Montana Trip - Day 2 - Backpacking Begins

Everyday this week I will be documenting the events of the previous week in which my brother Patrick and I spent at Glacier National Park with my Dad. We'll take it day-by-day as it happened, just 7 days after the fact.

Tuesday September 15, 2009

Tuesday marked the first leg of our backpacking trip. Neither Patrick or I had ever backpacked before. I was anxious to get it started, knowing that it would be a long day of hiking with 40 to 50 pound packs on most of the way. The earlier we get started - the more rest we can get along the way. The weather was sunny and hot with not a cloud in the sky. When we were looking to schedule this trip a couple months ago, I thought September would be nice and cool, with high temperatures in the 60's or 70's. We didn't get what I had expected. The temperature was in the mid to upper 80's. There was essentially no shade available on the itinerary for the day either.

Map of day 2's hike. Click for larger image.

We drove two vehicles in to the park so we could leave one at the Loop, which is where our backpacking trip would end, and drive the other to our starting point at Logan's Pass. Our first hike with the packs was the Highline Trail, specifically the Garden Wall portion of it. This hike starts near the Logan Pass parking lot and traverses 7.6 miles to the Granite Park Chalet. From there we had another .5 to 1 mile to the Granite Park Campground, where we would be staying for the night. It is a relatively easy hike, with no major elevation changes. It is a pretty hike, where you get to see a lot of beautiful vistas and usually some wildlife.

After a light lunch in the parking lot, we were on our way around 12:10 p.m. With the sun beating down on us, it didn't take took long to get hot. Then hotter. It reminded me a lot of my very first hike (which happened to be this exact same trail) in Montana three years prior. That day I got a sunburn in the morning, and then we were hailed on the last part of the day. I was hoping for some cooler weather, but we never did get it, at least not until the sun went down that night.

 Patrick on the Highline Trail. Click for larger image.

We did get to see some wildlife this first day. We saw about 8 bighorn sheep, a pica, and several Columbia ground squirrels. Those little guys are everywhere around Glacier.

A pica along the Highline Trail. Click for larger image.Big horn Sheep along the Highline Trail. Click for larger image.A bighorn sheep looking majestic. Click for larger image.

The park is surprisingly dry this year. As we neared the end of our hike, we were all out of water, hot, and ready to drop the packs. I've got to hand it to Dad - his pack was at least twice as heavy as mine. We got to the campground at 5:48 p.m. It was none to soon for me. My feet were burning, and my butt, thighs, and hips had had enough for one day.

Patrick and I set up our tent, and got things situated there. I don't think we did too bad, but I'm not to sure Dad would agree. Our rain cover was a little wonky. We didn't bother trying to use stakes, as ground was rock hard. We just used some nearby rocks to hold things in place. It did the trick.

Our tent at Granite Park Campground. Taken with iPhone.

After we get things squared away there, it was time for a first class meal of dining delight, i.e. Beef Stew-in-a-bag. It was actually pretty good. I was surprised. It could have been because I was starving and tired, but either way, it hit the spot. We also split an apple and each had a cowboy cookie for desert. We ate with two young couples that were camping there that night, one set from San Antonio and the other from the San Francisco area. After dinner Dad got to talking labor strikes and the health care system with them. Patrick and I pretty much zoned out. I was in the tent and on the sleeping bag by 8:35 ready to sleep. Funny thing is, I didn't. Or couldn't. Not much anyways. The ground was terribly hard, and I found out the next day that I was supposed to open the valve on the little air mattress to let air in. Oh well. Lesson learned. For a pillow I used the one extra shirt I packed and a stocking cap. It was a very long and uncomfortable night. 

 Beef Stew-in-a-bag. Surprisingly good. Taken with iPhone.

Comments

[Christopher Chinn]

Awesome photos! I wish I could have been there with you!

[Rob]

Thanks Chris! Sometime the three of us will have to go out there with Dad.