[Day 116] Over Piegan to Many

There was some light rain this morning, which encouraged me to stay in the tent a bit later than I anticipated. I had a 30 mile day ahead, likely with more climbing than I predicted. With longer hiking days — and longer is a relative measure per person — it is wise to tack on a positive, one-sided tolerance to mileage and climb expectation. Say I have a thirty mile day with 4,000 feet of climbing to my next camp. I’d apply a plus 5%, minus 0% tolerance to both those numbers. So really, I have a 31.5 mile day with 4,200 feet of climbing. At the end of the day, there are no surprises when I hike less than or near these numbers, and I pace and time my day appropriately.

Surprisingly, my gear was relatively dry this morning. The wind and relative humidity must be helping. Only the floor of my tent was damp; the main walls were perfectly dry, even after a night and morning of rain. after unhanging my food and using the designated backcountry privy, I was off through burn area towards St. Mary Lake. On my map, I saw opportunity — a cut across Red Eagle Creek early, where the extending route was headed to a foot bridge well down stream. The river fjord wasn’t a fjord; the water was shin deep. The cut saved me at least two miles — sweet!

The overgrown trail followed alongside St. Mary Lake for nearly seven miles. I was well protected from the blustery air in the trees. The lake was white-capped with the vibrant, but drowning background noise of ocean waves crashing on a sandy beach. The bear scat was fresh all along trail today. And, it came in a variety of colors — black, brown, green, or purple. The green was a bit odd, but the purple made sense. These bear’s diets rely heavily on berries. Much of the earth surrounding the scat had purple staining from the rains washing the dye out.

Near the end of my westward hiking along St. Mary Lake, waterfall features began to appear. All of a sudden, I turned a corner to a trail well cleared of overgrowth — interesting. A couple hundred feet later, I understood why. I was in tourist land. A double wide, groomed trail brought the crowds — the obese, the lovey-dovey hand-holding couples, the foreigners, the unleashed children who recently learned to walk. I have nothing against these people, but there is some alarming, culture shock associated with transitioning from empty backcountry trails to nature attractions packed with people who display the entire spectrum of human moods, decency, and etiquettes. My speed increased and photo count plummeted. I wanted to be through Disneyland. After four miles, I made it to tourist central at Going-to-the-Sun Road, I gave up — I needed a break and water. Obviously, my persona and appearance attracted attention — some stink eye and some respect.

After lunch, I made the go for Piegan Pass. Glacier has some great trails and great climbing. The more advanced day hikers were finding their way up Piegan Pass. This was both good and bad. I’ll start with the bad first. I am approaching an older couple heading the opposite direction. Out of courtesy, I stepped off the trail to allow them the single track. What do you know, the male f***er yells at me after they step off trail too, “Not to be the asshole, but you need to stay on the trail. You are destroying the flowers and ruining this place.” I stared him down, made my irritation apparent, and walked on. I was inches off the trail stopped on grass, and so were they. I wouldn’t have said anything, but the guy had some more commentary. I turned around, saying affirmatively and quite unconsciously, “I have walked from the Mexican border to this point on a trail decreed by the United States government. There are a lot of places where no trail exists. I have killed a lot of flowers. If you need to get a ranger, please do so. Otherwise, go f*** off.” At this point, the guy became very apologetic, and I spent no time listening. He made my blood boil.

The good of the day hikers was that they reported the sighting of a grizzly ahead. I was excited. As I approached closer to the pass, the story came into clearer view. The grizzly was actively using the trail and users were having to step aside. Half a mile before the pass, I came upon a dig site. Atop the pass, there lay fresh scat.

Glacier is said to have a population density of grizzly bears greater than that of Alaska. At least, that’s what the ranger in Two Medicine advertised. I enjoy my type-two fun, so you can put your money on it — I want an encounter. This is not to be misinterpreted as I am seeking or baiting a bear. I’d like, however, to hike along and come across one within a good distance — say maybe 30 yards.

Piegan Pass was astonishing — and astonishingly windy. On the way down, 60 to 70mph gusts pushed me off the switchback running down the hill. I often hunkered down and braced during the gusts. I scanned the exposed pass for the bear, and sure enough, with a clear view to the below trail north, I spotted the grizzly fleeing up the valley.

The rest of the day was downhill into Many Glacier. The huckleberries were good picking. Another bull moose stood aimlessly in the trail as I waited a minute for him to move.

I made Many Glacier Campground by 7pm, with plenty time to spare for dinner at the motel across the street. After having my permits checked and some instruction for crossing the border from Ranger Wes, I downed a burger and a bowl of mac and cheese at the restaurant, followed by a serving of vanilla yogurt.

Signing off,

Zeppelin / fReaK (ON a leash)