Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

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Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by Sue Z »

This was my fourth trip to GNP, and I hoped to complete a bunch of hikes that were on my bucket list. The problem with my bucket list is that it never stops growing – as soon as I check off one must-do hike, two more call to me like sirens, demanding to be added to the list. Luckily, my husband, Dave, has been a good sport about returning year after year.

Day 1: Snow Moon Lake. I thought this would be a good first-day hike, but United Airlines foiled our plans (again). Thanks to their shenanigans, we didn’t roll into Rising Sun until three am the night before the hike - too late to buy bear spray and food for the next day. By the time we caught some shuteye, packed up, hit the store, and drove to Many Glacier, it was noon. And hot. Arrgh.

To make things worse, we missed the turn off from the Cracker Lake Trail for the route to Snow Moon Basin and had to backtrack. Looking upslope, I glimpsed the dry creek bed that I had read about. We bushwhacked up and followed the creek bed to the use trail below the cliff. Then it started to rain. I put on my rain gear. Then it stopped. I took it off. Futility.

Many Glacier Hotel with Mt. Henckel above it, right.
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On the trail below the cliff.
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We finally reached the notch, which has a short climb, and Dave scrambled up. I got stuck in a narrow crack, feet pressed against one side, butt against the other, unable to reach a handhold or foothold to move upward. It was hilarious. Dave noticed that my day pack was wedging me in. I took it off and passed it up to him. With more room to maneuver, I was able to gain the top, and we continued up the steep track to the rock outcrop with a great view. The day had brightened, but some smoky haze remained from the CA fires.

Lake Sherburne, with Yellow Mountain peeking out in the back.
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At that point, a party of three hikers came around the corner from above us. They looked to be in their mid-seventies, at least! It turns out they were all members of the Old Timers Hiking Club, from Whitefish and Kalispell. They had taken the high goat trail from Many Glacier to get there, and were returning by the route we had just followed. They looked pretty fresh. I was suitably humbled.

By now it was mid-afternoon, and I could see that my missteps and slow pace had come back to bite us (my father says that I'm not slow and I'm not fast - I'm half-fast). If we continued on to the lake, we’d get back too late to keep some commitments we had that evening. My son and his girlfriend were arriving in St. Mary, and I was supposed to give them the key to their room at the Red Eagle, and buy sandwiches for the next day’s hike. We had to chuck the bucket list and head back.

Altyn Peak on the left.
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Once back at Many Glacier, we hit the Swiftcurrent store for the provisions, got dinner and a cold one in the Swiss Lounge (YESSS!) and hopped in the car.

Pessimistic me: Bucket empty. :(
Optimistic me: Bucket half-full. :D
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Re: Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by McKee80 »

Qualifies for half full in my book. Thanks for the report!
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Re: Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by PeteE »

Thanks for your report Sue!
Twas a pleasure hiking Siyeh Pass last year with you and your family. :D

I really wanna do Snow Moon Basin.
I had a chance to go with JayW a couple years ago, but I was too out of shape and wimped out the morning he went. :(
Rest assured Jay, that will not happen this year.

So I'm putting it high on my list for this season. I'm pretty certain I can find the route. I'll turn in compass if not 8)
And I want to go down on the route Sue said the "Over The Hill Gang" guys came up.

Sue is right about those OTHG fellows. Some of those old 70+ guys can walk most of us into the ground. :shock:
Humbling indeednsince I'll be 71 next Friday!
8)

pete :wink:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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Re: Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by Sue Z »

Thanks for the warm reception, McKee80 and PeteE! Cocooning in my house was turning the Polar Vortex into the Polar BORE-tex. Good time to write a trip report.

Day 2. Siyeh Pass Almost-a-Loop: I was stoked to walk this iconic track for its own sake, but also because I’d be hiking it with the chat denizen known as PeteE. This would be my first time meeting a chatter in person, and Pete had been particularly kind in sharing info that led to two of the finest hikes of my life.

We rose early, had a quick breakfast at Two Dog Flats with our son, Steve, and his girlfriend, Katie, then met up with Pete at the Sunrift Gorge trailhead around 8 am. We piled into our rental car and snagged the second-to-last parking spot at Siyeh Bend. Whew!

Glorious sunrise at, um, Rising Sun.
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The trail wasn’t crowded, and we didn’t waste any time wondering which way to go with Pete there to lead the way. Preston Park was lovely and lush, but unexpectedly devoid of flowers due to some strange spring weather.

Mt. Reynolds getting ready to erupt?
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Steve and Katie look at a lake.
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In a cruel trick, the trail doesn’t actually go through the low point of the Pass, but ascends much higher onto the shoulder of Matahpi Peak. The final push to the top was a grunt for my fitness-challenged body. All the heavy lifting was forgotten, however, as we had lunch and a rest at the top. The smoke haze wasn’t bad and the views were great.

Boulder Creek Drainage.
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I eyeballed the ridge that headed east to Point 8490. While planning the trip, I had considered taking a side hike up to the summit to get a glimpse of Otokomi Lake, but it looked like way more work in person than on the topo map, especially after the climb to the pass. Maybe next time.

Pete and Dave in front of Point 8490.
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The hike down was a pleasant surprise. Long switchbacks made the 3400 ft elevation loss relatively painless. Panoramic views of the valley were plentiful. But the best part for me was the large burn area, where wildflowers were reclaiming the landscape. Unexpected and beautiful.

Water pouring off Sexton Glacier on Going to the Sun Mountain, left.
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Marmot pull toy?
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Fireweed among the snags.
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Monarda and Fleabane?
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Blanket Flowers.
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We finished the hike (elapsed time eight hours) and bid farewell to Pete, who had to head home. We continued down to a well-earned dinner and beers at the Snow Goose Grill, in St. Mary.

Check Siyeh Pass off the bucket list!
Last edited by Sue Z on Fri Feb 08, 2019 10:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by tibber »

In a cruel trick, the trail doesn’t actually go through the low point of the Pass, but ascends much higher onto the shoulder of Matahpi Peak
It's not funny but funny; hate those kind of cruel tricks with one of the worst being hiking up when you're supposed to be going down.

Nice report and some nice pictures. Glad you got to see some wildflowers even if they were in the wrong place. Preston Park is really special when those wildflowers are blooming.
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Re: Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by Sue Z »

PeteE wrote:Sue is right about those OTHG fellows. Some of those old 70+ guys can walk most of us into the ground. :shock:
What's more, they told us they had left home at 4 am, because they were concerned that they might not get a parking space at Many Glacier. I might have spent the rest of the day snoozing in the parking lot.
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Re: Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by teapot57 »

I’m enjoying your report so far, Sue! The last time I hiked Siyeh Pass was in 2016, the year after the Reynolds fire. I remember being taken aback by the beauty of the burn area because I just wasn’t expecting it.
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Re: Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by Sue Z »

Day 3: A Night at the Chalet: I had hiked the Highline to the Granite Park Chalet before, but I had never spent the night there. I hoped to use it as a base camp to reach farther into the park and tick off a couple more bucket list hikes. We had a reservation for 3 nights. I looked forward to meeting another chatter, Tibber, and her friend Wendy, who would also be staying there.

We left a car at the Swiftcurrent trailhead (our exit) the night before, and got up early to snag a parking spot at Logan before 8 am. Mission accomplished. The next part of my plan was not so brilliant, however: Having a tailgate breakfast in the parking lot before hitting the trail. Turns out, parking isn’t the only problem with a 9 am start.

Everything was fine at first, but after a couple of miles, we began to encounter hikers who had set out early and were returning to Logan. Waves of them. Our progress was slowed dramatically as we had to step aside repeatedly for hikers coming the other way.

Our backpacks were slowing us down, too, as we were carrying supplies for 3 days of adventuring, including helmets, microspikes, and wine. Eventually, day hikers from Logan Pass began to catch up to us from behind, and we had to keep leapfrogging with them, as well.

The hours passed, the hot weather got hotter, and there was no water in which to dunk one’s head. The parched trail ahead had none of the flowing streams, lush flowers, and solitude that the Highline had charmed us with the last time we hiked it. After a sweltering climb to “Haystack Pass,” I found a large sitting rock that was vacant, wedged myself down into the sliver of shade behind it, and cooled off as I munched lunch. I seemed to be more bothered by the heat than my companions were.

Off to a good start.
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All the Garden Wall could muster.
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♫ I love a parade...
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"Don't Feed the Animals" FAIL
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We were getting ready to move on when I overheard a man and a woman wondering how much farther it was to the Loop, and hoping that there wasn’t much downhill, because the woman had a bum knee. These hikers didn’t have a topo map - and thus had NO IDEA that the trail from the Chalet to the Loop was ALL DOWNHILL. I gave them a proper map and pointed out the awful truth. The woman decided they would just catch the shuttle at the Chalet, instead. Ahem. I had to break it to them that there WAS NO SHUTTLE at the Chalet. As I left, they were thinking of heading back to Logan.

The rest of the walk offered no relief from the heat. I stopped behind a small cliff to cool off in its shade with a bunch of other hikers. Tibber was there with Wendy, and somehow figured out who I was, though we had never met (Sherlock Roams?). She mentioned the cooling wet-bandana-on-the-neck trick, but I needed to conserve my dwindling water supply for drinking. In the days ahead, however, I dunked the bandana at every opportunity. Hat tip to Tibber!

Looking back (south), l to r: Hikers rest in shade of cliff, Reynolds Mountain?, Haystack Butte.
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Looking west: "Heaven's Peak, your face is shiny."
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At the Chalet, we were ushered to a room with a glorious balcony. We shared the balcony with Tibber and Wendy, who, by coincidence, had the room next door. Moment of sheer joy: Relaxing on the balcony with some wine as Wendy serenaded us with her uke. Rock Me, Mama.

Music video:

Check "Stay at the Chalet" off the bucket list!

Inner peas.
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Last edited by Sue Z on Thu Feb 14, 2019 10:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by Sue Z »

Day 4: Poof - Grinnell turns into Swiftcurrent!

We were all a little logy after the last two days of hiking, and while I had planned to do an adventurous off-trail route from the Grinnell Glacier Overlook to the summit of Mt. Grinnell, nobody was really feelin’ it. We decided, instead, to take a leisurely hike up to the Swiftcurrent Lookout. After a leisurely breakfast. And a leisurely cup of joe.

Swiftcurrent lookout from our balcony.
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Snoozapalooza on top.
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Tibber and Wendy, too.
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Long view of Swiftcurrent Valley.
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Fried Eggs Glacier?
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Back at the chalet, we luxuriated with a happy hour spread - crackers and freeze-dried cheese dip and wine. We ran out of crackers and the closest thing in the chalet's tiny store was Cheetos. No room for pride in the backcountry! We dipped the Cheetos in the cheese dip.

After dinner, I settled in to read Night of the Grizzlies. My three roommates were reinvigorated, however, and set off for the Grinnell Glacier Overlook. On the way back, in the dark, they claim they encountered an army of frogs crossing the trail. I wonder if they drank some funny koolaid.

Bucket list hikes: None ventured, none gained.

Grinnell Glacier Overlook at dusk.
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Last edited by Sue Z on Thu Feb 14, 2019 9:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by Sue Z »

Day 5: Ahern Pass. We hit the trail late again, as we had hung around to say goodbye to Steve and Katie. They were hiking out to Swiftcurrent a day before us. Steve wanted to take Katie on the Dragon’s Tail hike.

It’s a 10-mile round trip from the Chalet to Ahern Pass. I thought it would remain on my bucket list for many years, but getting the chalet reservation made it possible. In another stroke of luck, the Ahern Drift had been shoveled out the day before, so we didn’t need to worry about how to cross it – or carry the microspikes. The view along the way is a wide open panorama, and we were, blessedly, alone. It was crazy hot again, and we filled up at Ahern Creek, the only water on the way, just before the climb to the pass.

There was a fair amount of haze, but Helen Lake and the Belly River Valley were lovely. We ducked out of the wind into a little evergreen grove for lunch. I had hoped to climb from the pass to either Iceberg Notch or Ahern Peak, but at that moment, three extra miles seemed like a lot. It was hot, I was tired, we were running out of water, blah, blah, blah. Now we’re living with regret. But it’s tempered with the satisfaction of checking Ahern Pass off the bucket list.

Ahern Pass from the Highline.
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Steep descent to Ahern Drift.
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Hail to the trail crew.
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Ahern Creek.
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Helen Lake from Ahern Pass.
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Iceberg Notch: So close and yet so far.
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Cabin in Granite Park that slid off its foundation.
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Chalet from the north, Mt. Gould, left.
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Fire in the sky.
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Re: Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by tibber »

I liked your picture of the Parade. It was a zoo out there, I filmed some of them as they passed. It's always interesting to see what kind of reaction I get when I say "Smile for youtube".

Wendy is the one that gave you the advice on the wet bandanna but I'll gladly take the credit :lol: .

It was great to have you as our Floor 2 Chalet mates especially since you were also apparently the pharmacy. Thx so much for the drugs. I do think they helped kick the sinus/cold before it could get much worse. Unfortunately, Wendy picked it up and was pretty sick. And she still had her Bob Marshall volunteer work vacation to complete.

Nice to see you at the Swiftcurrent Lookout. It's quite the hike and quite the view. I loved it. I never really thot of the Swiftcurrent Glacier as being fried eggs but it works, ha!

Great timing since we got to actually meet the Ahern Crew that cleared the path for you.

I didn't know about the cabin slide; that was interesting.

Anyway, it was great to be a part of your bucket list. And to think we met up again at East Glacier at Serranos and the Trading Store a few days later too.

It was so wonderful to meet you and your family. Hope you're surviving your winter okay. The Valley of the Sun is experiencing an atmospheric river today :shock: ; that's a new one on me but basically we are supposed to get a whole lot of rain. I can't remember it ever being this rainy since Oct thru to now and I've been here since 1981.
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Re: Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by Sue Z »

tibber wrote:Wendy is the one that gave you the advice on the wet bandanna but I'll gladly take the credit :lol: .

Thanks for the correction. Hat tip to Wendy! -S

It was great to have you as our Floor 2 Chalet mates especially since you were also apparently the pharmacy. Thx so much for the drugs. I do think they helped kick the sinus/cold before it could get much worse. Unfortunately, Wendy picked it up and was pretty sick. And she still had her Bob Marshall volunteer work vacation to complete.

I do carry a ridiculous pharmacy - enough to treat a week of anything. I'm such a baby. So sorry to hear that Wendy got sick, too. -S

I didn't know about the cabin slide; that was interesting.

I think it was being used for maintenance, rather than as a ranger cabin. -S

And to think we met up again at East Glacier at Serranos and the Trading Store a few days later too.

Their food is fantastic! -S

It was so wonderful to meet you and your family. Hope you're surviving your winter okay. The Valley of the Sun is experiencing an atmospheric river today :shock: ; that's a new one on me but basically we are supposed to get a whole lot of rain.

Bizarre phenomenon. I had to look it up. Except for the week of the polar vortex, it's been a mild winter in PA. Great to meet you as well! -S
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Re: Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by TnTammy »

Lovin' your trip report Sue! :arrow: :arrow:

I admire the selections on your Bucket List and can't wait to see what's next. This is looking to be a GREAT trip with lovely pics to show for it.

BTW, Kudos on Snow Moon...that's one i've got to try again. We got up nearly to the trail under the cliffs but in a weak moment, i got whigged out by the steepness. Not quite the mountain goat i'd like to be.

Jealous of your vista at Ahern Pass. We didn't make it up there on our hike out to Fifty but thoroughly enjoyed the wildflowers and mini-oasis there at Ahern Creek. Would love to do the Pass as you did from Granite sometime and see that view onto Helen and beyond.

Thanks for sharing your Trip, Sue.....More Please!! :mrgreen:
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Re: Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by Sue Z »

Day 6: The Swiftcurrent Pass Trail. This is a top-of-the-bucket-list hike! There's gorgeous scenery the whole way.

Unfortunately, it was hotter than Hades, and we roasted on the switchbacks all the way down. On the bright side, at least it was downhill. Still, all I could think of was jumping into Bullhead Lake, which I did as soon as we reached the shore. OMFG, that glacier water is COLD! I lasted zero seconds before scampering out. But I did stay cool for the remainder of the hike.

I was quaffing a beer at Nell’s when Steve and Katie arrived to pick us up. We tidied ourselves up as best we could, and had dinner by the windows in The Ptarmigan Room.

Bucket list result: Yay, another one bites the dust.

Stag Party: “I thought YOU were bringing the food!” “Let's lick the table.”
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Farewell, sweet Chalet.
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Bullhead beckons.
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Dunkin’ David.
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Re: Kicking the Bucket List (July 28 - Aug 8 2018)

Post by ND »

Liking your "bucket list" trip report and photos.
Last edited by ND on Sun Feb 17, 2019 6:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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