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Greetings!

Glacier National Park is located in remote northwestern Montana. Glaciers shaped the area leaving jagged peaks, waterfalls, deep U-shaped valleys and a wilderness landscape full of wildlife. Glaciers are still at work in the high country of the park. What follows is the tale of our first backpacking trip of the tour.

Our first order of business for the trip into the Glacier National Park backcountry was to secure a backcountry permit. We waited in line at the Apgar Visitor Center for almost thirty minutes. During the wait, we discovered that we couldn't use our original itinerary because of a trail closure due to Grizzly Bear activity. We did , however, get a permit for a five day trip with a different itinerary with no problem. The backcountry is closely regulated and the permit system in the park is computerized. Camping is restricted to designated backcountry sites and each site has a quota. The rules and regulations preserve the park resources for long term use and helps provide a chance for solitude for those using the backcountry.

Next we drove to the parking lot at Lake Macdonald Lodge and set out for our first camp at Snyder Lake. The beginning of the trail was heavily forested with many large Western Red cedar trees along the way. This changed as we approached the lake. The lake emerged surrounded by jagged peaks and beautiful waterfalls. We hiked 4.5 miles and gained 2000' in elevation. The camping area consisted of three separate sleeping areas, one common food prep area with a cable to hang food and packs and a pit toilet. We caught small cutthroat trout and explored the waterfall at the head of the lake.

The next day we woke to a sunny day with an eight mile hike ahead of us before we would reach our next camp. We hiked out of the Snyder Lakes Basin and started our journey up to the Sperry campsite. The trail started off in the thick forest. As we gained elevation the views began to open up. There were many snow-covered peaks, waterfalls and glaciers. About four hours later we reached camp. The hike was steep but it was on a well-maintained trail. We gained about 2500' in 7.4 miles. The camp had a similar setup as the previous camp, but with more sweeping views and sites that were more open and on rock. There were great views of Lake Macdonald in the valley far below and of the surrounding high peaks. The meadows and hillsides were blanketed by many colorful wildflowers and beargrass in full bloom. We obtained water from a small mountain pond that mirrored the surrounding landscape. The pond also proved to be a breeding ground for the swarms of mosquitoes that seem to be following The Tour. Shortly after arriving at camp we came face to face with a new pest - the mountain goat. These goats were on a salt seeking mission and licked and ate anything with salt on it. This required us to hang our packs along with the food.

The third morning we packed up and headed to our next campsite at Lake Ellen Wilson. The short three mile hike took us through high mountain meadows covered with wildflowers and beargrass. The hike also gave us sweeping views of more snow-covered peaks, glaciers and waterfalls. The camp setup was similar to the previous camp, goats included. It was a very picturesque area with the sites very close to the lakeshore. We read that the lake was full of nice sized Brook Trout. We dropped our packs and grabbed our fishing rods with visions of trout for dinner. Within two hours we had both caught and released about twenty trout apiece. It was one of our best meals on the road to date. Later that day we took a hike up to Gunsight Pass on the Continental Divide. The trail up to the pass crossed a large waterfall and a snowfield. The pass provided us with more spectacular views of Gunsight Lake and Lake Ellen Wilson as well as many more jagged peaks, glaciers and waterfalls. On the hike back we encountered a marmot family who allowed us to take some great video and photos. The temperature dropped rapidly as the sun faded on the horizon. We returned to camp and prepared for a cold night.

We woke the next morning to a mountain goat alarm. They invaded camp searching for salt. After a few more casts into Lake Ellen Wilson and a few more "brookies" caught and released, we packed up and made our way back to Sperry campground. We encountered a male goat herd and a young buck mule deer in the meadows during our hike. After reaching camp, the rest of the afternoon was spent taking in the views and resting legs for the journey out in the morning.

Morning came quickly on our last day at Glacier National Park. There were visions on non freeze dried foods fresh in our minds. We made the final 7.5 miles in 2.5 hours. Shortly after that our dreams came true with deli sandwiches and frosty carbonated beverages.

Our next journey will take us into North Cascades National Park.

See You in the Outback!

Kevin and Steve