IMPECCABLE TIMING
We were up early the next
morning to move to the Many Glacier Campground. Many Glacier is the most popular campground in the park, but they
do not accept reservations. Getting a
spot there usually requires arriving early.
I was a little worried about this, but I figured we’d just drive around
the campground until we found a spot.
It turns out that we never had anything to worry about. We found an outstanding site, #21, almost
immediately after entering the campground.
The site was relatively close to both the water and the restrooms, and
best of all, we didn’t have any immediate neighbors. We set up camp, made breakfast, and discussed our options for the
day.
We were planning to spend 3
full days in Many Glacier. Originally I
had planned 3 significant hikes in that area.
Unfortunately, prior to the start of our trip, two of those trails were
closed due to heavy bear activity. This
was disappointing, as the hikes to Grinnell Glacier and Iceberg Lake are
considered to be some of the finest in the park.
We had checked the trail
status report at the visitor center the day before, and Grinnell Glacier had
not been included among the closures.
Based on this, I was hoping that the closure had been lifted. After we cleaned up breakfast, we loaded our
packs and walked over to the trailhead.
Once we arrived, we found
lots of cars, and no signs indicating a closure. I was thrilled that we’d be able to hike to the glacier, after
all. I headed down the trail with a spring
in my step, eager to begin my first hike in the park.
We crossed a footbridge over
Swiftcurrent Creek, and wandered through the woods, circling Swiftcurrent
Lake. Beyond, we began a gentle climb
above Lake Josephine. Then, we began
hearing loud rustling noises coming from the dense brush below the trail. Could it be a bear? We both stopped, and began making
noise. The rustling grew closer though,
and a moment later, a bear emerged from the brush onto the trail 20’ ahead of
us. I’m glad we stopped when we
did. Otherwise, he would’ve come out
right on top of us.
It was an adolescent grizzly
bear, sporting splotchy colors. Part of
the bear was light brown, while other areas were dark brown. He looked towards us, and actually took two
steps in our direction. We endured a
nervous moment, as I fumbled with the bear spray. Then he made an about-face and ran up the trail in the opposite
direction. I sighed in relief, and
re-holstered the bear spray. Actually
using the spray was the last thing I’d wanted to do.
Shortly before the trip, I
test-fired a can of bear spray. The can
was left over from our 2002 trip to Yellowstone, where we had driven. Since it was about to expire, and I couldn’t
fly with it, I decided that test-firing it might provide valuable experience. In hindsight, firing it after having a
couple of beers was probably not the best idea (hey ya’ll, hold my beer and
watch this!). I knew not to fire it
into the wind, but then, there’s never any wind in Charlotte in July. Despite this, I still got a small amount of
it on me. Let me tell you, that’s nasty
stuff. I think I probably spent 30
minutes in the shower, trying to rinse off the residue.
Our scare ended quickly, but
it took awhile for my pulse to return to normal. Later on, we passed a privy, which provided a convenient place to
change my drawers!
We resumed the hike, passing
the junction with the trail to the boat dock.
From here, the trail was very busy.
It seems like we hardly walked more than 2 or 3 minutes without passing
somebody. The trail began to climb, and
soon we were treated to nice views of the greenish-blue Grinnell Lake. Beyond, we had fine views up the valley
towards Piegan Pass. This stretch of trail
was particularly nice, as we passed wildflowers, small waterfalls, and a lush
area that was almost a hanging garden.
Even with the crowds, it was a lovely hike.
We reached a bench, and the
previously mentioned toilets. This area
was exceptionally crowded, apparently due to the popularity of the
toilets. We hurried on, climbing open
rock slopes towards the base of the glacier.
We reached the top of the moraine, and were treated to an awesome
sight. Across from us, the Grinnell
Glacier spilled down the mountainside, tumbling into a small but stunning lake
full of icebergs. High above, we
spotted two more glaciers, the small but thick Gem Glacier, and The
Salamander. The Salamander was feeding
an impressive waterfall, which tumbled down the cliffs and into the lake.
It was a cloudy day, and
rather chilly there so near the glaciers.
Despite this, we stopped there for lunch. Afterwards, I decided to explore. We headed down to the lake, where we found a smooth sloping rock
near some floating chunks of ice.
Christy is always on the lookout for the perfect lounging spot, and this
might’ve been it. Unfortunately, it was
too chilly for her to really enjoy it.
We wandered the lakeshore,
enjoying the view and spotting the occasional patch of wildflowers. The flowers were well past their prime, but
we found a few nice ones along the way.
Then we headed over closer to the glacier. We got a close-up view of what’s left of Grinnell Glacier (its
dwindling stature has been well-documented).
Reaching the base of the glacier would’ve required a tricky stream
crossing, so we were content with the view from there.
Clouds seemed to be
building, so we decided to head back down.
On the way, passing showers brought us a few sprinkles, and even drove
us into our rain gear briefly. The rain
had passed by the time we reached Lake Josephine though. We hiked the last few miles fast, and even
tried to race the tour boat across Lake Josephine at one point. We didn’t quite win that one, but it was
close.
At the trailhead, we found a
large group of people with binoculars studying the hillside across the
valley. I fished mine out, and quickly
found the object of their interest. Three
bears, a mother and two cubs, were grazing on the hillside. They were too far away to tell if they were
black bears or grizzlies, but I’m guessing they were grizzlies.
We headed back to camp,
after covering 12 miles that day. We
enjoyed stir fried chicken and vegetables for dinner, before heading to bed
early. We had another big hike planned
for the next day.
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