The trip was planned for August 15 - 19, and one never knows how life might have other ideas. So it wasn't until we were in Canada the day before our trip that I really accepted that this was going to happen! (Between March and August, our nephew proposed to his girlfriend, so this trip also became an engagement celebration!) Our prayers for good weather were (mostly) answered. August can be prone to forest fires in this area, and what a blessing that the skies were clear of smoke for our trip. OK, enough on the background already - let's get to the good stuff!
We began our trip in the Waterton Peace Park, which is just over the border from Glacier National Park. Since it is a half-day drive from our house to Waterton, we drove up the day before and left one vehicle at the Chief Mountain trailhead where we would end our hike, less than a quarter mile south of the US border with Canada. One of the classic scenes in Waterton is the Prince of Wales hotel, which was built in 1927 by the Great Northern Railway (the hotel is on the hill in the photo below).
We took the cruise boat (which runs daily) from Waterton to Goat Haunt, the southern tip of Waterton Lake, which is actually in the US. This cuts out 8.5 miles of hiking!!! (This sounds so straightforward! In reality, there were several possible wrinkles in our plan - the boat company does not allow on-line reservations - you have to buy your tickets in person, and the earliest you can do it is the day before. Also, because you are crossing into the US, you have to register with an app called CBP Roam - of course, no one has ever had a problem with technology working properly, right? In our case, all went smoothly. Whew!) On the left of the lakeshore in the photo below, you can see a structure - this is a pavilion that the Rangers use to tell visitors about the Park.
We left Goat Haunt around 11 am - destination Stoney Indian Lake. (I wasn't ready for the photo below, but our start was documented!)
From our previous hike together (see this post from March 14), we had earned some trail nicknames - I am "Shoot", my nephew's fiance is "Skeeter" and my husband is "Man with Hat". During the trip, we landed on "Fred" for my nephew.
We traveled 8 miles in forest or tall vegetation, mostly Thimbleberry. In the photo below, we are a half-mile from the lake. By this point, we have climbed 3,000 feet.
We arrived at 3.45, and found ourselves alone. The food prep area had one bear box rather than the bear hang. We set up our tents, and eventually another 3 people came - a man from Kalispell traveling with a couple from Colorado. Later we heard more people - two young men.
Through friends, we had heard stories about the "low rider" toilet at this campsite, and its views (a low rider means a toilet without a hut over it). They were right on!
From the food prep area, we could see a group of 20 goats on the mountainside (arrow in photo below is pointing to the goats). We also spotted two Bighorn Sheep. We didn't have much time to relax since it started thundering.
We rushed dinner and were in our tents at 7 pm. It rained heavily and for most of the night, with lightning and thunder. There was a puddle at the bottom of the tent (on the outside) but no leakage other than some rain that ran between the tent and the fly sheet, which made the bottom of the sleeping pads a little wet.
Breakfast was lively - the two young men were energetic fellows, carrying blocks of cheese, rolls of salami, a bag crammed with animal crackers and a fifth of Jack Daniels in a glass bottle. Between those two, Man With Hat and the talkative Kalispell man, the rest of us didn't have to say a word.
We left the site around 10.30 am; the climb to Stoney Indian Pass (basically the center of the photo above) is steep but short. Loved looking back at the turquoise waters of the lake from above.
After we crested the Pass, we were rewarded with stunning views into the next valley and the surrounding mountains. Almost speechless.
Over the next few hours, we passed numerous waterfalls. Man with Hat remarked that Glacier is not known for waterfalls - maybe because many of them are deep in the Park and considered inaccessible for the vast majority of visitors.
On this section of the trail, it was down, down, down. We met quite a few hikers going the other way, and we felt for them, knowing the elevation they would face to the top of the pass. (The most unique of our fellow hikers was the gentleman in camo, packing a pump action shotgun.) Not too far from the picture on the right, my hiking partners saw a black bear about 50 feet ahead of them on the trail. It took off as soon as it saw them - so I didn't get a view ... (Look closely at the picture - can you see all three of them - the vegetation was tall!)
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It started thundering when we reached Mokowanis Junction. Fred and Skeeter decided to run for it in the hopes that they could set up their tent before the heavens opened - that didn't work out. We paused to put on rain gear, and I am glad we did because the heavy downpour arrived immediately after that. When we found Fred and Skeeter, the precipitation paused long enough for us to erect our tents. After another short rain shower, the skies cleared a bit and we could have dinner in the open. The food prep area had an unobstructed view of beautiful Mokowanis Lake.
Man with Hat even had a chance to throw a line into the lake (no bites, though.)
We were in the tent by 7.30. We woke to slugs everywhere - some had even slimed their way up the side of the tent! Morning also brought a still lake, which made it easy to spot the Mergansers, and a Beaver with its tell-tale v-shaped wake. We chatted with our fellow campers, three fellows who went to law school at the same time and have a tradition of camping together - one of them was kind enough to take our photo.
We left camp at 10.30, knowing the day's hike would clock in at 10 miles, one of our longer days. We took a break at Glenn's Lake foot, followed by the crossing at the foot of Cosley Lake. No footbridge here! The sections of trail from Glenn's Lake foot through the end of this camping trip represented repeats for Fred, Man with Hat and me - we covered this ground on the trip we made in July 2021 (see posts here and here). Not that I am complaining - we wanted to show Skeeter this area (especially Helen Lake), and Man with Hat was eager to fish again at Elizabeth Lake head.
Dawn Mist Falls is an excellent spot for a break on a hot August day, and the photo ops are not too bad either!
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We arrived at Elizabeth Lake foot (our campsite for the night) at 4 pm. We chatted briefly with the woman from Queens, her boyfriend and their other friend. All of them had been fishing with some success - Man with Hat would not be so lucky. Maybe his luck was reserved for our euchre match that evening by the tent - we beat Fred and Skeeter! All five of the tent sites were filled - I estimate a total of 17 people. We retired to the tent at 8.30 pm, and by 9 pm I had to visit the site next to us to request that they lower their voices. I wanted to hear the owl hooting gently from nearby (wink!)
Our fourth day was designed to be the shortest (about five miles) to allow for ample fishing and beach time at the head of Elizabeth Lake. The boys fished for at least four hours - Skeeter and I chatted and took photos. I wandered the shore and spotted many birds, most notably Yellow Rumped Warblers, Yellow Warblers and Ruby Crowned Kinglets.
Fred and Skeeter swam in the lake - a little chilly for me, but they said it was refreshing!
We left our beach and arrived at Helen Lake at 4 pm. As beautiful as we remembered it! We set up our tents and hung our food in our customary pattern, and then Fred took Skeeter to explore the area more thoroughly. We exchanged some stories with the three young men who were occupying the only other site at Helen; they were mellow and funny. Man with Hat had started experiencing some pain in his left knee, and we were in our tents by 8.20. At 3 in the morning, when we made a trip to the pit toilet, the bright red eyes of a snowshoe hare watched us intently from nearby. A haze of clouds obscured most of the stars in the sky.
We rose at 6 with a goal to leave camp by 8. We were all concerned about Man with Hat's knee - how would it stand up to the 14 miles that lay ahead, not to mention the 1,100 feet of elevation gain? He taped it well and took Advil. And Fred and Skeeter graciously took some of the weight from his pack.
We had pre-planned our breaks from Elizabeth Lake foot, Gable Creek and mid-way to Chief Mountain entry. That worked very well to break up the trip, to rest and to refill water at Gable Creek.
It was the hottest of the days, and the last couple of miles, together with the elevation, were killer. We were all ready to be done. Does this look like we just wrapped up 44 miles and over 6,000 feet of elevation?
***And now for an editorial comment if anyone has made it this far! I have not been sick but I have been away from blogging and distracted by many other activities. I am looking forward to making the rounds to all of you, my friends, to read about your happenings. I have missed visiting with you in the blogosphere.
Linking up with Eileen at Saturday's Critters
Linking up with Michelle at Thankful Thursday
Linking up with Yogi at Skywatch
Linking to Mosaic Monday
