Kintla Lake to Bowman Lake via Boulder Pass

[karatenorth]

I took a long needed vacation last week to Glacier, into Canada (Banff), and back to Glacier. The grand finale of trip was backpacking the Boulder Pass Trail.

8/30-Drove from Banff down to Glacier. I drove through constant rain and even came across some snow flurries just north of the border. The higher elevations had a dusting of snow on them. I arrived in Coram to use the laundry facility to dry some of our stuff that got wet. Later, I entered the park and drove up the North Fork Road. The road was very rough. I was going 15 mph max. Where the road was paved, we spotted a bear in the field. It stayed stationary, however, it did move its head. The light was low, so I used my camera and left the shutter open for a few seconds. The picture didn't turn out so great. As we went on, we decided to camp at Bowman Lake that night so I could drop my bike off (transportation back to Kintla). More rain that night. Our stuff got wet again.

8/31-Packed up our tents. Some nice people from British Columbia in the site next to us offered us breakfast and tea/coffee. We headed out to the ranger station in Polebridge to pick up our permit. Our plan was UPK that night and HOL the next night and then exit out at Bowman Lake. We arrived at Kintla Lake. There was peaks of sun coming out as the weather started to look nice. I could only be wrong. As we got everything together to head out. A downpour with sleet hit the area. I waited it out in my car before it passed. About 15 minutes later, the storm passed. We took a picture to start the journey. About 3 miles into the journey, another rain storm with sleet. I found a dry area and waited until the storm passed. Ourselves, shoes, and gear was soaking wet. The sun came back out again and we dried and rang out our clothes and gear. We ran into some hikers. One started at Chief Mountain and the other was going the opposite way we were. I was notified there was a tame bear at Hole-in-the-Wall. We made Upper Kintla Campground at dusk. We cooked some much needed food and got some rest.

9/1-Packed up our gear and headed up to Boulder Pass. The bad weather passed us and it was nothing but sun. It was my friend's birthday and what a miserable one it was. He pulled a muscle in his leg hiking up hill. This slowed us down considerably. We ran into some more hikers that used the pit toilet as shelter when it snowed. They also told us about the bear. Finally after a long day, we reached Boulder Pass. The sun was getting low as we needed to get to Hole-in-the-Wall. After a strong push, we arrived at dusk. I didn't see the bear that people were taking about. The other campers told me the bear was on the trail earlier and had to wait to get down.

9/2-Packed up our gear to head out. As we were packing, we spotted the bear up on the ridge. There was plenty of distance between us and the bear. We got everything together and headed out. I was making a comment on where did that bear go. The bear was no longer on the ridge. No more than 20 steps, I came around the corner and there it was, about 175-200 feet away. I had my camera handy and took several shots. The bear looked at us a few times. The third time, there was a faint growl. We backed away out of sight and waited. I peaked around the corner and the bear was gone. I took my spray out and slowly walked to where the bear was. I heard the bear down in the trees off the trail and out of sight. So we got out of the area. We got back on the Boulder Pass Trail and ran into Regi the ranger. I showed him my photos and told him about the bear. As we continued, my friend was hurting more. Pulled muscle and blisters on his feet. We made it down toward Bowman Lake when the ranger came by again. We had no chance of exiting that day, so he got us added for another day at Head of Bowman Lake. Since my friend was in pain, he also arranged for a boat pickup to get him out the next morning. We once again arrived at the campsite at dusk.

9/3-We packed everything up and headed to shore to wait for the boat. The boat arrived driven by the camp hosts at Bowman Lake Campground. We made it to our exit point via Boat Rescue. I dropped my gear off at the campground and hopped on my bike and rode the 20 miles to Kintla Lake. It was a fairly easy ride until the last few miles before Kintla Lake. I got my car, drove back, and got ready to head home.

[GuloGulo]

We camped at Upper Kintla on Thrsday the 31st. I was with my wife and left the next morning to go back to my car at the trailhead. We went back with those three young ladies who had left there car at Bowman. How was the temp at Hole In The Wall? We had frost on the car roof at Bowman.

I found the road to be in pretty good shape. I was driving it at 40 to 50 mph. I found the washboard seemed to smooth out at the higher speeds. When we arrived at Polebridge Friday evening there was quite a large group of local people socializing and having a good time. It was quite different from the atmosphere we experienced there on Wednesday afternoon when we saw only three people and one of them was a toddler.

We arrived at Polebridge on Friday night which happens to be pizza night at the Northern Lights Saloon. There were at least 25 folks hanging around socializing, playing volly ball, drinking beer and having a regular good time. I immediately ordered 3 pizzas, one of each flavor, for my group. The pizzas were exotic,ie. gorganzola pesto, tasted great but took over an hour to be served. We stayed there until 11 PM chating with one of the locals about the day a book publisher delivered 1400 copies of Wild Animus to polebridge. He gave me two copies signed by him, not the auther.

One of the highlights of our trip was at Kintla. We awoke at the campsite and had breakfast. While finishing our coffee I spotted something splashing around in the lake. When I glassed it I saw it was an otter. I watched for a minute or two when all of a sudden a baldie came along, swooped down and just missed grabbing that otter. The otter dove and the eagle flapped it's wings hard to climb from the lake. The bird flew to a large dead tree right where I was sipping my coffee. Just before it landed on the tree it saw us and flapped real hard to change direction and head for somwhere else. It was like something from a National Geographic film. Glacier, what a place!

[karatenorth]

OK, I remember being wet and miserable when we got at Upper Kintla at dusk. So you were hiking back with the ones from Ohio.

I wanted to hit up Polebridge, but the rain on the way there delayed us and the fact we couldn't finish on time delayed us on the way back. I noticed the Merchantile is up for sale. I have noticed that being a trend around Montana.

Actually Hole-in-the-Wall was not cold. The sun came out all day on Friday which probably warmed the basin enough to trap some of the heat.

The ranger we ran into said it was 28 degrees at the Ranger Station in Bowman (on Sunday Morning). Apparantly the cold air gets sucked down into the valleys.

[k2kelley]

hiker Guy, you met my buddy, Rob (not the author) He is a hoot!!! I met him about 13 years ago in the Northern Lights and we've been buddies since. He lives in Polebridge 5 months and outside La Paz Mexico another 4 months.
The books showed up 2 years ago at the Nothern Lights music festival. It is a great story and...........................he still has books to autograph!!

[k2kelley]

hiker Guy, you met my buddy, Rob (not the author) He is a hoot!!! I met him about 13 years ago in the Northern Lights and we've been buddies since. He lives in Polebridge 5 months and outside La Paz Mexico another 4 months.
The books showed up 2 years ago at the Nothern Lights music festival. It is a great story and...........................he still has books to autograph!!

[GuloGulo]

hiker Guy, you met my buddy, Rob (not the author) He is a hoot!!! !

He sure is a hoot and reliable too. After drinking beer until 11 PM he promised to meet me the next morning in front of the Mercantile before 10 AM to give me 2 copies of the book. I had spent the night camping at Bowman. I got to the Merc by 9:30 AM and was sitting out in front with my coffee and pastry when he pulled up at 9:45. I have his email and will let him know what I thoght of the book. I just started it and find it somewhat nastolgic.

[k2kelley]

let hoss know that you and I have connected. I stay with him when I make it up north. He is a rare individual!!

P.S. those books will be worth a fortune someday....................well, at least a $1.49.

Did you read it, terrible!!!!

[k2kelley]

Rob is coming through Spokane on his way to baja and will be staying with us Thursday night, Nov. 2nd. I'll pass you story on to him and see if he recalls you.

[GuloGulo]

I"m the guy with the Russian girl, Lenna. I guess it's good he wasn't in Cabo for the hurricane.

[k2kelley]

Rob enjoyed me telling hi m he is part of the Glacier internet chat!! He went down to cabo Pulmo right after the hurricane as he has his own "little hobble" there and he is building two more houses. Minor damage to all. He will be back in Cabo pulmo for the winter in about 20 days.