Souvenirs, Part 3 – October 2011 – Glacier National Park, MT, USA

– Full slide show at the bottom of the page –

After having already spent 3 years in Houston, it became usual for me to leave this big city in order to wander the American Mountains. Here are a few pages of my diary, notes brought from a stunning hike in an incredible place.

Sunday, October 9th, Apgar Campground, Montana

The smell of the damp woods wakes me up far too early. The campground is located near the lake, just under the first conifers of this immense Rocky Mountains forest. It rained yesterday and probably during this past night and the morning humidity reveals some fragrance absent from my urban routine: humus, pine needles and sap, …
Yesterday’s sunset was promising though but now I have to hope that the few blue holes in the clouds would soon enlarge enough to let me start my hike today.
The first breakfast outside, on a wooden bench and table, far from the city, is always the best, the one that marks a transition, the one that allows enough time to look around and helps me realize that I am elsewhere, that I want to be here and that I am finally becoming a part of a fantastic whole.

This is Montana, this northern state (Big Sky Country) in which I have never spent more than a night. Yet, thanks to books or movies, it seems so familiar: “A river runs through it”, books from Rick Bass, Norman Maclean, Richard Ford or Jim Harrison… 

My goal, for this late fall, is to hike Glacier National Park in the northern U.S. Rocky Mountains, right on the border with Canada. At this time of the year, these mountains are about to enter winter and tourists have already deserted the place, ensuring my desired solitude. This trip looks more and more as some kind of retreat in a loved and much needed environment. Grizzlies and mountains goats should be there too, as well as the more traditional black bear, moose or coyote.

My backpack is ready for 6 days, alone, in the wilderness, but before entering these mysterious northern woods it is required to apply for a backcountry permit. Therefore, a stop in the only ranger’s station still open that late in the season is mandatory. As this is my first visit in the park, I have to watch a 30-minute film about the risks involved by hiking in this area where grizzlies, black bears, mountain lions and wolves are active. This video is supposed to discourage any inadequately prepared hiker and provides serious advice in the event of such an encounter. 

The rental car will wait during those few days in an empty parking lot. The afternoon is already well advanced when I finally get to start, and the planned bivouac is still pretty far.

At the trailhead, a couple of signs are still trying to deter the lonely hiker: apparently grizzlies are pretty active and are a real danger. Encountering a black bear, an already pretty big but mainly herbivorous beast that would only attack if threatened, is now usual to me. On the other hand, I’ve never yet come across a grizzly, a real predator that hunts for food….  
Curiosity and a deep desire for such an encounter with some of those animals are directly opposed to a humble fear… but the call of the woods and the trails is stronger, and despite dense clouds and regular rain showers, my first step is not too hesitant. 

The first obstacle is a pass that gives access to the next deep valley where the long Elizabeth lake is nested. It is not really a pass but actually a tunnel (Ptarmigan Tunnel built in 1930) that allows hikers to get on the other side. The ranger, this morning at the station, told me that this tunnel would be closed tomorrow for winter. Crossing it today means getting a little further away from the car and its symbolic comfort.

Just before the bivouac area, the trail follows a splendid creek, but the bridge that is supposed to cross it has already been dismantled for the winter… The only way to go on the other side is to go into a rather deep ford, water as high as mid thighs, shoes tied around the neck.

The tent is quickly set at dusk. The clouds have disappeared, and the stars have now all the room they need to shine. Alone in the woods, on the lake shore, I can fully appreciate that warm solitude I was looking for. Dinner is quickly swallowed, pretty far away from the tent in order to not attract bears near the shelter during the night. As usual during such trips, sleep comes early, just after reading a few pages of Richard Ford’s “The Sportswriter”.
Tomorrow should be a sunny day, but after that the forecasts are not really optimistic… 

Monday, October 10th – Elizabeth Lake, Montana:

The sun is already high when I wake up. A ten hours night has always a very positive effect! The lake shines and reflects the blue of an immaculate sky.
A pretty flat trail wanders through the woods and reaches lake Cosley, then lake Glenns in an even more remote valley. When the trails forks, it is hard not to hesitate: to the right it is probably possible to reach a small road synonymous with comfort and a certain form of safety and on the left, the journey continues as the trail goes deeper in the mountains and in the woods. Discomfort is sometimes attractive…
At lake Cosley’s outlet, I have to cross another ford, less deep. Except a ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) on the first day, I haven’t seen any wildlife… Golden aspens are everywhere. A cougar’s footprint is well marked on the muddy trail and later near the bivouac there is a black bear track as well as some bear scat. 

On the evening, the bad weather is slowly showing up… Tomorrow a decision will have to be made: with bad weather conditions is it reasonable to go further?

Tuesday, October 11th 2011 – Glenns Lake, Montana:

I’ve heard a few drops falling during the night, but the tent is dry when I wake up. The weather is really not encouraging. Everything is ready and, backpack already on my shoulder, I’m still not decided.  Is it really reasonable to go further on this trail? In the end, it is only a question of comfort and being in the mountain often requires some sacrifices. I know my equipment is good… and I still haven’t seen any animal.

I jump on the trail westward and after two or three hundred yards my decision is welcomed by a strong downpour, soaking even my brand-new hiking boots! The next days are going to be interesting…

Anyway, my decision is made, I’ll keep going. A little bit further, when the trail starts to steepen, the moving white spots on a steep and impressive mountain are confirming this choice: some mountain goats are literally hanging on the wall. Such an animal, so white, evolving on such a vertical cliff seems to exist only in fairy tales. This sight brings some warmth and courage (it is the first time I get to see mountains goats), and the black bear crossed a tiny bit later only reinforces this feeling. The rain, however, is even stronger now, cold, intense… Head bent, body drenched despite layers of Goretex, I follow the trail toward Stoney Indian pass. Visibility is really low. Grizzlies squats and footprints are everywhere now and I’m ready to see one at any moment… but nothing. The landscape is totally unreal, mysterious. Clouds are everywhere and are playing with the hills and the summits. The biting wet cold forbids any break. The discomfort of my wet shoes is now total, the backpack starts to feel heavy on my shoulders, legs are getting tired… yet happiness is quite intense in this unexpected scenery and when the rain stops, this feeling is truly tenfold.

Some breaks through the clouds are helping to dry almost all my equipment. Seated on a rock, facing west, I let the caress of the sun warm my body while enjoying this unique solitude and leaving any potential question unanswered. I am totally in this moment that I would like to extend indefinitely.

Back on the trail toward the third bivouac, my mind is still wandering while my body savors the warmth of a sun partially hidden by thin clouds. Out of nowhere, two moose are suddenly facing me, observing my person with curiosity and anxiety before moving away nonchalantly. Absolutely fascinated by this third encounter of the day, each step seems lighter despite the steeper trail. A few minutes later, still lost in my thoughts, I need a little time to realize that something is watching me: this something is another young male moose, right on the trail, only 20 feet away and he doesn’t seem willing to clear the way. The beast is massive, so big… and so close! I want to grab my camera to snap the moment, but I’m overexcited and I can’t set my camera correctly… I need some time to realize that my new friend is not really at ease and has started to slowly move towards me: my presence on this path is a disturbance and he wants to follow that trail with or without me on it.  I move away sharply, just in time to let him pass, less than an arm length away. Maybe I should have taken advantage of the moment to touch him, just to be sure that those few intense seconds weren’t a dream.

A little further, more mountain goats seem to wave at me while I head toward an idyllic bivouac site, Fifty Mountain Campground, really high in the mountains, overlooking forest as far as my eyes can see. What a day!

Wednesday, October 12th 2011 – Fifty Mountains, Montana

It didn’t rain last night. The wind helping, my tent is completely dry, and I can resume this hike. However, at this time of the year and at this altitude, morning temperature can be pretty cool and doesn’t encourage the camper to get out of his warm and comfortable sleeping bag. A bit more than a day of efforts remains along the continental divide marked by a mountainous ridge. The sky is grey, totally covered, while other clouds are lost further down in the valleys. There is a fresh layer of snow higher up and the somewhat pale light reaching the mountains enhances the contrast of this whole. I’m evolving between sky and earth and rarely have these two different worlds seemed so close. The path is strewn with grizzlies dropping and holes dug by those bears to find bulbs. Indeed, it is fall and they have to stock up on fat in order to spend a winter that must be harsh around here. The trail remains more or less at the same altitude and regularly crosses small creeks at the bottom of small valleys, ensuring a regular supply of water. The process is always the same: drop the bag, take out the filter and the bottle, pump a good liter, drink, pump a bit more, put everything back in the backpack and resume. Hiking days are only repetitions of small essential gestures and details, forgotten in our modern world.  

This time, I have a spectator looking at me pumping and drinking this fresh water, and when I’m about to lift my bag, the black bear has already turned away from the distraction I was offering to keep stuffing himself with wild berries. We switch roles and it is my turn to spend a good 15 minutes to admire him. I’ve come across lots of black bears and each time I can’t take my eyes off the beast. Large, massive, strong and powerful, bears impose a good dose of humility, far too rare in our daily life. Happy and light, I resume my effort on a pretty narrow path. Three foot maybe. On the left, there is a steep and bushy slope and it looks very similar on the right. Still amazed by this bear I just met, I need a little time to identify those moving shapes, coming straight at me.  A hundredth of a second later all my senses are on alert: 200 yards ahead, two grizzlies are running on the trail, straight toward me… no, three!!!

An intense but very brief wave of panic is overflowing my mind and my whole body is gripped by an unknow fear. Every part of my brain is yelling: RUN!!! My mind is quickly back in control: do not run, think… fast!

150 yards. Running, I would look like a vulnerable prey for those three fearsome predators: a large female and two big cubs, probably more than a year old. They are running toward me while playing. 

100 yards. Against the wind, I realize they have not noticed me yet. 

50 yards. I need to react, to do something, because a closer encounter could be dangerous. I’m wearing a neon green rain jacket and my backpack is under a blue rain cover. I’m raising my trekking poles as high as I can and I’m shouting in English (who knows why…) “Heeeee Bearrrrrr”. Their reaction is immediate and the three plantigrades stop right away, look at me during a fraction of second and the vision of this big neon green thing shouting with a terrible French accent makes them flee in the opposite direction. That must be the accent… After racing for a good hundred yard, pause, the three bears stand up on their hindlegs, try from far to identify what could be that intruder in their territory and end up running away without asking further questions. My whole body is filled with a shiver of relief, but also of happiness and joy. I have met grizzly bears, but I never imagined an encounter of such an intensity. Never has a few seconds been so long. What a souvenir…

I don’t really remember the next hour and I had barely noticed this other grizzly bear running out in front of me. 

A heavy rain starts to fall at the beginning of the afternoon without stopping or weakening. Clouds are lower and I can’t see a thing. I start to fear another encounter in such a poor visibility. Coming almost face to face with another bear could have a very different outcome. I decide not to stop at the planned bivouac because setting the tent in such a weather would not be enjoyable and I keep walking in order to reach my vehicle the same evening, hopefully before the night. I still have to climb a last pass (Ahern Pass). The rain intensifies. The path climbs up to a cliff and follows a wide ledge. A breakthrough into clouds reveals a silhouette of what could be a mountain lion. This moment is so quick that I’m still not sure that I have not dreamt. Further, a last mountain goat greets me from the top of a cliff. I’m almost running down toward the parking lot and I surprise, right on the trail, two grouses. They were probably feeling well hidden in that thick fog. I finally reach my rental car, exhausted by this ten-hour hike under the rain. My car is still the only one in the parking lot. I haven’t seen anyone during the last 4 days and the transition with the comfort of my contraption is almost shocking. Closing the door, I’m immediately dry, safe and warm.”

The last days of this trip will be spent in Yellowstone National Park, enjoying the calm of the deserted roads and trails of the place in this season…

Diaporama – Slideshow :