Modified my itinerary using Recration.gov tonight

[sbosecker]

During the initial land rush back on March 15th I fumbled around and missed getting the itinerary I really wanted.

I managed to get:

Sept 5 - GAB
Sept 6 - MOL
Sept 7 - GLH
Sept 8 - GAB

I really wanted to through hike from Chief Mountain to Goat Haunt and I've been checking recreation.gov pretty much every day since March.

A couple of weeks ago KOO became available on Sept 8th and tonight STO became availableon Sept 7.

I went to my original reservation and flailed for a while trying to figure out how to remove my reserved Sept 7 GLH & Sept 8 GAB. At that point with those dates still filled, STO wasn't showing available and KOO was too far away to be on the page.

I finally cleared my entire itinerary and started refilling GAB on Sept 5, MOL on Sept 6... now STO showed up as available on Sept 7 and finally KOO on Sept 8. Saved the new itinerary and Bob's your uncle.

So it seems to have worked but it didn't work the way I though it would. I thought I'd be able to just - on a given day -swap an exisiting campsite for an available campsite. If that is possible, I couldn't figure out how to do it.

Now I need to check with the Waterton Cruise Line and see if I need to have cash at Goat Haunt or if they can now take credit cards. The web site sorta indicates "credit cards only" but that's not how it used to work severa years ago. It was cash only for the trip from Goat Haunt to Waterton.

Scott

[teapot57]

So glad you finally landed the itinerary you wanted. I have noticed that some primo backcountry sites which have been full since March have been opening up as the date gets closer, so some people are doing the right thing and canceling what they aren’t going to use and not just no showing.

[sbosecker]

So glad you finally landed the itinerary you wanted. I have noticed that some primo backcountry sites which have been full since March have been opening up as the date gets closer, so some people are doing the right thing and canceling what they aren’t going to use and not just no showing.

teapot57,

Thanks! It's hard to complain about any itinerary that would allow one to access the Mokowanis Cascades and above. HA!

However, I do think the modification I got is an improvement.

Mostly I posted to show what methodology I had to use to make this modification. Again, I couldn't get it to swap out campsites on a single day in the middle of the original itinerary. I basically had to wipe the whole itinerary slick and the repopulate with the desired itinerary.

Not a big deal... I just suspected treachery and only hit the "Clear Button" - with great trepidation - when I couldn't figure out any other way to accomplish the task.

In other news... I called Waterton Shoreline Cruise Company yesterday to ask about payment for the one way ride on the International from Goat Haunt to Waterton. According to the fellow who answered the phone, unlike in the past payment will be via credit card instead of cash. He indicated that the skipper would probably take some form of ID from us and then we would pay via credit card upon arrival at Waterton at the Cruise Company's ticket office.

This doesn't sound unreasonable but I have to say the fellow I was chatting with didn't sound all that confident. If anyone has info that confirms or denies this account, I'd be pleased to hear of it.

Best regards,

Scott

[Ear Mountain]

...Now I need to check with the Waterton Cruise Line and see if I need to have cash at Goat Haunt or if they can now take credit cards. The web site sorta indicates "credit cards only" but that's not how it used to work severa years ago. It was cash only for the trip from Goat Haunt to Waterton.

Scott

Waterton Cruise lines accepts credit or debit cards only. MasterCard or Visa. No American Express. I don't know about Discover cards. No cash.

We traveled from Goat Haunt to Waterton this Tuesday August 22. We had no tickets as we didn't anticipate taking the boat back to waterton but the heavy rains changed our plans. The boat captain will took one credit card from our group at Goat Haunt and held it until we reached Waterton. Once in Waterton the boat captain got a cell phone and called Canadian Customs. This allowed each of us to report into Canada. Once we accomplished that we paid our one way fee at the ticket window and retrieved the credit card they held.

BTW: I was amazed to find there is now cell service at Goat Haunt. Signal was best on the snowflake pavilion but even at the boat dock I was able to send photos and access websites. Wes Spurr, Acting Chief Mountain District Ranger, told me that they only use their radio for local communications. Any communication to Many Glacier, Headquarters, Apgar, etc. is now accomplished by phone.

[sbosecker]

We traveled from Goat Haunt to Waterton this Tuesday August 22. We had no tickets as we didn't anticipate taking the boat back to waterton but the heavy rains changed our plans. The boat captain will took one credit card from our group at Goat Haunt and held it until we reached Waterton. Once in Waterton the boat captain got a cell phone and called Canadian Customs. This allowed each of us to report into Canada. Once we accomplished that we paid our one way fee at the ticket window and retrieved the credit card they held.

Ear Mountain,

That's a great report! Thank you so much for posting that.

Best regards,

Scott

[liketohike]

Waterton Cruise lines accepts credit or debit cards only. MasterCard or Visa. No American Express. I don't know about Discover cards. No cash.

We traveled from Goat Haunt to Waterton this Tuesday August 22. We had no tickets as we didn't anticipate taking the boat back to waterton but the heavy rains changed our plans. The boat captain will took one credit card from our group at Goat Haunt and held it until we reached Waterton. Once in Waterton the boat captain got a cell phone and called Canadian Customs. This allowed each of us to report into Canada. Once we accomplished that we paid our one way fee at the ticket window and retrieved the credit card they held.

BTW: I was amazed to find there is now cell service at Goat Haunt. Signal was best on the snowflake pavilion but even at the boat dock I was able to send photos and access websites. Wes Spurr, Acting Chief Mountain District Ranger, told me that they only use their radio for local communications. Any communication to Many Glacier, Headquarters, Apgar, etc. is now accomplished by phone.

Ear Mountain,
Thanks for the update! Including the Customs process.
We're planning to take the boat in opposite direction in a couple of weeks, so will have to report to the US authorities before getting on. We have the app downloaded and hope it all works out. We won't have much time between shuttle from the border and getting on the boat.
Anyway, too bad you had to change plans during your trip. What was your planned itinerary?

[Ear Mountain]

Ear Mountain,
Thanks for the update! Including the Customs process.
We're planning to take the boat in opposite direction in a couple of weeks, so will have to report to the US authorities before getting on. We have the app downloaded and hope it all works out. We won't have much time between shuttle from the border and getting on the boat.
Anyway, too bad you had to change plans during your trip. What was your planned itinerary?

Be sure to set up the CBP Roam app ahead of time including having an account and password. I also added a photo of my passport. There were three of us in our group. One had to make three attempts to get the app to work because of no password. The second person got a reply in 2-3 minutes. My attempt was approved in one try after about a 10 minute wait.

Our original itinerary was FRA-HOL-BOU-KIN with hike out at the Kintla Lake Auto Campground.

[liketohike]

This is helpful! Thanks for the information!
We do have the CBP App ready to go.

[sbosecker]

So I am packing in preparation for my Chief Mountain to Goat Haunt Backpack. As I was doing this my subconscious mind popped up and said, "When you modified your itineary from GAB-MOL-GLH-GAB to GAB-MOL-STO-KOO did you change the exit point of the itineary from BRE to GSE?"

To be honest I didn't remember doing that. However, I was thinking that Rec.gov won't allow one to choose a campsite if it exceeds a certain distance from the previous/next day's campsite. Surely it would do something similar for exit and entry points...

Wrong! I just checked my intinerary and after our last night at KOO, the exit point is still BRE (Chief Mountain).

I started to attempt to change the exit point and then decided, at this point, not to do that . The very real possiblity exists that I just might goof that up and lose the itinerary I had worked so hard to get.

I'll make the exit point adjustment with the Rangers at the Backcountry Office in Apgar when I pick up my permit on Monday.

Scott

[orin]

Those entry and exit points are relatively new. I guess they give the NPS some additional information that could be useful if someone went missing or something like that. But in my experience you are good to go if you have the campsites you want and the software doesn't complain.

Have a great trip!

[Ear Mountain]

Tell the backcountry desk that you are exiting at Goat Haunt when you pick up the permit. If you're leaving a vehicle at Chief Mountain they will also put that on your permit.

[sbosecker]

Tell the backcountry desk that you are exiting at Goat Haunt when you pick up the permit. If you're leaving a vehicle at Chief Mountain they will also put that on your permit.

Ear Mountain,

Did all of that on September 4th when we picked up our permit at Apgar.

Had a good hike into Gable Creek campsite on the 5th but hiked out on the 6th due to some sciatica I've been dealing with. Today - at a hotel in Kalispell - I feel that was the right call. I was extremely uncomfortable this morning.

We did run into a backcounry ranger on the way out and I let her know that STO & KOO were going to be available the 8th & 9th. She apparently relayed that information to the backcountry offices as I had an email from recreaton.gov that my reservation had been cancelled.

Best regards,

Scott

[teapot57]

Not always easy to do, but it sounds like you made a smart call, Scott. Hope you feel better soon.

[sbosecker]

Not always easy to do, but it sounds like you made a smart call, Scott. Hope you feel better soon.

teapot57

Thank you.

Scott

[Jordan68]

Not always easy to do, but it sounds like you made a smart call, Scott. Hope you feel better soon.
bhulekh up

Wise decision, Scott. Wishing you a swift recovery.