PNT Day 1 to 5, July 2-6: Glacier National Park and The Bear

After thanking Wyett, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, for the ride to the Chief Mountain trailhead and the beginning of my journey, I pledged to look for and view the actual mountain as a sacred Blackfeet cultural site.

After obligatory photos of the start, I descended into the mixed meadows and forest. Mosquitoes and blackflies welcomed me right from the start! I walked confidently, knowing I was here before on October 3, 2016. I immediately began reciting bear poetry to scare off any grizzlies that I would other meet in a surprise encounter. When not  checking for bears, I looked for a good view of  Chief Mountain. As I reached a wide meadow where a beautiful deer stopped to look at me. Seeing wildlife at the beginning of a hike is, for me, a good omen. The doe ran towards me before darting into the forest. This was the same meadow where three deer greeted me on the final day of my hike on the Continental Divide Trail in 2016. Image that!

Along Cosley Lake, I stopped to photograph a large pile of Grizzly scat on the trail. That is when Flo, a German man hiking from my opposite direction, stopped to talk. “Oh, there’s a Grizzly!” he said in a sudden, elevated tone. The bear was 100 feet up the trail but stopped and exhibited no sign of aggression or agitation. Flo and I drew our bear spray cannisters, backed away, and moved off the trail into a thicket of dense brush and trees. With low profiles and fingers on the pepper spray triggers, we waited and looked. Within two minutes, we observed the healthy looking Grizzly amble down the trail, stopping momentarily for a sniff and glance to confirm we had taken  cover in the brush. “I think it’s pretty cute!” I told Flo as it calmly went by. With the crisis over, Flo and I took selfies to record our shared random experience. For the record, I have no idea if “Flo” is the correct spelling of his name. I just know I will not likely forget our shared Grizzly encounter!

In just one mile I arrived at my campsite at Glenns Lake. In Glacier NP, the camps are organized with tent sites, food prep areas (with poles to hang food sacks) and pit toilets spaced well apart to ensure food is not handled near the tents. I felt good knowing a bear would not be sniffing around my tent for a chocolate bar!

Day 2 was the most challenging because of the 17 miles to camp, including a 3600 foot ascent over Stoney Indian Pass (6900 feet elevation), stream crossings, snow fields and the rain that started when I left camp. With my feet very cold from the icy water, I attached microspikes to my shoes to help grip on the steeply angled snow patches several hundred feet below the pass. I rejoiced when the sky cleared and rain stopped on the steep final climb to the pass. Sun! To make the moment even better, a couple from San Francisco, Mike and Morgan, serendipitously arrived at the pass from the other direction. “Your descent will be steep but easy, and just follow our tracks in the snow,” Mike advised. “Same for you!” I asserted as they headed down.

Days 3, 4, and 5 were easier, with fewer daily miles, forgiving terrain, dense tree cover as daytime the temperature rose, and majestic lakes framed by soaring mountains. Wildflowers were numerous! The campsite at Hawksbill on Day 3 had panoramic views of the surrounding peaks, and the tranquility of Bowman Lake lulled me into an afternoon nap on the shore of the glacially tinted waters. It was a great start to a 1200-mile hike. Just 15 easy miles from Bowman Lake led me to the community of Polebridge. I stopped to rest in the shade at the Polebridge Ranger Station where a park ranger said to me, “you must be Roger!” He was Oliver, the owner of the North Fork Hostel whose day job is an NP ranger. Being a very kind man, he said it was okay for me to enter the hostel even though he would not be there until 5 pm. Devouring a giant fruit fritter baked by the Polebridge Mercantile was my first action before settling into a bunkroom at the hostel. 56 miles and undeterred by Grizzly bears!