Silver Crest, Dec. 21, 2016: Winter Solstice Celebrated Snowshoeing at Silver Crest
Beaver Basin to Willow Creek, Nov. 30, 2016: Where Are They? Where Are We? A Day of Lost Ways

The GiG went with the guys on our first midweek adventure that we planned during the school year. We met the group at Lippi's kitchen to head out for probably the last hike of the year before we get out the skis and snowshoes. We did bring gaiters and yaktrax in case we encountered some snow.
After a quick decision to do a key exchange instead of taking the time to shuttle cars, the question of the day became "Where are they?" on both sides of the exchange.
The day started at 8 a.m. as we headed toward Augusta for a hike along the Rocky Mountain Front. The day was hovering around 10 degrees with wind, so we did battle keeping warm all day, with wind chills at zero degrees.
Nora went with the group that started on the Willow Creek side while Katie, June and Jaye headed up the trail from Beaver Basin. The Beaver Basin group discovered the road closed two miles from the trail head, so they knew that hike would be at least 8 miles instead of the anticipated six. They had a chuckle thinking the other group wasn't going to know about the extra two miles until the end of the hike, and the hike would be all uphill that direction on tired feet.
The Beaver Basin group hiked uphill most of the way after the road, stopping briefly to take a picture of Hidden Lake with Fairview Mountain in the backround; however, the wind kept the group moving to keep warm. The trails seemed marked well, but the direction seemed off and we didn't see the other group by noon, which made us wonder if we were on the same trail. Both groups kept hiking until 1 p.m., both having to route-find as the trails were not obvious among the outfitter- and cattle-made trails. At this point, the Beaver Basin group decided to turn around, not knowing if they were on the right trail. Two of the Willow Creek group turned around, knowing that they had the key to the car on that end.
After much worry about what happened to each other, all turned out. The four in the Beaver group left messages in the snow on their backtrack to the car and finally heard voices behind them to discover the two Willow group members who had soldiered on.
So six walked the last two miles to the car for a total of nine miles on the day. On hte way out, we saw a variety of tracks including grizzlie, coyote, possibly wolf and a small cat. We expected the two others to have driven the car around but we found just the one car. So we piled six into a Subaru Outback with Jaye being game to ride in the back, sitting on poles and crammed up against backpacks. The rest of us took some gear in our laps as we headed to the Willow creek parking area.
Just before we reached the parking area, we came across Nora driving toward us. She and her hiking partner had gotten lost on the way out and he had fallen on the ice covering a stream and hurt his elbow.
All in all, no one was seriously injured and we all did the right thing. Nora said going in her direction was very, very windy and she got chilled. Katie, June and Jaye were glad to have turned around, not having to face a stiff wind in the face.
We arrived home around 6 p.m. The next day, those with a GPS uploaded the routes. We discovered we were only a few hundred feet apart when we decided to turn around. Both groups were yodeling and calling out, the wind too strong to hear it.
After a quick decision to do a key exchange instead of taking the time to shuttle cars, the question of the day became "Where are they?" on both sides of the exchange.
The day started at 8 a.m. as we headed toward Augusta for a hike along the Rocky Mountain Front. The day was hovering around 10 degrees with wind, so we did battle keeping warm all day, with wind chills at zero degrees.
Nora went with the group that started on the Willow Creek side while Katie, June and Jaye headed up the trail from Beaver Basin. The Beaver Basin group discovered the road closed two miles from the trail head, so they knew that hike would be at least 8 miles instead of the anticipated six. They had a chuckle thinking the other group wasn't going to know about the extra two miles until the end of the hike, and the hike would be all uphill that direction on tired feet.
The Beaver Basin group hiked uphill most of the way after the road, stopping briefly to take a picture of Hidden Lake with Fairview Mountain in the backround; however, the wind kept the group moving to keep warm. The trails seemed marked well, but the direction seemed off and we didn't see the other group by noon, which made us wonder if we were on the same trail. Both groups kept hiking until 1 p.m., both having to route-find as the trails were not obvious among the outfitter- and cattle-made trails. At this point, the Beaver Basin group decided to turn around, not knowing if they were on the right trail. Two of the Willow Creek group turned around, knowing that they had the key to the car on that end.
After much worry about what happened to each other, all turned out. The four in the Beaver group left messages in the snow on their backtrack to the car and finally heard voices behind them to discover the two Willow group members who had soldiered on.
So six walked the last two miles to the car for a total of nine miles on the day. On hte way out, we saw a variety of tracks including grizzlie, coyote, possibly wolf and a small cat. We expected the two others to have driven the car around but we found just the one car. So we piled six into a Subaru Outback with Jaye being game to ride in the back, sitting on poles and crammed up against backpacks. The rest of us took some gear in our laps as we headed to the Willow creek parking area.
Just before we reached the parking area, we came across Nora driving toward us. She and her hiking partner had gotten lost on the way out and he had fallen on the ice covering a stream and hurt his elbow.
All in all, no one was seriously injured and we all did the right thing. Nora said going in her direction was very, very windy and she got chilled. Katie, June and Jaye were glad to have turned around, not having to face a stiff wind in the face.
We arrived home around 6 p.m. The next day, those with a GPS uploaded the routes. We discovered we were only a few hundred feet apart when we decided to turn around. Both groups were yodeling and calling out, the wind too strong to hear it.
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Thanks to Jaye, Tom, Katie and Gordon for pictures
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Rock City, November 12, 2016: Rock City Hoodoos Haunt Gals as They Stroll Along the Two Med River
Scalplock, October 29, 2016: Day of Golden Larch Ablaze; Glistening Snow, Misty Valleys
Cataract and Piegan Pass, Sept. 29, 2016: Canadian Friends Invite GiG on Fabulous Fall Trip |

It’s usually an early start with a day trip to Glacier and this day was no different: 5:30 a.m. but the dark of the shorter fall days made it seem worse somehow for the two who made this hike.
But as soon as we hit St. Mary, the glory of Glacier came into view and woke us up, with a mist softly covering the lake, which was surrounded by the golds and reds of fall. Since the two GiG members, Katie and Doris, made it to St. Mary a half hour in front of the Canadian gals, they decided to take it slowly up Going to the Sun road, stopping at Wild Goose Island overlook and Sunrift Gorge as well as other pull-outs for photo opps.
The we met our Canadian friends, led by LaVerne, at Siyeh Bend and were on trail to Piegan Pass by 9:30, all 11 of us, which included a grandmother and her granddaughter.
The hike up was fairly uneventful, passing streams, what remained of the wildflowers (hawkweed, showy asters, yarrow, hairbells, cinquefoil/potetilla), stromatolites, and friendly, all-local hikers this time of year. Just before the pass, we could see the top of Cataract Peak, the destination for some of us after lunch.
We crested the pass, the Garden Wall in our face, and sat just on the other side; we faced Many Glacier, gazing into the Cataract Creek valley, with its glacier-fed aqua ponds and cascades streaming toward Lake Grinnell. We were surprised by the lack of marmots and other pesky little critters that usually beg for a handout and attack unattended daypacks.
From our vantage point, we could see Heavens Peak, Mount Jackson with Jackson and Blackfoot glaciers, Piegan peak and its glacier, Mount Gould, the Garden Wall, and big daddy Mount Siyeh, one of the famed 10,000-footers in the park. We also got to watch a barefoot hiker go over Piegan, hiking the opposite way.
Those climbing, had a quick lunch and headed up, while a group of four decided to head to the cars to get back early for other evening plans. One stayed at the pass to rest and watch as the other five ascended. On the way up, we saw a lone gal also climbing, a gal who had passed us on the trail earlier. We marveled at how quickly she climbed, without even the use of poles. Youth allows such things.
In the end, only two made it all of the way, but we all got our fill of climbing over talus, balancing on the uneven and unsteady rock piles, using our hands and butts as needed.
Doris and Katie headed back (reaching the car at 4:50) before the five Canadians as they had to await the last of their group who had made the summit. The hike back was gorgeous as the golden colored undergrowth really stood out against the dusky sky.
A few raindrops fell on the way home, fulfilling the prediction of 30 percent chance of rain or thunderstorms in the late afternoon. After a stop at the Lighthouse for dinner, Katie and Doris arrived back in Great Falls at 8:45 p.m. after a wonderful day with new and old friends.
But as soon as we hit St. Mary, the glory of Glacier came into view and woke us up, with a mist softly covering the lake, which was surrounded by the golds and reds of fall. Since the two GiG members, Katie and Doris, made it to St. Mary a half hour in front of the Canadian gals, they decided to take it slowly up Going to the Sun road, stopping at Wild Goose Island overlook and Sunrift Gorge as well as other pull-outs for photo opps.
The we met our Canadian friends, led by LaVerne, at Siyeh Bend and were on trail to Piegan Pass by 9:30, all 11 of us, which included a grandmother and her granddaughter.
The hike up was fairly uneventful, passing streams, what remained of the wildflowers (hawkweed, showy asters, yarrow, hairbells, cinquefoil/potetilla), stromatolites, and friendly, all-local hikers this time of year. Just before the pass, we could see the top of Cataract Peak, the destination for some of us after lunch.
We crested the pass, the Garden Wall in our face, and sat just on the other side; we faced Many Glacier, gazing into the Cataract Creek valley, with its glacier-fed aqua ponds and cascades streaming toward Lake Grinnell. We were surprised by the lack of marmots and other pesky little critters that usually beg for a handout and attack unattended daypacks.
From our vantage point, we could see Heavens Peak, Mount Jackson with Jackson and Blackfoot glaciers, Piegan peak and its glacier, Mount Gould, the Garden Wall, and big daddy Mount Siyeh, one of the famed 10,000-footers in the park. We also got to watch a barefoot hiker go over Piegan, hiking the opposite way.
Those climbing, had a quick lunch and headed up, while a group of four decided to head to the cars to get back early for other evening plans. One stayed at the pass to rest and watch as the other five ascended. On the way up, we saw a lone gal also climbing, a gal who had passed us on the trail earlier. We marveled at how quickly she climbed, without even the use of poles. Youth allows such things.
In the end, only two made it all of the way, but we all got our fill of climbing over talus, balancing on the uneven and unsteady rock piles, using our hands and butts as needed.
Doris and Katie headed back (reaching the car at 4:50) before the five Canadians as they had to await the last of their group who had made the summit. The hike back was gorgeous as the golden colored undergrowth really stood out against the dusky sky.
A few raindrops fell on the way home, fulfilling the prediction of 30 percent chance of rain or thunderstorms in the late afternoon. After a stop at the Lighthouse for dinner, Katie and Doris arrived back in Great Falls at 8:45 p.m. after a wonderful day with new and old friends.
Upper Two Medicine, Sept. 25, 2016: Wind, Colors Moose Highlight Gorgeous Fall Day
Sperry Chalet, Aug. 23-26, 2016: 'We Are Sperry Tough!"
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We had been working up to it all year, getting in shape, but more than that, getting “Sperry tough,” as Susan would say. Our Sperry Chalet trip was as much mental as physical, believing that we could hike three days in a row with the first day being one of the biggest hikes the GiG has tackled: 13.5 miles and 3410 elevation gain, with the bulk of the gain coming at the end of the hike. But it was all so worth it!
The trip started on a Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. We had to drop two cars off at McDonald Lake Lodge before heading to Rising Sun Cabins and Motor Inn for our first night. Bonnie, Gail, Kathy and Mary drove. After dropping off Mary and Bonnie’s cars and piling ourselves and our gear into the other two, we drove a few more miles down the road to take a quick stretch break along McDonald Creek to eat our lunch on the banks of this gorgeous, turquoise-colored stream and the Sacred Dancing Waters section of the rapids.
Then it was up and over Logan Pass for us, with another quick stop, this time to the Visitor Center and walking path behind it (we saw two bighorn rams) before we arrived at our final destination for the night: Rising Sun Motor Inn and Cabins. It took three rooms and one cabin to fit all 10 of us, with those sleeping on the cots saying they were a bit lumpy, but one said she slept like a lamb despite the mattress. Others didn’t sleep even in a queen or double bed, due to the excitement and a little apprehension about the major hike planned for the next day.
After dinner at the Two Dog Flats Café, some took a walk down to the boat dock to watch the clouds roll in, giving an ominous outlook for the next day with a 40-percent chance of rain in the afternoon.
The next morning, we arose early, ate a hurried breakfast of instant oatmeal and bananas or whatever else we hauled along since the restaurant didn’t open until after our go-time. After sending a quick message from the lodge wifi to let Nancy and Chrissie, our car shuttlers know that we were sticking to original plans as the sky looked clear, we headed out, saying a temporary goodbye to Gail, who would be heading over the pass to ride a horse to the chalet. We would meet back up at dinner time.
Then it was time to hit the trail. We parked Kathy’s car at the Jackson-Glacier Overlook lot and geared up and got on trail at 6:30 a.m., a few minutes before daybreak. The trail was posted for a bear frequenting the area along the first two miles as it drops to Reynold’s Creek and Deadwood Falls, so Katie was extra cautious leading while still keeping a fast pace on the downhill and flat in preparations for a slow-go on the uphill sections. Luckily, we didn’t run into a bear in the early-morning light. But we did run into two hikers coming out of Reynold’s Creek campground (the place where last year’s fire stated) who said they had not seen any bears, which reassured us a bit.
No bears, but we did run into a mama moose! Right before we entered the willow-filled St. Mary River basin of Gunsight Lake, we spotted a moose; she was walking down the trail right at us but wandered to the right-hand side when she saw us. Then we heard a rustling to our left and realized she had a baby hidden among the willows. She was distracting us to the right side of the trail, away from her baby. After a few photo opps with bear spray out, we continued on to the gorgeous clear-aqua Gunsight Lake for our first rest and snack break, filling our bottles and sterilizing the water, before we started the major uphill pull to the pass. We did see a lone loon in the lake.
At the lake, we came across our first fellow-hikers of the day: travelers who had stayed at the lake, but they took off toward the pass ahead of us. At this point, we started seeing goats on the trail; some did not want to yield the trail and had to be shooed away. This section of trail is most beautiful as it becomes very alpine. The views of Blackfoot and Jackson Glacier stun the eyes; and the rock ledges and narrow trail provide a different kind of thrill, not to mention the thrill of looking down on glacial-till filled Gunsight Lake.
At the top of the pass, we immediately saw down into the Lake Ellen Wilson valley and had more eye candy upon which to gaze. We took a few pictures of the hikers’ shelter but decided the wind wasn’t bad enough to warrant resting inside. Then we encountered a group of young men eating lunch, so we joined them. We were all glad that Kuntzie was married or we may have lost her to the Lake Ellen Wilson campground where these men were staying.
After a very short “teacher’s lunch,” Katie kept the group going, as the threat of afternoon thunderstorms coupled with the thought of missing a hot meal for dinner had her anxious. This next section of the trail is down, down, down to just above the lake and then up, up, up. The hucks were numerous and particularly tasty, which seemed to explain all of the bear scat we saw on the trail. At this point, we also passed a couple (it’s a rarity that we pass anyone), but we noticed that the gal of the pair was dragging her leg. The man said she had injured herself earlier. We asked if they needed anything or any help; when they said no and didn’t seem too talkative, we said we would tell the chalet they might be late for dinner, but they said they would make dinner, which was 6 p.m. (and they did).
Goat sightings became more frequent and less of a novelty as we approached our next pass: Lincoln pass. This one seemed a bit steeper than Gunsight but it may have been our tired legs. The last 2.3 miles from the Lake Ellen Wilson campground to the chalet seemed never ending.
Many of the gals kept asking “how much longer” and “will there be any more uphill?” Katie didn’t think so, but after a half mile of flat on top of the pass, there was one more low-angle switchback to get over before dropping down to the chalet. At the chalet, the kitchen staff greeted us with a pitcher of cold lemonade, which we quickly drank and then drank another. We had made it in time for dinner with 45 minutes to spare, so we could freshen up a bit and organize in our rooms. And everyone had made it without being too exhausted; every gal carried her own pack the whole way!
On top of that, we found out no one had to share a bed as one room had four singles, while two rooms had a double and two singles. We had drawn names earlier and Gail and Kuntzie were expecting to have to share. We were all happy to meet back up with Gail, who said her horse ride was great; she wasn’t very sore either.
Our dinner was Thanksgiving with a cucumber salad, turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, veggies, cranberries, and apple-spice cake for dessert. Katie had a delicious chickpea stirfry, being the vegetarian of the bunch. At dinner, the staff introduced themselves, read an inspirational passage and then had us all introduce ourselves. They gave us tips about breakfast, avoiding mice in the rooms, hanging our items so they wouldn’t get chewed up by the goats and marmots and quiet hour. They also explained that social hour was at 8:30 with games, non-alcoholic drinks and maybe popcorn. Only Katie, Bonnie and Kuntzie took them up on social hour. We played dominoes with an extreme hiker who was doing Mount Brown the next day. Nobody could really remember the rules, but we had fun anyway.
The next day we met at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast, which was made to order (choice of eggs, pancakes, oatmeal, bacon, toast, orange juice), and planned to hike immediately afterward until the staff said a pack train was coming between 9 and 10 a.m. The gals wanted to see the pack train, even if it would leave us short on time at the glacier due to afternoon thunderstorms and getting back in time for dinner, so we did. The train came in at 9:30 a.m.; the gals took many pictures with Kuntzie and Gail recognizing the wranglers from their trip to Granite Park the week before. We al felt appreciation for these wonderful animals that make our stay at the Chalet possible, hauling our laundry and bringing food and full propane bottles.
At just before 10 a.m., we headed to Sperry Glacier, via the 58 gravelly,narrow, and steep stone steps of Comeau pass. The trail is gorgeous, passing many waterfalls and alpine tarns (glacially carved lakes). At the top, the views are stunning. This hike is a must-do in the park. At the pass, the trail becomes decidedly more challenging, requiring rock scrambling and crossing slippery snowfields. We scrambled across several of these obstacles before stopping for lunch at 1 p.m. At this point, Katie had been timing the clouds coming in and estimated we had another hour before lighting might strike in the area in addition to rain making the steep stone steps slippery and dangerous, so she said we had to hustle if we hoped to get to the glacier. Bonnie and Susan decided not to continue and instead turn back to take their time down the steps.
Kuntzie took over lead from Katie, negotiating a different route back. She said she loved the scrambling best of all and kept us at a great pace, getting us to the stairs before any rain fell. We soon caught up to Bonnie and Susan and finished our hike around 4:15, ten minutes before the rain started. Luckily, no thunder or lightning accompanied it and it let up in about an hour or so.
Dinner this night was roast beef, scalloped potatoes and veggies with the yummy home-baked salty-crust bread and chocolate-cherry cake for dessert. Katie had a vegetarian meatloaf, that again was delish. The staff again read an inspirational passage, this time about the origin of the park, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service(NPS). The employees had made a “happy birthday” sign; everyone, staff and guest alike, went outside for a group photo on this very special day.
Also at dinner, Katie asked if anyone wanted to get up and climb Lincoln peak in the morning. they all thought her a bit on the crazy side as only Beth agreed to get up early, hike fast uphill and be back by check-out time of 10 a.m.
All of the gals showed up for social hour this night, since we didn’t need to get an early start the next day (except Katie and Beth). Mary had hauled up Left, Right, Center and we found some poker chips in the chalet’s game box, so we played two rounds with Kuntzie’s stories about melon balls and not being invited to join the gourmet club, which Susan warned us not to believe, kept us entertained.
The next morning, Katie and Beth did go up Lincoln pass and scramble up the peak, enjoying the fantastic views into Lake Ellen Wilson (one last view), Lincoln Lake and Beaver Chief Falls as well as Lake McDonald and beyond; they made it down by 9:30 a.m. They met the other gals in the lodge and packed their items. This time, Gail would be hiking with us, so all 10 would be together on the home stretch. After pictures in front of the lodge, we left at 10:30 a.m. for our trip down the mountain to Lake McDonald Lodge, where Nancy and Chrissie would be awaiting our arrival after shuttling Kathy’s car from Jackson-Glacier Overlook.
The trail seemed long on tired legs. We enjoyed looking back up at the lodge as we wound our way down, but the 6.5 miles of downhill took its toll. Just before then end, a man with wild red hair and beard came flying past us. Katie shouted—“Hey, you took our picture on Peigan pass a week ago”; he turned around and acknowledged her and Sue, who had also been there, smiling and saying he had started at 8 am. from Jackson-Glacier overlook. We were shocked at how fast he was going, but then again, he climbed Piegan Peak, Cataract Peak and Siyeh Bend and passed us by on the way up twice before finishing with Siyeh Bend. He basically completed four hikes in one day.
Everyone was hot and tired by the time we arrived at the lodge parking area at 2:30 p.m. Most of the gals put their packs in the cars before going inside while those who road with Kathy took their items into the lounge, where we all enjoyed a cook drink. Nancy and Chrissie had not arrived, so Sue checked at the desk to see if they left a message. Then 10 minutes later they came in. We enjoyed some laughs with them and said our goodbyes. Sue went with them to go camp at Kintla Lake and say goodbye to Ranger Lyle, the 96-year-old, who had worked at Kintla for years, but not before Sue got an $8 shower at Glacier Raft Company.
On our way home, we stopped at the Glacier Conservancy store to pick up books about the chalets (Kuntzie got a copy of Night of the Grizzlies DVD) and called ahead for reservations at the fun restaurant the Lighthouse in Valier, our final stop.
After a great dinner, we arrived home around 8:30 p.m., tired and wanting a shower from a trip we will never wash away from our memories.
On a side note, most of us felt we tested ourselves, going beyond what we thought we could do just a few short years ago. We did have a few mishaps on the trail but nothing major, thank goodness: Katie was the first to fall, scouting for bears on the very first section of our trail on day one; Kuntzie followed on the same section. Mary took a tumble and Bonnie had the worst: she fell while crossing below a waterfall on a wet rock, which bent her glasses out of whack so that they wouldn’t stay on her face unless she put sunglasses over them. Bonnie kept her sense of humor, saying, “Not many people can say they fell in a waterfall.”
Who went: Katie, Gail, Susan, Bonnie, Catherine, Kuntzie, Beth, Sue, Kathy M and Mary N
The trip started on a Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. We had to drop two cars off at McDonald Lake Lodge before heading to Rising Sun Cabins and Motor Inn for our first night. Bonnie, Gail, Kathy and Mary drove. After dropping off Mary and Bonnie’s cars and piling ourselves and our gear into the other two, we drove a few more miles down the road to take a quick stretch break along McDonald Creek to eat our lunch on the banks of this gorgeous, turquoise-colored stream and the Sacred Dancing Waters section of the rapids.
Then it was up and over Logan Pass for us, with another quick stop, this time to the Visitor Center and walking path behind it (we saw two bighorn rams) before we arrived at our final destination for the night: Rising Sun Motor Inn and Cabins. It took three rooms and one cabin to fit all 10 of us, with those sleeping on the cots saying they were a bit lumpy, but one said she slept like a lamb despite the mattress. Others didn’t sleep even in a queen or double bed, due to the excitement and a little apprehension about the major hike planned for the next day.
After dinner at the Two Dog Flats Café, some took a walk down to the boat dock to watch the clouds roll in, giving an ominous outlook for the next day with a 40-percent chance of rain in the afternoon.
The next morning, we arose early, ate a hurried breakfast of instant oatmeal and bananas or whatever else we hauled along since the restaurant didn’t open until after our go-time. After sending a quick message from the lodge wifi to let Nancy and Chrissie, our car shuttlers know that we were sticking to original plans as the sky looked clear, we headed out, saying a temporary goodbye to Gail, who would be heading over the pass to ride a horse to the chalet. We would meet back up at dinner time.
Then it was time to hit the trail. We parked Kathy’s car at the Jackson-Glacier Overlook lot and geared up and got on trail at 6:30 a.m., a few minutes before daybreak. The trail was posted for a bear frequenting the area along the first two miles as it drops to Reynold’s Creek and Deadwood Falls, so Katie was extra cautious leading while still keeping a fast pace on the downhill and flat in preparations for a slow-go on the uphill sections. Luckily, we didn’t run into a bear in the early-morning light. But we did run into two hikers coming out of Reynold’s Creek campground (the place where last year’s fire stated) who said they had not seen any bears, which reassured us a bit.
No bears, but we did run into a mama moose! Right before we entered the willow-filled St. Mary River basin of Gunsight Lake, we spotted a moose; she was walking down the trail right at us but wandered to the right-hand side when she saw us. Then we heard a rustling to our left and realized she had a baby hidden among the willows. She was distracting us to the right side of the trail, away from her baby. After a few photo opps with bear spray out, we continued on to the gorgeous clear-aqua Gunsight Lake for our first rest and snack break, filling our bottles and sterilizing the water, before we started the major uphill pull to the pass. We did see a lone loon in the lake.
At the lake, we came across our first fellow-hikers of the day: travelers who had stayed at the lake, but they took off toward the pass ahead of us. At this point, we started seeing goats on the trail; some did not want to yield the trail and had to be shooed away. This section of trail is most beautiful as it becomes very alpine. The views of Blackfoot and Jackson Glacier stun the eyes; and the rock ledges and narrow trail provide a different kind of thrill, not to mention the thrill of looking down on glacial-till filled Gunsight Lake.
At the top of the pass, we immediately saw down into the Lake Ellen Wilson valley and had more eye candy upon which to gaze. We took a few pictures of the hikers’ shelter but decided the wind wasn’t bad enough to warrant resting inside. Then we encountered a group of young men eating lunch, so we joined them. We were all glad that Kuntzie was married or we may have lost her to the Lake Ellen Wilson campground where these men were staying.
After a very short “teacher’s lunch,” Katie kept the group going, as the threat of afternoon thunderstorms coupled with the thought of missing a hot meal for dinner had her anxious. This next section of the trail is down, down, down to just above the lake and then up, up, up. The hucks were numerous and particularly tasty, which seemed to explain all of the bear scat we saw on the trail. At this point, we also passed a couple (it’s a rarity that we pass anyone), but we noticed that the gal of the pair was dragging her leg. The man said she had injured herself earlier. We asked if they needed anything or any help; when they said no and didn’t seem too talkative, we said we would tell the chalet they might be late for dinner, but they said they would make dinner, which was 6 p.m. (and they did).
Goat sightings became more frequent and less of a novelty as we approached our next pass: Lincoln pass. This one seemed a bit steeper than Gunsight but it may have been our tired legs. The last 2.3 miles from the Lake Ellen Wilson campground to the chalet seemed never ending.
Many of the gals kept asking “how much longer” and “will there be any more uphill?” Katie didn’t think so, but after a half mile of flat on top of the pass, there was one more low-angle switchback to get over before dropping down to the chalet. At the chalet, the kitchen staff greeted us with a pitcher of cold lemonade, which we quickly drank and then drank another. We had made it in time for dinner with 45 minutes to spare, so we could freshen up a bit and organize in our rooms. And everyone had made it without being too exhausted; every gal carried her own pack the whole way!
On top of that, we found out no one had to share a bed as one room had four singles, while two rooms had a double and two singles. We had drawn names earlier and Gail and Kuntzie were expecting to have to share. We were all happy to meet back up with Gail, who said her horse ride was great; she wasn’t very sore either.
Our dinner was Thanksgiving with a cucumber salad, turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, veggies, cranberries, and apple-spice cake for dessert. Katie had a delicious chickpea stirfry, being the vegetarian of the bunch. At dinner, the staff introduced themselves, read an inspirational passage and then had us all introduce ourselves. They gave us tips about breakfast, avoiding mice in the rooms, hanging our items so they wouldn’t get chewed up by the goats and marmots and quiet hour. They also explained that social hour was at 8:30 with games, non-alcoholic drinks and maybe popcorn. Only Katie, Bonnie and Kuntzie took them up on social hour. We played dominoes with an extreme hiker who was doing Mount Brown the next day. Nobody could really remember the rules, but we had fun anyway.
The next day we met at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast, which was made to order (choice of eggs, pancakes, oatmeal, bacon, toast, orange juice), and planned to hike immediately afterward until the staff said a pack train was coming between 9 and 10 a.m. The gals wanted to see the pack train, even if it would leave us short on time at the glacier due to afternoon thunderstorms and getting back in time for dinner, so we did. The train came in at 9:30 a.m.; the gals took many pictures with Kuntzie and Gail recognizing the wranglers from their trip to Granite Park the week before. We al felt appreciation for these wonderful animals that make our stay at the Chalet possible, hauling our laundry and bringing food and full propane bottles.
At just before 10 a.m., we headed to Sperry Glacier, via the 58 gravelly,narrow, and steep stone steps of Comeau pass. The trail is gorgeous, passing many waterfalls and alpine tarns (glacially carved lakes). At the top, the views are stunning. This hike is a must-do in the park. At the pass, the trail becomes decidedly more challenging, requiring rock scrambling and crossing slippery snowfields. We scrambled across several of these obstacles before stopping for lunch at 1 p.m. At this point, Katie had been timing the clouds coming in and estimated we had another hour before lighting might strike in the area in addition to rain making the steep stone steps slippery and dangerous, so she said we had to hustle if we hoped to get to the glacier. Bonnie and Susan decided not to continue and instead turn back to take their time down the steps.
Kuntzie took over lead from Katie, negotiating a different route back. She said she loved the scrambling best of all and kept us at a great pace, getting us to the stairs before any rain fell. We soon caught up to Bonnie and Susan and finished our hike around 4:15, ten minutes before the rain started. Luckily, no thunder or lightning accompanied it and it let up in about an hour or so.
Dinner this night was roast beef, scalloped potatoes and veggies with the yummy home-baked salty-crust bread and chocolate-cherry cake for dessert. Katie had a vegetarian meatloaf, that again was delish. The staff again read an inspirational passage, this time about the origin of the park, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service(NPS). The employees had made a “happy birthday” sign; everyone, staff and guest alike, went outside for a group photo on this very special day.
Also at dinner, Katie asked if anyone wanted to get up and climb Lincoln peak in the morning. they all thought her a bit on the crazy side as only Beth agreed to get up early, hike fast uphill and be back by check-out time of 10 a.m.
All of the gals showed up for social hour this night, since we didn’t need to get an early start the next day (except Katie and Beth). Mary had hauled up Left, Right, Center and we found some poker chips in the chalet’s game box, so we played two rounds with Kuntzie’s stories about melon balls and not being invited to join the gourmet club, which Susan warned us not to believe, kept us entertained.
The next morning, Katie and Beth did go up Lincoln pass and scramble up the peak, enjoying the fantastic views into Lake Ellen Wilson (one last view), Lincoln Lake and Beaver Chief Falls as well as Lake McDonald and beyond; they made it down by 9:30 a.m. They met the other gals in the lodge and packed their items. This time, Gail would be hiking with us, so all 10 would be together on the home stretch. After pictures in front of the lodge, we left at 10:30 a.m. for our trip down the mountain to Lake McDonald Lodge, where Nancy and Chrissie would be awaiting our arrival after shuttling Kathy’s car from Jackson-Glacier Overlook.
The trail seemed long on tired legs. We enjoyed looking back up at the lodge as we wound our way down, but the 6.5 miles of downhill took its toll. Just before then end, a man with wild red hair and beard came flying past us. Katie shouted—“Hey, you took our picture on Peigan pass a week ago”; he turned around and acknowledged her and Sue, who had also been there, smiling and saying he had started at 8 am. from Jackson-Glacier overlook. We were shocked at how fast he was going, but then again, he climbed Piegan Peak, Cataract Peak and Siyeh Bend and passed us by on the way up twice before finishing with Siyeh Bend. He basically completed four hikes in one day.
Everyone was hot and tired by the time we arrived at the lodge parking area at 2:30 p.m. Most of the gals put their packs in the cars before going inside while those who road with Kathy took their items into the lounge, where we all enjoyed a cook drink. Nancy and Chrissie had not arrived, so Sue checked at the desk to see if they left a message. Then 10 minutes later they came in. We enjoyed some laughs with them and said our goodbyes. Sue went with them to go camp at Kintla Lake and say goodbye to Ranger Lyle, the 96-year-old, who had worked at Kintla for years, but not before Sue got an $8 shower at Glacier Raft Company.
On our way home, we stopped at the Glacier Conservancy store to pick up books about the chalets (Kuntzie got a copy of Night of the Grizzlies DVD) and called ahead for reservations at the fun restaurant the Lighthouse in Valier, our final stop.
After a great dinner, we arrived home around 8:30 p.m., tired and wanting a shower from a trip we will never wash away from our memories.
On a side note, most of us felt we tested ourselves, going beyond what we thought we could do just a few short years ago. We did have a few mishaps on the trail but nothing major, thank goodness: Katie was the first to fall, scouting for bears on the very first section of our trail on day one; Kuntzie followed on the same section. Mary took a tumble and Bonnie had the worst: she fell while crossing below a waterfall on a wet rock, which bent her glasses out of whack so that they wouldn’t stay on her face unless she put sunglasses over them. Bonnie kept her sense of humor, saying, “Not many people can say they fell in a waterfall.”
Who went: Katie, Gail, Susan, Bonnie, Catherine, Kuntzie, Beth, Sue, Kathy M and Mary N
Piegan Pass to Many Glacier, Aug. 17, 2016: Outstanding Views; Bull Moose Highlight Long Hike Over Piegan Pass |

Whoosh! It sounded like a tsunami hit the creek that lay in front of us. A flash flood? What could it be? And then we saw him, water flowing from his back, his enormous rack still barely in the velvet: a huge bull moose, standing face-to-face with us.
This incident took place toward the end of the hike, but the whole of the day contained more excitement: outstanding vistas, animal visits, chance meetings and tired feet and backs as we hike the section of the CDT (Continental Divide Trail) that leads from Siyeh Bend on Going-to-the-Sun Road over Piegan Pass and into the Many Glacier valley..
It all started at 4:30 a.m., when we started from the Paris Gibson Square parking lot with Jaye driving. Jaye had on hot coffee as well as muffins to sustain us on our drive to St. Mary. And she drove in record time without a stop in Browning. We had just missed the 7 a.m. bus, so we had plenty of time to visit the restrooms and gear up for the day. We had hoped for a 7:30 or 7:40 bus like last year; however, the next shuttle didn’t arrive for a full 60 minutes. And the driver was chatty, delaying us at every stop, so we didn’t get on trail until 8:40.
At the trailhead, we happened upon a young gal named Shelly, who wanted someone to hike Siyeh Bend to Sunrift Gorge with her. Since no one else was going that way, she decided to hook up with us as we offered her a shuttle back to her car since Carol was unable to join us last minute. We told her she would have to travel at an old lady’s pace, but she was happy not to travel alone.
So we set out on a bright blue day that was promising thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Although the flowers were fading at this time in the summer, we still enjoyed may late bloomers, especially grounsel, rosy crown sedum, asters, blue explorer’s gentian and beard tongue penstemon.
As we climbed the trail, an older couple overtook us as well as some younger hikers. We passed an elderly gentleman with a Santa beard, slowly determined to make the pass one last time. We were impressed with his determination despite a hitch in his gait.
After quite a bit of gain and two miles, we arrived at Preston Park, where the trail splits and where Shelly had to decide if she were to continue on with us or hike solo to Siyeh Pass; however, serendipitously, a group of hikers came upon us. They were going over Siyeh Pass! So we said our goodbyes to Shelly and parted ways, her going to the right and we taking the left-hand path. Check out her blog Living on the Dirt.
From this juncture, the trail starts the outstanding alpine section with views in all directions. We slowed our pace significantly as we took numerous pictures and enjoyed the vistas and wildflowers. Chrissie spotted two rams crossing a snow field, so we watched them for a while as well. Then we gained the pass.
As we crested the top, we saw more people, groups enjoying lunch as well as many climbing Cataract mountain. We had to save that climb for another day due to the lateness in the day and a storm abrewing on the horizon. The pass had more people than Katie had ever seen on the Piegan trail, a surprise especially for a Wednesday. Another surprise was that several parties had come up from the Many Glacier side, which includes much more uphill.Here we had our lunch from noon until 12:30, joined by a marmot mama and her two young. She especially liked Sue.
After a lunch with outstanding views overlooking the valley on the Many Glacier side, we reluctantly started our descent, following Cataract Creek to the bottom of the valley floor. We knew we had to get going as the thunderheads were starting to amass over the tops of the mountains. The descent is a bit grueling with many switchbacks and large rock steps that take a toll on the knees, but we broke it up with huckleberry stops as they were out in profusion. But then Katie mentioned that we were travelling at 1 mph and we wouldn’t get in until 8 p.m. at that pace, so we gave up the berries for faster walking, especially in light of the impending storm.
Along the way, we passed Morning Eagle Falls, still gushing strongly, and Feather Plume falls, which had hardly any water. The rock on the creek bottom was decorated in bright turquoise, maroon and reds.
As we hit the bottom and got set to cross Cataract Creek, we heard a loud “whoosh” of water rushing, as if a flash flood were imminent. We didn’t have to look long for the cause of this noise as a very large bull moose arose from the creek just in front of us. We had disturbed his afternoon soak! His rise was one of the more thrilling things we had ever seen; however, he was a bit too close for our comfort and did not yield the trail, continuing to stand right in front of us, so we got out our bear spray and waited. After a minute, he wandered a bit farther away and decided to start eating some willows and ignore us, so we slowly took to the trail again, being ever mindful of just how big and just how close he was. We were all a bit relieved to get around him yet hesitant to take our eyes away from this awe-inspiring sight.
Then it was on down the last set of switchbacks to Grinnell Lake. We thought of stopping to rest our feet and soak them in the water, but decided to continue on to Josephine lake as it was only another mile and had the boat dock, Oaster shelter and bathrooms.
As we arrived at Josephine, the boat was blowing its whistle, indicating it was going to leave soon. The captain asked if we were riding back. It was tempting, but no one had brought money and we wanted to hike the last two miles anyway, to complete our 14-mile trek. Chrissie, Katie and Jaye took their boots off and went in the water, which wasn’t as cold as expected and felt oh, so good. Chrissie was feeling the heat and struggled a bit with her back the last mile.
The weather finally blew in, so we raced down the trail to the Many Glacier Hotel in hopes of beating the storm. Jaye raced ahead, having put on tennis shoes at the lake. Katie and Sue encouraged Chrissie to keep going as the thunder intensified and the first raindrops fell. But we reached the hotel—and food--without getting wet at 5:40. Chrissie found her aunt—our ride—and we took our packs off and settled into the makeshift lounge for dinner (The hotel lobby is under construction, so the lounge is acting as the gift store).
After a nice dinner at the lodge (lentil burgers, cobb salad, bison chili with huckleberry cobbler for dessert), we crammed ourselves and our gear along with Chrissie and her aunt’s camping gear, into a Rav 4 (five plus gear), while Chrissie’s aunt shuttled us back to our car at St. Mary. Along the way, we were in for one more final treat: a bear grazing on berries on the side of the road. We arrive back home around 10:30 p.m., a wonderful end to a very long day.
Who went: Katie, Chrissie, Sue, Jaye
This incident took place toward the end of the hike, but the whole of the day contained more excitement: outstanding vistas, animal visits, chance meetings and tired feet and backs as we hike the section of the CDT (Continental Divide Trail) that leads from Siyeh Bend on Going-to-the-Sun Road over Piegan Pass and into the Many Glacier valley..
It all started at 4:30 a.m., when we started from the Paris Gibson Square parking lot with Jaye driving. Jaye had on hot coffee as well as muffins to sustain us on our drive to St. Mary. And she drove in record time without a stop in Browning. We had just missed the 7 a.m. bus, so we had plenty of time to visit the restrooms and gear up for the day. We had hoped for a 7:30 or 7:40 bus like last year; however, the next shuttle didn’t arrive for a full 60 minutes. And the driver was chatty, delaying us at every stop, so we didn’t get on trail until 8:40.
At the trailhead, we happened upon a young gal named Shelly, who wanted someone to hike Siyeh Bend to Sunrift Gorge with her. Since no one else was going that way, she decided to hook up with us as we offered her a shuttle back to her car since Carol was unable to join us last minute. We told her she would have to travel at an old lady’s pace, but she was happy not to travel alone.
So we set out on a bright blue day that was promising thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Although the flowers were fading at this time in the summer, we still enjoyed may late bloomers, especially grounsel, rosy crown sedum, asters, blue explorer’s gentian and beard tongue penstemon.
As we climbed the trail, an older couple overtook us as well as some younger hikers. We passed an elderly gentleman with a Santa beard, slowly determined to make the pass one last time. We were impressed with his determination despite a hitch in his gait.
After quite a bit of gain and two miles, we arrived at Preston Park, where the trail splits and where Shelly had to decide if she were to continue on with us or hike solo to Siyeh Pass; however, serendipitously, a group of hikers came upon us. They were going over Siyeh Pass! So we said our goodbyes to Shelly and parted ways, her going to the right and we taking the left-hand path. Check out her blog Living on the Dirt.
From this juncture, the trail starts the outstanding alpine section with views in all directions. We slowed our pace significantly as we took numerous pictures and enjoyed the vistas and wildflowers. Chrissie spotted two rams crossing a snow field, so we watched them for a while as well. Then we gained the pass.
As we crested the top, we saw more people, groups enjoying lunch as well as many climbing Cataract mountain. We had to save that climb for another day due to the lateness in the day and a storm abrewing on the horizon. The pass had more people than Katie had ever seen on the Piegan trail, a surprise especially for a Wednesday. Another surprise was that several parties had come up from the Many Glacier side, which includes much more uphill.Here we had our lunch from noon until 12:30, joined by a marmot mama and her two young. She especially liked Sue.
After a lunch with outstanding views overlooking the valley on the Many Glacier side, we reluctantly started our descent, following Cataract Creek to the bottom of the valley floor. We knew we had to get going as the thunderheads were starting to amass over the tops of the mountains. The descent is a bit grueling with many switchbacks and large rock steps that take a toll on the knees, but we broke it up with huckleberry stops as they were out in profusion. But then Katie mentioned that we were travelling at 1 mph and we wouldn’t get in until 8 p.m. at that pace, so we gave up the berries for faster walking, especially in light of the impending storm.
Along the way, we passed Morning Eagle Falls, still gushing strongly, and Feather Plume falls, which had hardly any water. The rock on the creek bottom was decorated in bright turquoise, maroon and reds.
As we hit the bottom and got set to cross Cataract Creek, we heard a loud “whoosh” of water rushing, as if a flash flood were imminent. We didn’t have to look long for the cause of this noise as a very large bull moose arose from the creek just in front of us. We had disturbed his afternoon soak! His rise was one of the more thrilling things we had ever seen; however, he was a bit too close for our comfort and did not yield the trail, continuing to stand right in front of us, so we got out our bear spray and waited. After a minute, he wandered a bit farther away and decided to start eating some willows and ignore us, so we slowly took to the trail again, being ever mindful of just how big and just how close he was. We were all a bit relieved to get around him yet hesitant to take our eyes away from this awe-inspiring sight.
Then it was on down the last set of switchbacks to Grinnell Lake. We thought of stopping to rest our feet and soak them in the water, but decided to continue on to Josephine lake as it was only another mile and had the boat dock, Oaster shelter and bathrooms.
As we arrived at Josephine, the boat was blowing its whistle, indicating it was going to leave soon. The captain asked if we were riding back. It was tempting, but no one had brought money and we wanted to hike the last two miles anyway, to complete our 14-mile trek. Chrissie, Katie and Jaye took their boots off and went in the water, which wasn’t as cold as expected and felt oh, so good. Chrissie was feeling the heat and struggled a bit with her back the last mile.
The weather finally blew in, so we raced down the trail to the Many Glacier Hotel in hopes of beating the storm. Jaye raced ahead, having put on tennis shoes at the lake. Katie and Sue encouraged Chrissie to keep going as the thunder intensified and the first raindrops fell. But we reached the hotel—and food--without getting wet at 5:40. Chrissie found her aunt—our ride—and we took our packs off and settled into the makeshift lounge for dinner (The hotel lobby is under construction, so the lounge is acting as the gift store).
After a nice dinner at the lodge (lentil burgers, cobb salad, bison chili with huckleberry cobbler for dessert), we crammed ourselves and our gear along with Chrissie and her aunt’s camping gear, into a Rav 4 (five plus gear), while Chrissie’s aunt shuttled us back to our car at St. Mary. Along the way, we were in for one more final treat: a bear grazing on berries on the side of the road. We arrive back home around 10:30 p.m., a wonderful end to a very long day.
Who went: Katie, Chrissie, Sue, Jaye
Waterton Weekend, August 12-14, 2016: Wonderful Waterton Weekend Features Carthew-Alderson Traverse; Bear's Hump, 'Beauty and the Beast"; Petroglyphs at Provincial Park
![]() “I thought it was a black German shepherd.” So said Susan when she ran into a black bear sow and her cub. And this incident was just one of the super adventures the GiG had on our Waterton Weekend trip.
It all started at 7 a.m. on a cloudy Friday. After a border crossing that almost turned eventful when the agent cross-examined Catherine in a not-too-friendly voice about whether she normally has a gun in her console, we arrived in Waterton at 11:30 a.m. A quick stop at the Visitor Center to ask about trail conditions of our preferred hike, the Carthew-Alderson traverse (they didn’t know but would find out) and we were off for our hike up the Bear’s Hump. This hike is a “hump” up a steep hill; but, thankfully, it is a short climb (1.8 miles round trip with 750 feet of gain). At the top, we ate our lunch with spectacular views of the Waterton townsite, Prince of Wales Hotel and the big daddy Mount Cleveland, the largest peak in the International Peace park (it is on the Glacier side) as well as Cameron, Vimy and Blackiston peaks in Waterton. We did get a bit of rain, but the kind that stops the minute you put on your poncho. After our lunch hike, we again stopped into the Visitor Center to see if there were any updates on the trail. Katie was pretty petrified of taking the gals over scree with death drop offs if the trail wasn’t in perfect shape. If anyone at all said the trail was iffy, we would have cancelled our shuttle tickets and instead purchased boat tickets and gone on the Crypt Lake hike. But everyone we met said the trail was good now, that the trail crew had repaired all of the washed-out areas after the torrential rains earlier in the week, so we decided to stick to our original plans. So then it was off to the Prince of Wales Hotel. Katie and Catherine has visited before, but the others had their first taste of the first-class lodge, sitting atop a bluff on the edge of Waterton Lake. The inside is lovely with plate glass windows overlooking the lake and mountains. We decided to make a reservation and eat there that night. Meanwhile, our Canadian friends invited us to dinner with them, but when we did the logistics of getting to the play and checking in at our lodgings, it just didn’t work out. We were sorry about missing a visit with them. So we left the hotel, glancing in the berry bushes where the bears have been hanging out, hoping to catch a glimpse of one from the safety of Catherine’s van, but no luck this time. We hung around the downtown, doing a bit of shopping until dinner time when we returned for a fabulous early dinner, so we could then head to Cardston (after a brief check-in at our bed and breakfast, the Mountain View Inn) for the local production of the musical Beauty and the Beast, which was performed with a minimalist set of just two staircases that the stage crew and actors kept moving around to indicate the different places of the play. The voices were great, but the sound system blasted us since our seats were on the left side by the speakers. Then back to the Mountain View Inn. We met another guest of the inn who had hiked Carthew-Alderson that very day who said the trail was good, so Katie was resting her mind a bit at this good news and not sweating the narrow scree trail as much. Then it was off to sleep a few hours before the biggie hike. We awoke early, around 5 a.m. to pack our lunches, get dressed, eat a hurried breakfast (we were afraid we wouldn’t get any since the gal at the inn wasn’t the one with whom Katie had been communicating, but she showed up with yogurt, fruit and muffins just before we left), and head to Waterton. We had a little snafu when we got to the park gate as it was unattended and no envelopes were left. We were worried about getting a ticket for not having a pass, so we drove to the Visitor Center as well as the campground in hopes of finding one—nothing! So we took our chances and parked at the fire hall where the shuttle was to pick us up. More worries: no one else was at the shuttle stop at 7:20, the time we were to be there, since the buses were all booked. Katie panicked again and sent Catherine to the Tamarack Inn, where the usual shuttle stop is. They told her the shuttle was coming. And it did. We were the first on and then the bus stopped at the Tamarack to gather more hikers. The ride to the trailhead was uneventful and quicker than expected putting us on trail by 8:10 a.m. Katie was a bit confused as the bus let us off at a different place from the usual trailhead by Cameron Lake. The driver said the trail was rerouted, so we had to start at a different place. Katie kept questioning the bus driver about how to find the main trail. She said it was easy, so we went on our way and sure enough, this new trail ends at Cameron lake where it joins the main path. The lake was gorgeous and had a lone loon pair cutting the still water that was creating perfect reflections of the surrounding mountains on the glass-like surface. Then it was up, up, up to Summit lake, the halfway point of the four-mile uphill section of our 13-mile day, where we stopped for a quick snack to face the steeper climb to come. On this next section, Katie was still very worried about the last switchback of trail, which is very sketchy at times, very narrow with steep drop offs. She instructed the gals to pick up their poles on this part so as to prevent a landslide. However, when we arrived at the scary part, Katie decided we should take the shortcut straight up the mountain. It was nice and wide and two gals who passed us gave us the thumbs up as they ascended saying it was good all of the way up. Katie knew that going up and looking up is easier than side-hilling and seeing the steep drop-offs out of the corner of the eye, which makes some get dizzy. And it was easy, albeit steep, steep, steep. But short! We arrived at the saddle before others who had passed us earlier. At the pass, the wind picked up tremendously, so Katie asked if everyone were okay with continuing to the top of the peak, since it was bound to be windier there and actually adds a half mile to the trip. Everyone wanted to go for it; we found little wind surprisingly, so we had our lunch and visited with the others on top. Catherine even had a chance to use her native tongue, Tagalog, when a group of Filipinos joined us. (Later, Chrissie would be able to use her German, conversing with tourists visiting from Bayern). The rest of the day was a very long stroll of downhill, passing the gorgeous string of the three Carthew lakes, connected via cascading creeks and waterfalls, and finally Lake Alderson where we rested and cooled our feet in the clear turquoise water. This tarn marked 7 km left to our hike, but it was a very long 7 km on tired legs going down, down, down. The vistas were huge, however, with rock wall faces staring us down, and sheep playing and sleeping on the mountainsides. We had to be aware of stinging nettles along this section of the trail as it was very overgrown with vegetation, and the trail was quite muddy. So between dodging mud holes, avoiding pricklies, Susan fell but was not hurt badly. We did have to clean her elbow wound which was bleeding and full of dirt. Then Susan had an almost-mishap with a bear. As it approached her on the trail, she thought it was a black German shepherd (Waterton, unlike Glacier, allows dogs on the trail; we had seen a small black dog earlier in the hike). So instead of getting out her spray, she froze, turned around and said, “There’s a bear.” Then she saw the bear was really a mama with a cub. Katie saw that Susan didn’t have her spray out, so Katie got out her spray and moved to the front of the group, calling to the bear “Hey bear, we are here,” over and over and asked the others to get out their spray and take the safety off. A mother bear, black or grizz, is nothing to mess with. This happened about a mile from the end of the trail. Some of us realized that we need practice not just on using the spray, but also on getting if off our packs and releasing the safety. Chrissie’s wouldn’t come off her carabiner so it was stuck to her pack. Others struggled with the safety. Mary was able to back Katie up. More practice is needed for sure. Another lesson learned. Fortunately, we didn’t need to use the spray; the sow and cub meandered down the side of the mountain, so we kept on our way, talking loudly. We arrived at Cameron Falls in Waterton at just before 6 p.m. We were starved and had a fun meal at Zum’s, buying a wild berry pie to eat later at the Inn after a fight for the one shower we had to share among our six ladies. Flowers and berries we saw: fireweed (both regular and alpine), blue explorer’s gentian, beard-tongue penstemon, groundsel, buckwheat, cushion buckwheat, showy asters, baneberry, huckleberry, black currants, mountain ash, twisted stalk, red twinberry The next morning, we were in no rush, so we got up leisurely and enjoyed the luxury breakfast fixed by the family: sausage and egg strata; fresh-cut fruit; muffins, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries; pancakes with berry compote and whipped cream; seven-grain porridge; fried potatoes; berry, apple and orange juices; tea and coffee. We ate large as we would be having a late lunch after our adventure to Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park. The drive is very rural and very interesting. We saw some fields cut differently than in the States as well as many animals: deer, coyote and pup, badger, hawks, At the park, we walked the 2.5-mile Hoodoo trail, enjoyed the fantastically varied Milk River Breaks country, marveled at the pictographs and petroglyphs, but stopped short of the entire trail due to the intense sun and heat. We were all sweating on this short hike. Then it was back to Milk River for lunch at Yummy’s Chinese restaurant. The waitress/cook invited us to get the dinner for five so we could try many different items. All dishes were indeed “yummy.” After our late lunch, our trip across the border was uneventful, the border agent uncharacteristically pleasant. A quick stop in Shelby for gas (we didn’t dare fill up in Canada at over $4 per gallon—we are lucky to have our prices!), saw us home by 6:30. What a very full, fun-filled Waterton weekend! Who went: Susan, Mary N, Chrissie, Sara, Catherine, Katie. Catherine did an excellent job driving us! |
Granite Park Chalet, August 10-13, 2016: Thoughts on Staying at Chalet; Group Dynamics
Dawson Pass and No Name Lake, Aug. 6, 2016 : Cool Dip in Lake Helps Shake off Heat of Beau-Coup Elevation Gain |

It was long. It was hard. It was 14 miles with 2,800 feet of elevation gain with "relentless up, up up," as one website describes the hike, and a great precursor for our hike to Sperry Chalet over Gunsight Pass. Most of us considered this a get-in-shape hike to see if we were ready for our big one later in August.
The day started by leaving Great Falls around 5:30 a.m. and getting on-trail by 8:30. We met Carol in the Pray Lake parking area of the Two-Med campground. She had about the same amount of driving from Condon that we did from Great Falls: 2.5 hours.
Ten of us hit the trail, enjoying the flowers from the get-go with fireweed and goldenrod providing a great foreground for our views of Sinopah mountain. As we started out along the northshore trail around Two Medicine Lake, we didn't see a soul, which surprised us, until after the turn for the pass, at which time some who had taken the boat overtook us. But Mary N and her family were not among them, so we wondered if she had thought better of the weather since there was a 50 percent chance of showers in the afternoon.
We continued on, making good time on the first four miles of the hike, which has little elevation gain.
But then, Mary and family did catch us, right at the turn for No Name Lake, as we were resting after a bit of uphill. We chatted a bit, admired her grandbaby and then headed up the trail behind Mary, her daughter/son-in law, granddaughter and husband, saving the half-mile spur to the lake for the way back.
At this point, the pitch of the path takes a decidedly steeper turn, so we mustered our energy for an uphill climb. Some of us struggled on the way, but the views just got better and better while the alpine flowers put on a show: blue explorer's gentian, Indian paintbrush, St. John's Wort, asters, pink monkey flowers, sulphur buckwheat, pearly everlasting, western tobacco root (valerian), and ocean spray.
As we approached Big Horn Basin, a rocky area where the sheep bed down, we hoped to catch a glimpse of the majestic animals, but no luck there. Some of the hikers who were now headed back down told us two were on top, so we still hoped to see a few.
When we finally arrived at the top, we were overcome with the views of the other side: two glaciers (Blackfoot and Jackson) and the remnants of the former Lupfer glacier as well as Mount Stimpson, 8888 and St. Nick looming in the background. It was now 1 p.m., a bit later than we had hoped, but we were very happy to enjoy our lunch with such spectacular scenery along with a few pesky critters (Colombian and golden-mantled ground squirrels) hoping for a handout.
Another interesting thing to see was the remnants of last year's Thompson fire. It has burned the whole Nyack area that use to be such a gorgeous emerald green that it shocked the eyes. Now the green is only on one small part that avoided the fire somehow. A gentleman and his partner offered to take our photo as long as we posted it with the hashtag #montanamoment when we got home, so we handed over a variety of phones and cameras. He said he worked for the department of commerce in Helena.
At 2 p.m., we had to scurry off the top as storm clouds started brewing in the west. Katie reminded everyone that we needed to be off the top by 2 p.m. as this is the time when electrical storms start. Therefore, we couldn't go up the extra 500 feet to the edge of Flinsch peak, so we didn't get in a full 3200 feet that we had hoped to attain, nor the extra mile. So Katie decided that we would for sure hike around No Name lake to get in one more mile and cool our feet.
So we descended as quickly as we could to get into the trees just in case of lightning, which we did. We came across many other parties passing us now, asking about the last boat time and how to get to the dock. The biggest surprise hikers were Katie's husband Tom and his hiking partner Gordon. They had hiked Pitamakan Dawson,but we had thought they were hiking the other way, not expecting to see them. We were all impressed that they had hiked almost six more miles than we did and they caught us! Of course, they didn't swim in the lake or relax at the pass.
Tom and Gordon told us they saw a young bull moose in the velvet on the way out. Kuntz and Susan saw something big wander through the bushes in about the same spot but weren't sure what it was.
When we reached No Name Lake, we were happy to take a bit of a break, soak and rest our feet. Carol decided to swim and tried to encourage others too as well. So Beth stripped down and joined her. They both said it wasn't too chilly and they felt like they could do Dawson Pass again they were so refreshed. It didn't convince anyone else to swim though. When we were done, Chrissie looked up and spotted a goat by a snow field right by the lake! What a treat.
The rest of the way back along the north shore of Two Med lake was uneventful except for the threatening thunder that kept crashing above us. We kept our poles down low and hoped for the best. The storm hardly produced a sprinkle though, so we didn't get wet.
During this part of the hike, Catherine and Beth started getting serious about huckleberry picking, lagging behind but then catching up and repeating until the end of the hike. They only managed to collect about a cup of berries each, so Beth supplemented hers with service berries (Saskatoon to our Canadian friends). Beth planned to make some wild berry muffins while Catherine had a hankering for a huckleberry margarita.
After this long hike, we earned our meal at the Glacier Park Lodge, where the lounge host actually allowed us to sit in the dining room yet order off the lounge menu. Last time we tried this tactic, we were scowled at and scolded by the waiter. This time our waitress was quite friendly, and some of us ordered off the dining menu anyway. And we had another surprise as we entered the lodge: Gail, who had led a hike to Upper Two Medicine Lake, was just exiting with her hikers. They had had a fantastic day. And we also ran into Rich from the Tribune, so Kuntz got after him about an article she had written and the reaction to it.
Even though the clouds rolled in, no real rain or hail materialized, so the drive home was dark but, thankfully, not in a storm. We arrived back at the school district offices at 10:30 p.m. Carol said she took a power nap and arrived back in Condon about an hour later than we.
Who went: Catherine, Sara, Kuntz, Kathy M, Chrissie, Sue, Susan, Beth, Katie, Carol
The day started by leaving Great Falls around 5:30 a.m. and getting on-trail by 8:30. We met Carol in the Pray Lake parking area of the Two-Med campground. She had about the same amount of driving from Condon that we did from Great Falls: 2.5 hours.
Ten of us hit the trail, enjoying the flowers from the get-go with fireweed and goldenrod providing a great foreground for our views of Sinopah mountain. As we started out along the northshore trail around Two Medicine Lake, we didn't see a soul, which surprised us, until after the turn for the pass, at which time some who had taken the boat overtook us. But Mary N and her family were not among them, so we wondered if she had thought better of the weather since there was a 50 percent chance of showers in the afternoon.
We continued on, making good time on the first four miles of the hike, which has little elevation gain.
But then, Mary and family did catch us, right at the turn for No Name Lake, as we were resting after a bit of uphill. We chatted a bit, admired her grandbaby and then headed up the trail behind Mary, her daughter/son-in law, granddaughter and husband, saving the half-mile spur to the lake for the way back.
At this point, the pitch of the path takes a decidedly steeper turn, so we mustered our energy for an uphill climb. Some of us struggled on the way, but the views just got better and better while the alpine flowers put on a show: blue explorer's gentian, Indian paintbrush, St. John's Wort, asters, pink monkey flowers, sulphur buckwheat, pearly everlasting, western tobacco root (valerian), and ocean spray.
As we approached Big Horn Basin, a rocky area where the sheep bed down, we hoped to catch a glimpse of the majestic animals, but no luck there. Some of the hikers who were now headed back down told us two were on top, so we still hoped to see a few.
When we finally arrived at the top, we were overcome with the views of the other side: two glaciers (Blackfoot and Jackson) and the remnants of the former Lupfer glacier as well as Mount Stimpson, 8888 and St. Nick looming in the background. It was now 1 p.m., a bit later than we had hoped, but we were very happy to enjoy our lunch with such spectacular scenery along with a few pesky critters (Colombian and golden-mantled ground squirrels) hoping for a handout.
Another interesting thing to see was the remnants of last year's Thompson fire. It has burned the whole Nyack area that use to be such a gorgeous emerald green that it shocked the eyes. Now the green is only on one small part that avoided the fire somehow. A gentleman and his partner offered to take our photo as long as we posted it with the hashtag #montanamoment when we got home, so we handed over a variety of phones and cameras. He said he worked for the department of commerce in Helena.
At 2 p.m., we had to scurry off the top as storm clouds started brewing in the west. Katie reminded everyone that we needed to be off the top by 2 p.m. as this is the time when electrical storms start. Therefore, we couldn't go up the extra 500 feet to the edge of Flinsch peak, so we didn't get in a full 3200 feet that we had hoped to attain, nor the extra mile. So Katie decided that we would for sure hike around No Name lake to get in one more mile and cool our feet.
So we descended as quickly as we could to get into the trees just in case of lightning, which we did. We came across many other parties passing us now, asking about the last boat time and how to get to the dock. The biggest surprise hikers were Katie's husband Tom and his hiking partner Gordon. They had hiked Pitamakan Dawson,but we had thought they were hiking the other way, not expecting to see them. We were all impressed that they had hiked almost six more miles than we did and they caught us! Of course, they didn't swim in the lake or relax at the pass.
Tom and Gordon told us they saw a young bull moose in the velvet on the way out. Kuntz and Susan saw something big wander through the bushes in about the same spot but weren't sure what it was.
When we reached No Name Lake, we were happy to take a bit of a break, soak and rest our feet. Carol decided to swim and tried to encourage others too as well. So Beth stripped down and joined her. They both said it wasn't too chilly and they felt like they could do Dawson Pass again they were so refreshed. It didn't convince anyone else to swim though. When we were done, Chrissie looked up and spotted a goat by a snow field right by the lake! What a treat.
The rest of the way back along the north shore of Two Med lake was uneventful except for the threatening thunder that kept crashing above us. We kept our poles down low and hoped for the best. The storm hardly produced a sprinkle though, so we didn't get wet.
During this part of the hike, Catherine and Beth started getting serious about huckleberry picking, lagging behind but then catching up and repeating until the end of the hike. They only managed to collect about a cup of berries each, so Beth supplemented hers with service berries (Saskatoon to our Canadian friends). Beth planned to make some wild berry muffins while Catherine had a hankering for a huckleberry margarita.
After this long hike, we earned our meal at the Glacier Park Lodge, where the lounge host actually allowed us to sit in the dining room yet order off the lounge menu. Last time we tried this tactic, we were scowled at and scolded by the waiter. This time our waitress was quite friendly, and some of us ordered off the dining menu anyway. And we had another surprise as we entered the lodge: Gail, who had led a hike to Upper Two Medicine Lake, was just exiting with her hikers. They had had a fantastic day. And we also ran into Rich from the Tribune, so Kuntz got after him about an article she had written and the reaction to it.
Even though the clouds rolled in, no real rain or hail materialized, so the drive home was dark but, thankfully, not in a storm. We arrived back at the school district offices at 10:30 p.m. Carol said she took a power nap and arrived back in Condon about an hour later than we.
Who went: Catherine, Sara, Kuntz, Kathy M, Chrissie, Sue, Susan, Beth, Katie, Carol
Upper Two-Med Lake, August 6, 2016 Nice Boat Ride Concludes Fun Hike to Twin Falls, Upper Two-Med Lake |

On Saturday, August 6th, Gail, Doris, Suzie, Jeanne & Randi hiked from Two Medicine Lake to Twin Falls & Upper Two Medicine Lake. It was a wonderful, gentle hike of 7 plus miles and only 200 to 300 feet of elevation. We loved it. The trail provided a nice variety of views--starting with Two Medicine Lake, some fabulous mountain peaks, such as Sinopah Mountain, which dominated the landscape,and high rocky ridges.
The shady stretches felt cool. Great patches of huckleberries and thimble berries nourished us along the way. At Twin Falls, where we stopped for lunch, we talked to a couple, who had encountered a moose on the trail from the boat dock. They showed us pictures and video; that's as close as we came to seeing any wild life except for chipmunks and a large, black insect with huge antennas that perched on Jeannie's shoulder.
About this time, a large ranger-led group joined us at the falls. We leap-frogged with them on the trail to the upper lake. Whenever they stopped to listen to the ranger, we passed them, and then they would catch up to us. The flowers were not quite as glorious as the ones on the way to Iceberg Lake the previous Saturday, but the weather was cooler and more comfortable for hiking.
At Upper Two Medicine the shore of the lake was covered with washed-up logs that provided good seats for enjoying the view of the lake and the mountains behind it. Several fishermen were also enjoying the site. We saw fish jumping, but didn't see any being caught. About this time, the weather was beginning to look rather ominous so we decided to head to the boat dock. We got there shortly before 4, when the boat came to pick up the ranger-led group. If there was room, we could ride back on the boat; however, there was only room for three more people by the time we got to the boat so we let another group of three go and we five waited for the boat to come back for us.
The boat ride back was the perfect, relaxing way to finish our hike. After returning to the car, we headed to East Glacier Lodge for an excellent dinner. Just as we arrived, the rain got serious!! But it conveniently ended just about the time we finished eating. On our way back to the car, the group that had gone to Dawson Pass arrived for dinner. They were tired, but so excited that they had accomplished another tough hike. They will definitely be ready for their hike to Sperry Chalet at the end of the month! And we are ready for Granite Park Chalet as we head there on Thursday!
The shady stretches felt cool. Great patches of huckleberries and thimble berries nourished us along the way. At Twin Falls, where we stopped for lunch, we talked to a couple, who had encountered a moose on the trail from the boat dock. They showed us pictures and video; that's as close as we came to seeing any wild life except for chipmunks and a large, black insect with huge antennas that perched on Jeannie's shoulder.
About this time, a large ranger-led group joined us at the falls. We leap-frogged with them on the trail to the upper lake. Whenever they stopped to listen to the ranger, we passed them, and then they would catch up to us. The flowers were not quite as glorious as the ones on the way to Iceberg Lake the previous Saturday, but the weather was cooler and more comfortable for hiking.
At Upper Two Medicine the shore of the lake was covered with washed-up logs that provided good seats for enjoying the view of the lake and the mountains behind it. Several fishermen were also enjoying the site. We saw fish jumping, but didn't see any being caught. About this time, the weather was beginning to look rather ominous so we decided to head to the boat dock. We got there shortly before 4, when the boat came to pick up the ranger-led group. If there was room, we could ride back on the boat; however, there was only room for three more people by the time we got to the boat so we let another group of three go and we five waited for the boat to come back for us.
The boat ride back was the perfect, relaxing way to finish our hike. After returning to the car, we headed to East Glacier Lodge for an excellent dinner. Just as we arrived, the rain got serious!! But it conveniently ended just about the time we finished eating. On our way back to the car, the group that had gone to Dawson Pass arrived for dinner. They were tired, but so excited that they had accomplished another tough hike. They will definitely be ready for their hike to Sperry Chalet at the end of the month! And we are ready for Granite Park Chalet as we head there on Thursday!
Iceberg Lake, July 30, 2016: Busy Trail; Meeting Visitors; Wading to, Standing on Icebergs Offer Highlights of Day |

On Saturday, July 30, Gail Holzheimer, Chrissie Jackson and Randi Graves hiked to Iceberg Lake. It was a beautiful sunny day with lots of people on the trail. A short distance up the trail a man told us that a mama grizzly and her two cubs had been seen on the hillside above us. Chrissie, hoping to see them, checked the hillside frequently. Some of the hikers ahead of us loudly announced their presence to warn the bears if they were near. All along the trail, people were friendly; they offered to take pictures of our group, shared information about animals they'd seen, and cheered us on as we got closer to the lake.
About 3 miles up the trail, near the waterfall, we had our first chance to sit down and rest. It is a welcoming spot alongside the river where people can sit and cool their feet. We took time to have a snack here and enjoy the people watching. Moving on, we could see that we'd made significant progress. The huge cirque that holds the lake seemed much closer.
On this next segment of the hike, the swaths of wild flowers were incredible; they were so lush and colorful. We wished Katie was with us to identify them. We recognized thimble berries, Indian paint brush, bear grass and blue bells, but there were soooo many more!! It seemed that the higher up we got, the fresher the flowers were. Also on this section of the hike, Chrissie spotted a herd of mountain goats grazing in a patch of green just below a big snow bank. Goats, but no bears! Further up the trail, hikers coming down told us about two moose enjoying the coolness of a pond down in a meadow on the left side of the trail. Also, in the valley on our left, we could see the river that flows out of Iceberg Lake make its way and drop over two or three falls. Just a short distance before Iceberg Lake, there was a "pre-lake" as Gail called it, with another wonderful array of wildflowers leading up to it!
Finally, we made it to the lake. It was so worth it! The water is deep aqua, which makes the perfect background for the icebergs. There must have been 50-75 people on the beach. They were loving it. People walked out to the icebergs, climbed up, lay down and made snow angels, yelled with delight, and either walked back, or dived in and swam back. We sat next to a fun family of five from Wisconsin, which included three teen daughters. The daughters and their mom all climbed the bergs. Then Chrissie decided she had to do it too. After that Gail thought she must also venture out (it might be her last chance), which she did with the help of borrowed sandals & one of the daughters. Randi had no desire to go, but she succumbed to peer pressure from the "mom" and Chrissie and Gail. She also borrowed sandals and an arm from a daughter and made it to the nearest iceberg, about 6 feet from shore. What fun!! After several more people scaled our iceberg, it could not endure it any more and split apart. The Wisconsin family was not only enjoying Glacier, but they were using their hikes to prepare for hiking the John Muir trail next year. Impressive!
We finished our lunch and decided to head back because it was already after 2 pm; Katie says you need to head back by two.
On the way back, we were tired, but clouds and breezes and stops at the little streams to dip our scarves in the cold water helped us back down the mountain. We refreshed ourselves at the lodge and then headed over to Many Glacier Lodge for a delicious dinner. The Ptarmigan hikers were already there. Gail and Randi didn't see them when they came in, but Chrissie did. She heard about their hike and Kathy's fall at the end of their hike. Sorry, Kathy. We made it back to Great Falls about 10:30. What a fabulous day. None of us were sure we could do the 10 miles, but we did.
About 3 miles up the trail, near the waterfall, we had our first chance to sit down and rest. It is a welcoming spot alongside the river where people can sit and cool their feet. We took time to have a snack here and enjoy the people watching. Moving on, we could see that we'd made significant progress. The huge cirque that holds the lake seemed much closer.
On this next segment of the hike, the swaths of wild flowers were incredible; they were so lush and colorful. We wished Katie was with us to identify them. We recognized thimble berries, Indian paint brush, bear grass and blue bells, but there were soooo many more!! It seemed that the higher up we got, the fresher the flowers were. Also on this section of the hike, Chrissie spotted a herd of mountain goats grazing in a patch of green just below a big snow bank. Goats, but no bears! Further up the trail, hikers coming down told us about two moose enjoying the coolness of a pond down in a meadow on the left side of the trail. Also, in the valley on our left, we could see the river that flows out of Iceberg Lake make its way and drop over two or three falls. Just a short distance before Iceberg Lake, there was a "pre-lake" as Gail called it, with another wonderful array of wildflowers leading up to it!
Finally, we made it to the lake. It was so worth it! The water is deep aqua, which makes the perfect background for the icebergs. There must have been 50-75 people on the beach. They were loving it. People walked out to the icebergs, climbed up, lay down and made snow angels, yelled with delight, and either walked back, or dived in and swam back. We sat next to a fun family of five from Wisconsin, which included three teen daughters. The daughters and their mom all climbed the bergs. Then Chrissie decided she had to do it too. After that Gail thought she must also venture out (it might be her last chance), which she did with the help of borrowed sandals & one of the daughters. Randi had no desire to go, but she succumbed to peer pressure from the "mom" and Chrissie and Gail. She also borrowed sandals and an arm from a daughter and made it to the nearest iceberg, about 6 feet from shore. What fun!! After several more people scaled our iceberg, it could not endure it any more and split apart. The Wisconsin family was not only enjoying Glacier, but they were using their hikes to prepare for hiking the John Muir trail next year. Impressive!
We finished our lunch and decided to head back because it was already after 2 pm; Katie says you need to head back by two.
On the way back, we were tired, but clouds and breezes and stops at the little streams to dip our scarves in the cold water helped us back down the mountain. We refreshed ourselves at the lodge and then headed over to Many Glacier Lodge for a delicious dinner. The Ptarmigan hikers were already there. Gail and Randi didn't see them when they came in, but Chrissie did. She heard about their hike and Kathy's fall at the end of their hike. Sorry, Kathy. We made it back to Great Falls about 10:30. What a fabulous day. None of us were sure we could do the 10 miles, but we did.
Ptarmigan Tunnel and Iceberg Lake, July 30, 2016: First Real Mishap on Trail Doesn't Dampen Day of Tunnel Fun; Kathy M Earns 500 Miles of Hiking with the GiG
White Cliffs Kayak, July 23-25, 2016: A Little Hiking, a Little Climbing and a Lotta Padding on the Mighty Mo
Crown Mountain Trail, July 22, 2016: Quick Trip Has Us Back Home for Beer and Gear Expo
Seeley/Jewel Basin, July 6-8, 2016: Three Days with Two Hikes; Susan Earns 500-Mile Mark
Cracker Lake, July1, 2016: Challenging Hike Gives Way to Views, Moose, Milky Aqua Lake
Two-Med Waterfalls, June 18, 2016: Two New Hikers Join Two from Eureka for Clouds, Winds, Rain, Moose |
St. Mary Waterfalls, June 16th, 2016: Six Falls Spill Over on Gals as They Hike Reynolds Burn Area |
Scalplock Lookout, June 10, 2016: Snake, Robin's Egg, Views Highlight Scalplock Lookout Climb
Rogers Pass/Rodgers Peak, May 31, 2016: Two Hikes, One Night Feature Forget-Me-Nots, Expansive Views, Ticks
May 16, 2016 :Gorgeous Views, Lighting Highlight Dinner in the Highwoods
May 28, 2016: Graupel Pelts Gals at Apikuni; Better Weather on Wilbur, Red Rocks |
Many Glacier Lakes, April 24, 2016: Glacier is our Pot of Gold at End of Rainbow
April 10, 2014: Gals Throw Down Poles: Use Hands, Butts to Handle Class III Climbing
![]() Tower Rock State Park can be a simple hike up a trail or it can be a technical climb to the top of the actual Tower Rock, requiring--or at least recommended-- rope. Five of the GiG did something in between, mastering Class III climbing as we went off trail and scrambled up the rocks, having to use our hands and feet much of the way.
Kuntzie took lead on the climbing section, finding the best routes, while also being the brave one going first down the scary parts. We only had one slight fall--and on the trail--not the climbing area. Often the trail seemed worse than the climbing as it is steep and covered with small pebbles that act like ball bearings, making it quite slippery. After getting to the top and admiring the views, we headed across the top rocks to make a loop before leaving. Kuntzie navigated over the rocks, which were precipitous at times, to lead us to the next set of boulders, which all required hands, dropping our poles and sliding with footholds, only to do the same again on the next set of rocks. We met at 10 a.m. for the 30-minute drive to the park, and got on trail quickly in the cool air. We soon warmed on the very vertical climb to the base of Tower Rock. Along the way, we saw several types of wild flowers: wild alyssum, biscuit root, arrow-leaf balsam root, fritillary (yellow bell), sumac, pasque flower, early buttercups and one shooting star. On top, we saw phlox and cut-leaf daisy. And the views of the Missouri River Valley were gorgeous in both directions. The trip was a very good one to get us in shape, with our quads and calves as well as lungs getting a good work out going up/down the trail and our balance and route-finding skills warming up on the off-trail, climbing sections. We didn't see the resident mule deer herd, which was a bit of a disappointment, but we did see their sign, so they are still around, just probably feeding in the fields for the day. We arrived back in town by 1:30. And best of all--no ticks. |
Neihart Mining District, March 31, 2016: Snow Flurries, the Word 'Surfactant' Crop Up All Day
![]() With newbie Patty along, we learned a few things about her life and another use for the word "surfactant" as she told her story about her daughter being born a premie but having enough of the substance needed to have strong lungs. The word cropped up again as Jasmine, our leader, told us about the surfactants used in the mining process. For those who don't know, "surfactant" is a lubricant that reduces the surface tension in liquid.
Anyway, our day started out at 8 a.m. with rain coming down in Great Falls. The roads were a bit of a worry as it was already snowing in Neihart, according to the weather report, with rocks and possibly ice on the road, but we headed out anyway, letting Jasmine know we might be a bit late getting to the Inconvenient Store, our meeting place. We arrived around 9:30 and wondered if Randi's front-wheel-drive vehicle would make it up the road as it had snowed about six inches and no one plows the Carpenter Creek road. But we decided to give it a shot. Jasimine loaded up Tip, the dog, and we followed her to the turn off point, which we quickly discovered would not be a good idea to go farther in Randi's car. So we all hopped into Jasmine's Honda CRV, five gals and a dog, for the wild road trip of three miles. Jasmine handed the car well, and the car, in turn, handled the deep snow well. We hit the trail about 10:15 as the snow really started to come down, but the wind wasn't bad, thwarting the prediction of gusts up to 40 mph. We had a lovely climb to the top of the mining area with Jasmine doing the majority of the trail breaking in the new fluffy stuff. We all though it looked like Christmas, rather than late March, with the trees laden with snow and near blizzard conditions. On the climb, we came across several mining structures, all collapsed, and we could glimpse the mill far up on the hill off and on through the trees. Jasmine led us to the Glory Hole, a huge mining pit from the silver boom days. She said it was visible from space; and the hole has a protective fence all around it as the ledge was steep. In the hole, we spied a huge nest in a side cave. It would either be a big bird/raptor or perhaps a porcupine, which like to find alcoves and caves. At the hole, Tip the dog got afraid. She put her trail between her legs and slinked off. We wondered if she sensed the danger of the drop off or if there were magnetism or if perhaps the contaminating chemicals affected her. We didn't stay long as the wind started to pick up and we didn't want to catch cold. So we headed downhill, with a few route finding efforts on Jasmine's part, to the actual mill. It was in quite good shape and still had the gears and machinery inside the structure, remnants of an earlier time. The rest of the trip was a quick downhill descent to the car. Jasmine had a note on her car from a neighbor, asking her to drop in. While we took off our gear and loaded the car, she went to his shop to see his latest wood-crafted items. We said goodbye to Jasmine at the highway and got back into Randi's car. We were surprised that even though it had snowed most of the day, the road was just wet, not snowy or icy, so we traveled back to Neihart to have hot chocolate, coffee and sweet potato fries at Bob's Bar. We sure hope Patty wasn't scare away by the weather or climb. We hope to see her on the trail again soon. Who went: Susan, Randi, Patty, Katie, Jasmine |
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Lack of Snow Doesn't Hinder Izaak Walton Weekend
Two Medicine, Feb. 21, 2016: Four-wheeling down Two Med road to go to Trick Falls, Lake
Weekday Jaunt up Shorty Creek in Little Belts to Get Out of Wind
Silvercrest Twice, Feb. 5, 6, 2016 We Felt Like 'Revenant' Extras on Winter Trails Day
Gorgeous Canyons, Sunsets and Garbage Burgers Rule the Day
Memorial Falls, Jefferson Creek, Jan. 10, 2016: Frozen Falls, Crystal Creeks Sparkle under Blue Skies

After two days and nights that included below-zero weather, the gals were glad to find some sunshine to highlight the snowy landscape.
Four of us headed to the hills--the Little Belts--for a snowshoe to Memorial Falls, followed by lunch at the car and then a short run up Jefferson Creek, just to where Chamberlain Creek crosses the road.
We were surprised that the pull-out just after Memorial Falls isn't being plowed. In fact, markers have been put up prohibiting plowing altogether, so we had to hike about a half mile and park at the Jefferson Creek parking lot in order to reach the falls.Luckily, we had light traffic, which was also surprising since we expected quite a bit of skiers headed to Showdown on such a nice Sunday.
Memorial Falls never disappoints in the winter as it always looks different. This time, it resembled an elaborate cave formation or off-center wedding cake. After visiting the main falls, we headed up the hill to upper falls and short distance beyond. The lack of snow was evident as branches and fallen logs weren't covered yet. And we really didn't have a base, the powder so fluffy we sank right down to rocks in many places.
After our falls fix, we returned to the car for lunch before heading for our jaunt down Jefferson Creek. On this part of our hike, we met Jane Weber on skis as well as several other snowshoe parties. Unfortunately, there is no sign indicating snowshoe etiquette to stay off the ski tracks, which frustrates the skiers, whose tracks are wrecked by snowshoes. We did try to explain to the other snowshoers whom we encountered to please stay off the ski tracks.
We had a fun hike along the creek, venturing off the main trail at times to keep the water in sight. It had some gorgeous frozen ponds with crystals glinting in the sun. We marveled at all of the animal tracks we saw, mostly large ungulates, possibly both elk and moose along with rabbit tracks.
At the end of a 2.5 mile hike to add to our previous 2.5 miles to the falls, we returned to Great Falls by 2:30.
Four of us headed to the hills--the Little Belts--for a snowshoe to Memorial Falls, followed by lunch at the car and then a short run up Jefferson Creek, just to where Chamberlain Creek crosses the road.
We were surprised that the pull-out just after Memorial Falls isn't being plowed. In fact, markers have been put up prohibiting plowing altogether, so we had to hike about a half mile and park at the Jefferson Creek parking lot in order to reach the falls.Luckily, we had light traffic, which was also surprising since we expected quite a bit of skiers headed to Showdown on such a nice Sunday.
Memorial Falls never disappoints in the winter as it always looks different. This time, it resembled an elaborate cave formation or off-center wedding cake. After visiting the main falls, we headed up the hill to upper falls and short distance beyond. The lack of snow was evident as branches and fallen logs weren't covered yet. And we really didn't have a base, the powder so fluffy we sank right down to rocks in many places.
After our falls fix, we returned to the car for lunch before heading for our jaunt down Jefferson Creek. On this part of our hike, we met Jane Weber on skis as well as several other snowshoe parties. Unfortunately, there is no sign indicating snowshoe etiquette to stay off the ski tracks, which frustrates the skiers, whose tracks are wrecked by snowshoes. We did try to explain to the other snowshoers whom we encountered to please stay off the ski tracks.
We had a fun hike along the creek, venturing off the main trail at times to keep the water in sight. It had some gorgeous frozen ponds with crystals glinting in the sun. We marveled at all of the animal tracks we saw, mostly large ungulates, possibly both elk and moose along with rabbit tracks.
At the end of a 2.5 mile hike to add to our previous 2.5 miles to the falls, we returned to Great Falls by 2:30.