In October 2010, we did a four-day, three-night backpack trip in Glacier National Park, Montana. We started at the Two Medicine campground on the Pitamakan Pass Trail. John was 57 and I was 56.
Early on this trip, we were treated to a lovely view of Sinopah Mountain reflected in Pray Lake.
It was October, and fall had definitely arrived. The air was crisp, and the foliage had turned golden.
We encountered a ptarmigan and were surprised when it approached us.
It took quite an aggressive interest in my ankles. I attempted to fight it off with both sets of trekking poles while John documented the event. It was funny until he drew blood.
Fortunately, we were eventually able to outdistance it.
We ascended and crossed the first pass of the trip—Cut Bank Pass.
Glacier National Park provides designated backcountry camping areas with a group cooking area. That evening, we talked with a young couple who were also camping there. Afterward, the fellow told us he thought it was great to see older people still backpacking. Just three months earlier, a young male backpacker had told us we were an “inspiration.” At that time, I wasn’t flattered. However, this time I took it to heart. I decided that rather than avoiding thinking of ourselves as being older, we should be proud of our age and what our bodies could still do.
The next morning, we continued and eventually crossed Pitamakan Pass.
The weather became unsettled.
We continued on the Triple Divide Trail to Triple Divide Pass. This pass is next to Triple Divide Peak. Water flowing off the peak’s slopes goes into three bodies of water: the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean and Hudson Bay.
We then made the long descent down the Hudson Bay Creek side of the pass.
On the way down, we passed this gorgeous cascading waterfall.
It was rutting season for elk and moose. Due to the short days in fall, we found ourselves hiking after dark. At one point, we heard a large animal moving through the woods not far from us. We hurried down the trail until our headlamps reflected in a pair of eyes. We couldn’t tell how large the animal was, but we assumed it was bigger than we were. We stopped dead in our tracks. Then the eyes disappeared. We didn’t know if the animal was no longer ahead of us or it had simply turned its head. We were uncertain what to do. We couldn’t stay where we were, but we were nervous about continuing forward. After what seemed like forever, we began to slowly make our way down the trail, alert to any sound.
It was such a relief to reach our destination for the day—Red Eagle Lake. We were serenaded all night by bugling elk. And we heard some large animal walking through the nearby lake. It was a bit disconcerting, but we found some comfort retreating to the safety of our tent. As if that would provide any protection from an aggressive bull elk in rut.
The next morning, we got our first look at our surroundings.
We were happy to be hiking in sunshine again. While we hate to see burned-out forests, we appreciated the lack of shade while it was still so chilly.
We encountered several creek crossings on this trip. Due to the late season, Park Service personnel had begun preparations for heavy winter snow. When we talked to a park ranger prior to the trip, we had been warned that the bridges had already been rolled up.
So, we brought water shoes with us. We found the numerous stream crossings time-consuming.
We loved the views we had from the mountain passes, and we were relieved to have completed this trip in one piece. It provided us with some unforgettable moments. Although I wouldn’t mind forgetting about those eyes glowing in the dark.
All photos from this trip are on Flickr.
Leave a Reply