Lake (COB) which will include a 2,500 ft. climb over Two Medicine Pass and then down 1,000 ft. to the campsite. I am packing extra energy gel and Vitamin I for this fun day. (Vitamin I = Ibruprofen)

Day 6: We have about 6.5 miles and 2,500 ft. down to the boat docks to meet a ferry back to the nearest Ranger station. If we miss the boat, it changes to about 10 miles back to the station where we would park a car. We stay tonight in the East Glacier Lodge (http://www.glacierparkinc.com/GlacierParkLodge.htm) and pack our stinkiness in as airtight a manner as possible. It really is too bad that we don't have to pass through customs as all we would have to do to smuggle anything would be to leave our socks on top and they would wave us through from a distance.

Day 7: Fly home. I considered staying longer, but I have Reds tickets for the next day.