Lessons learned from hiking in Glacier
Written: Jul 19 '04
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Pros: wildlife, hikes
Cons: tourists were more friendly than locals
The Bottom Line: A very inexpensive, yet memorable vacation for the family.
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| sonybalony's Full Review: Glacier National Park |
We hiked over 50 miles in 6 days. Our group consisted of 15 people - 9 males and 6 females, ages 9 – 46. My 11-year old nephew recently broke his leg and had his cast removed 7 days before hiking Iceberg Trail (10 miles round trip). He brought along a walking cast and occasionally used it during the week. My 9-year old son easily managed a ten-mile hike, but by the sixth day of hiking, he was sick of it. He complained, cried, sat on a rock and threatened to not move another inch. We kept going. When he lost sight of us around a mountain, he ran to catch up. Over the week we averaged 2 miles per hour. On Avalanche Trail some did 15 to 20 minute miles. One of those was a smoker. One adult is a veteran and said while in service he was expected to do three miles per hour. Other lessons we learned:
1. Have high-powered binoculars. A spotting scope with a tripod would be ideal. Up close we saw brown bear, mountain goats, moose, Bighorn sheep, marmots, mink, deer, grouse; with help we saw bull moose, elk, golden eagle, grizzlies.
2. If you’re going to be tenting at Many Glacier, bring a warmer sleeping bag then you think you need. Some wore 3 layers of clothes in a sleeping bag covered with blankets.
3. The Park Rangers and camp hosts at Many Glacier walked and drove, at least hourly, around the campground. They were seen unzipping tents to look for food violations. Our neighbors found a note saying something like – ‘We have your cooler. See a Ranger to get it back. And bring $50.” At Fish Creek we rarely saw Rangers.
4. It is recommended hikers refrain from wearing lotion, cosmetics or makeup while hiking. According to the Native Americans, the eagle sees everything, the deer hears everything, the bear smells everything.
5. Take daily doses of vitamin B-12. The bottle states for “Energy Metabolism”, but allegedly it reduces the sweet scent of your skin and is less attractive to mosquitoes. We agree.
6. Some might need a day to get acclimated to the elevation. One of us out of 15 got a huge headache after hiking 5 miles immediately upon arrival in the park.
7. According to a Ranger, you have a greater chance of seeing moose on the east side of the Park.
8. Moose will charge. Our teenagers found this out when getting too close for a photo.
9. We were told Mt. Altyn, north of Many Glacier Lodge, is your best bet to see grizzlies. It was true. We watched a mother griz and her two cubs from a distance most of Tuesday and well into the evening. Late afternoon she went over the mountain, we suspect to see what she could see, but by evening she worked her way back where we could watch her again.
10. Take Ibuprofen BEFORE a long hike.
11. After the first day, 2 out of 9 boys were very sore from their boxers rubbing on their privates. They said boxers were too loose and created chafing.
12. Do not wear sleeveless shirts with a backpack. Short-sleeved shirts are better and will reduce rubbing on bare skin.
13. Take at least 2 water bottles per person. Or, bring a water filter bottle to fill up in mountain streams or lakes.
14. Some hikes may be closed due to frequent bear sightings. Have alternative plans. Iceberg Trail was closed off and on two weeks prior to our visit. It opened Sunday afternoon. We walked it Monday. By Wednesday, grizzlies were again seen on the trail.
15. By July 16, Grinnell Glacier was still snowed over. A Ranger said you couldn’t tell it was a glacier. If the trail itself was worth it, we’ll never know.
16. It took us all day to drive from Many Glacier to Fish Creek Campground. Left at 7:30AM, hiked Hidden Lake Trail, stopped numerous other times, and arrived at Fish Creek at 6:30PM.
17. We counted 780 people, give or take a few, at Hidden Lake Trail AKA Hidden Highway. The last half was intermittent snowfields. Most turn around at the overlook and few actually go down to the lake.
18. The Highline Trail is rocky. We enjoyed the trip from Logan Pass to the Chalet, but the Chalet to the Loop was, “The hike through hell.” The 4 mile trail was dusty, hot, exposed, through burned trees from the fires of summer 2003, and 99% downhill. We all agreed it was the least enjoyable of the whole week.
19. Walking downhill can be tougher than uphill.
20. Granite Chalet is wonderful. We spent three hours relaxing and enjoying the view. You can buy trail mix, candy bars and bottled water inside.
21. There are pit toilets along and at the end of some trails. Granite Chalet’s PT is deluxe compared to others.
22. If you want to climb a mountain, Mt. Altyn, north of Many Glacier Lodge, was suggested as one of the easier climbs in the park. Unless you run into snow, it was called a “walkup”. But we have no proof. A previous posting recommended Mt. Gould, off Highline Trail. However, Rangers stated Mt. Gould is hazardous and not recommended. Reportedly, the climb is not technically difficult (more of a scramble) but on the way up or down one misstep has meant death.
Other hikers recommended 2 peaks near Hidden Lake that even children have climbed - Clements or Reynolds. Similar elevation gain, better views from Reynolds, Reynolds more crowded, neither is technically difficult but more exposure on Clements makes it the bigger challenge. Fairly easy climbing, but these are narrow goat trails with thousands of feet of drop-off. We couldn’t find the route to Reynolds, even with the more specific trail guide from Logan Visitor Center.
23. White Water rafting. By July it is more like a float. But the kids enjoyed it. Remember, the smaller the boat, the more jumping around the boat will do on the rapids.
24. When you see a stream or running water, stick your tired feet in. The freezing water numbs the feet and there is an “ahhhh yes” moment.
25. Favorite campground – we preferred Many Glacier (campsites 90 – 110 would be preferred as they as closest to the mountain stream) rather than Fish Creek or Apgar. Hands down. We would consider Sprague or Avalanche. We arrived at 9:30AM at Many Glacier campground and had many sites to choose from. By noon most spots were taken. We saw small but adequate cabins at Rising Sun, which would be centrally located.
26. Favorite trails – Iceberg, Hidden Lake, Highline but not the Loop, and to Grinnell Lake. Iceberg is worth every step.
Note: We saw more proof of dead people than living people on Highway 2. Identical white, iron crosses dot the ditches along roads and highways across Montana. Some are rusted and scarcely visible amid the roadside weeds. Others support wreaths, fresh and fake flowers, even small flags. Some places, like on reservations, crosses appear almost every mile. Each one is attached to a rebar, and floating at about eye level. We counted 195 crosses on Highway #2, from the ND border to Glacier (over 400 miles is one cross every 2 miles). Every once in a while, two or three crosses were attached to the same rebar. The record was a 9-cross whopper. Nothing is as attention grabbing as a pole with nine crosses on it. We were told the crosses began decades ago to warn motorists to slow down and sober up. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Montana's per capita highway fatality rate in 2002 was third highest, behind Wyoming and Mississippi. And, Montana had the nation's highest rate of drunk-driving deaths - twice the national average
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: June-August
Recommended for: Familes
Review Topic: Overview
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Epinions.com ID:
sonybalony
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Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
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