East Glacier, MT to East Glacier, MT

Photos - click here

DAY 1
After a satisfying sleep in the Backpackers Inn (hostel) we stepped onto Main Street in downtown East Glacier and began hitching. After 20 minutes we decided to walk toward the tourists’ hotel (the beautiful expensive one) and began hitching from there. Nothing for another 20 minutes except for rain. Zach and Buddha came out and were hitching to the Ranger Station to get their backcountry permits. Their ride to Two Medicine Ranger Station was not far. Ours, on the other hand, was looking grim- we were trying to hitch from East Glacier to Waterton Park in Alberta, Canada. While this wasn't an extreme distance it still involved a border crossing. After about 45 minutes we decided to give in and purchase a shuttle ride from the hotel. The ride actually turned out to be very interesting for two reasons. First, our driver was a member of the Blackfeet Indians and grew up in Glacier. Second, the scenery was amazing. He explained that his people were holding a spiritual ceremony during the upcoming weekend and would wave to people we passed who were picking plants on the side of the road. He would say "Oh, that's my aunt - she is gathering for the ceremony".
As the driver got near to the small town of Many Glacier to pick up two more passengers we saw Griz and his hiking partner (someone different than who we met in New Mexico). Griz was walking funny but he was pushing very hard. I vividly remember his strong determined face as he was walking against the wind and rain to get into "Many". When we stopped at the hotel the three of us left the van to go find Griz, say hello, and find the trail conditions but we couldn't find him. After the van picked us up and headed further down the road we still didn't see him. An unfortunate missed opportunity. About a half hour later we crossed the border into Alberta, Canada. The border patrol asked us a few questions and checked out our bear spray (certain brands are not legal in Canada) and we were off to the Prince of Whales hotel at Waterton. We debated about whether to take the ferry to the end of Waterton Lake closer to where the Northern Terminus exists or to walk the extra 8 miles. We opted to hike it. We strapped on our packs and walked into town. The power was out in town but we found a store were we could buy some sandwiches before starting our next hike segment.
Waterton has sentimental value to both me and Leslie. Shortly after Leslie and I started dating I drove her and her male hiking partner to Waterton and hiked in with them at night several miles to send them off on their Pacific Northwest Trail thru-hike from Waterton to the Pacific Ocean. I decided that I would someday hike a long trail and come back to Waterton with David. If I was really lucky I would be with both David and Leslie. I am blessed with a lucky star.
We took a few pictures, watched hordes of groundhogs, and then began hiking the same trail that we hiked several years ago. It was a good feeling. The first very memorable part of the hike along the lake was the wet trail. This is actually an understatement; the trail was actually serving as a stream bed for much of the first couple of days. The right thing to do is to walk through the water; this prevents erosion around the trail. So we were very wet and feet were very cold as we were hiking through the glacial melt. The memorable event happened as we came to the U.S. and Canadian boundary- the world’s longest undefended boundary between two countries. Near the boundary was the Northern Terminus of the CDT. We took photos and continued on the U.S. side to the Goat Haunt Ranger Station at the end of the lake. This ranger station serves as a backcountry ranger station as well as a customs station. The ranger questioned and with the customs duty taken care we began looking at our itinerary. The ranger offered some alternative camps because it was getting too late to reach our first camp. We thanked him and visited with several of the rangers and personnel up there. One ranger, named Moses, actually did his law enforcement training at Skagit Valley College where Leslie used to work- it's a small world. We continued hiking as dusk was quickly approaching and came to our alternate camp site at Kootenai Lake. The lake was moderately size and oblong-shaped. The shore on the other side of the lake was densely filled with plants and trees and about 100 yards from our side of the shore.
All of the backcountry campsites in Glacier are set up in the same triangular fashion. There is a designated cooking area - food hang area, a privy and a tenting area. The structure minimizes the likelihood of bears and other critters coming around the camps. Most Grizzly attacks in the lower 48 happen in Glacier or Yellowstone. Since Glacier has the largest population of Grizzly's in the lower 48, minimizing bear encounters is a very real concern. The first chore when arriving in camp is to hang all food and anything with a fragrance such as wet wipes, toothpaste, sunscreen, etc. Then the tents can be set up (most campsites have 4 or fewer tent sites) and then we cook. On this day, by the time we finished cooking, eating, cleaning and brushing our teeth it was dark. I offered to hang the food and David and Leslie went to camp. I quickly went to work hanging the food in the dark. To do this the rope is thrown over a bar that is secured horizontally between two trees or poles. The bar is usually about 15 feet high. The food bags are then attached to the rope and pulled up to the top of the bar and the other end of the rope is secured to a tree. While doing this I heard a couple noises in the woods. This is typical - no problem. But I thought to myself: “Time to get into the tent!” I walked toward the tent and heard a “Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!” sound in the water. It sounded like a giant fording the lake. The sound was very close but it was too dark to see anything. I got to camp and asked David and Leslie if they heard the noise- and they had. Twenty minutes later we heard the same sound this time coming towards us and we also heard what sounded like a growl. This was all a little nerve-wracking. All I could think of was a grizzly coming over for a midnight snack; we also considered the possibility of a moose. We woke once more during the night to the “Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!” sounds in the lake and come morning we saw moose prints and decided it was a moose.

DAY 2
We woke up and the weather was not rain - this made for a great start! We packed up and enjoyed talking about the scary encounter last night. I wondered what other animal encounters we would have in Glacier…. We began hiking again on the very muddy, sometimes water-laden trail towards Stoney Indian Pass. My favorite places in the backcountry are the high places so I was very much looking forward to getting up into the heart of the mountains. As we climbed higher on the trail more and more snow began covering the trail until we were hiking only in snow. We were careful to avoid hiking too close to the trees (the snow is typically softer in these areas and increase the likelihood of breaking through the snow or "post holing"). We also began seeing very large grizzly prints. These prints were unmistakable, fresh, and the size was much larger than an adult human hand. Interestingly, the prints were in the mud and on the snow- but consistently always on the trail. This made sense to me - why wouldn't the animals use the best trails for getting around as humans do? We finally reached Stoney Indian Lake after passing some incredible waterfalls and views of the mountains. The lake was half frozen and snow was everywhere. No sign of the trail. The mountains surrounded the lake and consistently dumped snow from mini avalanches. Our pass was visible but required some serious climbing. We decided to follow the grizzly prints to base of the pass- so far the prints were a reliable navigation aid.
Climbing up to the pass required our ice axes and a lot of patience. It was very difficult at times and the consistent cracking and rumbling of the avalanches on either side of us was unnerving and completely unsafe. We hiked up a drainage and tried to stay close to the trees where the snow was more stable and finally made it to the top of the pass. We enjoyed some pristine views and then began hiking down using the grizzly prints to navigate us down. During our first break during the descent we decided to write DVSAS in the snow and then we continued onward. The rain began and we deviated from the grizzly tracks- looking for a faster way down the mountain than following the winding trail. Big mistake- we got lost for about 2 hours in the pouring rain. Leslie and I decided to search out the trail while David watched our gear. Fortunately I bushwhacked down a hill and found the trail (with the same grizzly prints) and we continued descending. We should have never doubted that bear! We continued to descend out of the snow and out of the rain. We past majestic peaks and incredible waterfalls that fell 100-200 feet. Finally we arrived at our camp and were greeted by a resident deer that was obviously waiting to eat any scraps that we might leave.

DAY 3
We awoke early anticipating another difficult pass. The weather was clear and we began our hike toward Red Gap Pass. After a few hours of hiking along a river and through pristine alpine meadows we arrived at Lake Elizabeth. From there we began are ascent to Red Gap Pass. It was interesting to watch Lake Elizabeth shrink as we ascended the pass. Fortunately, the weather was clear and there was no snow anywhere during our ascent. The views of the cirque below were breathtaking. At the summit we added a couple rocks to the cairn. Cairns are used to mark a location or trail. They may be a small stack of rocks or a large pile of rocks. We began our descent across snow, at one point negotiating a snow bridge. We could clearly hear the water flowing under the snow bridge and did not see any footprints so I pushed a large rock across to test its stability, as well as using my poles to test the thickness of the ice. Apparently it worked and we crossed safely.
We continued to the extremely buggy Poia Lake, our camp for the night. The bugs weren't biting yet but there were hundreds of them swirling around us. Though this was supposed to be our third day campsite, we all agreed to go for it and hike an additional 7 miles to Many Glacier, to get a room and leave the next day. This would help us to make up some time. As we left Poia Lake, David and I saw a blonde-colored black bear, Leslie also saw it briefly (one of only two bear encounters in the park) as the bear quickly ran away. We finally made it to the road and hiked for another 1.5 miles into Many Glacier where the restaurant was still open and we got a room. The manager, Anthony, greeted us with the waitress and I asked him if we could sit next to the window. He said are you sure? Are you sure you want to sit there? The waitresses looked at Anthony. We said yes and sat down. Shortly after sitting down Anthony explained that he had thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and he told the waitresses that we would specifically ask for that table because hikers always want to keep an eye on their gear. He was right. Anthony was extremely generous and accommodating during our several meals while we stayed at Many Glacier. He even made a contribution to DVSAS. We wish him the best on his Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike next year.

DAY 4
The shower and sleep never felt so good. I felt like we had been beaten up by paradise. The next morning we packed our gear and it was pouring. We decided to go to the restaurant to get some coffee and cocoa before beginning our hike up to the next pass- Piegan Pass. We didn't leave until 11:00, but the pass was not supposed to be very challenging according to the backcountry office reports (boy were we in for a surprise!). We began our long approach to the pass through horse-worn, muddy trail. We started seeing patches of snow, knowing what comes next; and we were soon in a snow covered landscape. We crossed a solid ice bridge over a roaring creek and found our way through the snow to the switchbacks. The wall of mountains (arêtes) to the right of us was so beautiful it was beyond words. The mountains towered into the clouds, so steep that snow could not remain on all of the mountain’s face.
The switchbacks involved snowfields on every switch. The higher we ascended the longer the drop down the snowfields. This meant that the potential for getting hurt if we fell became greater and greater until it simply was not an option to fall. I led by kicking steps. Leslie followed with her balding and worn Chaco sandals (not the smartest move, but, due to a mail drop mix up, was unavoidable), and David brought up the rear. The snow was soft in many places which allowed us to kick deep steps but did not allow much traction if we needed to self arrest with the ice axe. The ascent was very slow but we completed the switchbacks and were halfway to the pass. That’s when the rain turned to sleet and the wind began to howl. There were gusts so powerful that we would stop and brace ourselves until the wind passed. We crossed a couple of snow fields and walked across the open terrain above tree line to where the trail contoured the mountain and took us to the pass. Interestingly, there was very little snow in this ½ mile area.
Shortly thereafter, we hit snow again and agreed to climb up some scree (loose rock on the mountain side), shortcutting to the trail above it. I kicked steps straight up a snow field and waited for Leslie and David. Once on the scree it became obvious that (1) the scree was not stable and (2) the scree was slippery under the snow. We slowly retreated and decided to try a less hazardous approach. We successfully climbed a less steep snowfield to the trail. Unfortunately the trail was half covered in snow, extremely exposed, and now the winds were a significant challenge and the sleet turned to a snow storm. Despite the conditions, we proceeded toward the pass. Since we were on snowfields that required attention to safety and solid footing, our rule was to stop and drop to a knee if we needed to, every time the wind gusts came and to wait for them to pass.
Despite our success, the conditions were too extreme, and at about ¼ mile from the pass we decided to retreat. The wind gusts were too strong, the trail too sketchy and the consequences of falling to great. We retreated at a painfully slow rate required to safely traverse the snowfields for the second time. In the process, Leslie slipped on the snow, and hyper extended her left knee. Our pace was now forced to be even slower, as she was in considerable pain. As usual, she sucked it up and we pushed until we eventually made it back to Many Glacier. Twenty mile days aren’t a significant issue for us at this point, but on snowy, steep terrain 15 miles is a considerable challenge. We ended up hiking around twenty miles on this day and didn’t arrive at Many Glacier until around 11:30 that night. Defeated, but safe, and confident that we made the right decision, we passed out in our room.

DAY 5
We decided to take a day off for several reasons: it was raining at Many Glacier, which meant it was probably snowing at Piegan Pass, and Leslie’s knee was very swollen from the hyper extension the day before. The primitive camp cabins were available so we rented a cabin which contained two bedrooms and a sink in the common room. Showers and bathrooms were in another building. The cabins were cozy and comfortable. I decided to buy a book to pass the time; Mark of the Grizzly. The book discussed grizzly attacks, there potential causes and locations. It turned out that we were in prime grizzly country. I learned that fall is generally not a good time to be around Grizzly’s because they go into a hyperphagic state which is basically an instinctual urge to eat as many calories as possible before going into hibernation. It is at this time that hikers may seem most palatable to the griz.

DAY 6
We decided to take another day off, Leslie knee had not healed and without giving it more time we would have to take time off down the trail. The weather also remained unfavorable. We read, ate, David and I did laundry and we played a few games of cards.
Later that afternoon a tall man looking like a thru hiker came into the store with his pack. I asked him if he was hiking the CDT and he said yes. His name was Nomad. He had just started after we started and was taking the same route that Zach and Buddha (Zuddha) were taking (which was the route we came up with). Nomad mentioned that Zuddha was close behind and we all ended up in the cabins nearby one another. We had dinner together, shared some good laughs and stories and prepared to leave in the morning.
One problem that we had was that all three hiking groups were using the same itinerary. Because we had taken two days off, the first campsite outside of Many Glacier was now full (Reynolds Camp). Nomad generously offered to let us share his site.
We went to bed early that night having enjoyed our time at Many Glacier and having made many new friends that were visitors and employees.

DAY 7
We left at 7am. As we approached the trail we came upon a long line of horses that were being led out to the coral for trail rides. We also saw three elk as we started on our trail. About 1 mile into our hike all three of us heard a shout and stopped. I was particularly sensitive to shouting now that I knew that people can be mauled by any of the 100’s of grizzlies that populate the park. We heard the shout again it sounded like “Bear!!!” We listened again and heard “Hey Bear!!!” It was Zuddha making the necessary noises to keep the bears away. They stopped and we continued onward, but we would definitely be seeing more of them.
The weather was much more favorable today and as we got to the snow it was clear that a significant amount of snow had melted compared to our previous attempt at Piegan Pass a few days earlier. Much of the horse muck trail had dried out as well. Woo hoo! We began hiking up the switchbacks and the familiar snowfields. Zuddha then reappeared and quickly passed us. We trudged across the snowfields cautiously and took a “shortcut” that resulted in an unpleasant bushwhack and in our being considerably higher than the trail. How did that happen?? We finally got back on the trail and continued to the point where we had retreated a few days ago. The wind started howling and we had to stop every few minutes to brace ourselves against the wind gusts. David seemed thrilled at the wind and the exposure. Leslie was a little freaked out, and I was just focusing on making the right decisions and going slow.
The most difficult point occurred when we hit a snowfield about 1/10th of a mile from the pass. The trail was very exposed and the snow was very soft and unstable. Though the snowfield was only about 50 feet wide, the snowfield was extremely steep and dangerous. Just kicking steps on the snowfield caused clumps of snow to roll down the snowfield. What made all of this almost impossible were the powerful gusts of wind that came and went. I estimate the gusts to be at 50MPH. (Talking with Nomad later that evening, he mentioned that the gusts actually moved him and he is well over 6 feet and 200 lbs.)
After crossing several snowfields we descended into a snow-covered relatively flat area where we walked in the trees following Zuddha’s footprints. We stopped for a break in the snow and set down our packs. A “cute” little bird trotted down the trail from behind me walking right towards me. I got out my camera and we all commented on it and laughed at it. I took a picture and then turned away. I heard Leslie yell “Look out!” when it flew up and attacked me. I ran. It pursued. Weird! I was worried about grizzlies. The bird then started going after Leslie. It would start making a sound and then fly up and go for the face. Leslie used her hiking poles to keep it away, and put her foot above the bird when it was on the ground to prevent it from being able to fly. At one point Leslie even dropped her jacket on the bird and ran. The bird ran after her. I yelled at everyone to put on their sunglasses and put up their hoods. Thinking we were in the bird’s territory, we tried to get away but the darn bird would not let us get down the trail. We moved about two hundred yards and the bird was still going after us – especially Leslie. David and I blocked the bird and told Leslie to run. The idea was that then we would run away from the bird with Leslie already down the trail. The first half of the plan worked, but while I was defending an attack I accidentally broke its neck with my hiking pole. It fell to the ground, twitching, and I finished it off with a rock- not wanting it to suffer. All three of us felt really bad about what had happened- it certainly wasn’t planned. What a topper to an already hard day.
We arrived at Reynolds campground and Zuddha was eating dinner. It turns out that they were attacked by the same bird. We set up camp and Nomad arrived, reporting that two other hikers were also attacked by the bird, and that the carcass was not on the trail- meaning that some carnivore had capitalized on our unfortunate event. We ate together while a resident deer in velvet watched. Shortly after we went to sleep.

DAY 8
We slept in, I don’t remember how late, but our mileages in the park were very low due to the permit system and required camping spots. We only had 15 miles to hike with no mountain passes or snow this day so we could afford a luxurious morning. Mornings are usually the same. We wake up and we hurt. Feet always ache, legs ache and it takes about ten minutes for everything to start working. The good parts are the smells of the plants and trees at the campsite and the sounds that may include streams, wind blowing through the trees, and singing birds. Once we get up and start moving I usually start thinking about food, (we all do) and how Snickers or Cliff Bars make for the breakfast of champions (they at least stop the stomach rumbling for the time being).
The hike this day was pleasant and we enjoyed conversation with Nomad. He would hike ahead and then we would often stop when he stopped to take a picture and talk. Our entire day involved only 500 feet of elevation gain. Later in the day we caught up to Nomad who was talking with a hiker traveling the opposite direction. The hiker was hiking the Great Divide Trail which follows the divide north into Canada. He told us how he was bluffed charged in the Bob Marshall Wilderness by a grizzly. It was late and he was tired so he wasn’t making noise and he surprised the bear. The hiker was carrying a very small canister of mace that probably would not have deterred a bear in the slightest. The hiker explained that he has never felt so inadequate in his life as when he was holding the mace and facing the grizzly. He also explained how incredibly difficult it was to resist the temptation to run and stand his ground when he was charged (running from a bear triggers their predator instinct- hugely problematic). This was a scary story and I actually considered giving him my bear spray (since we had three canisters- one for each of us) despite the fact that we would be hiking through the area of the bear encounter in a few days. We arrived at our campsite later in the day. Set up camp, cooked and ate in the rain and went to bed early.

DAY 9
Today was a big pass day. Zuddha left before everyone, followed by Nomad and then us. We caught up to Nomad as we agreed to hang out together for a few days to support one another on the passes. We quickly approached the ascent to Triple Divide Pass and reached an ice field. I pulled out my ice axe and actually had to chop a few steps (Zuddha climbed up the bushes). The weather was deteriorating very quickly and the visibility was very poor. This combined with snow everywhere made route finding difficult. However Zuddha had already hiked through, and we went did the lazy thing- following their footprints. As we approached the pass, now above tree line, the rain calmed, the fog lifted, and we could see the valley that we had just hiked up. That sure would have been helpful earlier! We had just enough time for pictures when the clouds fell again, and the sky opened up with lightening, thunder and rain. The lightening is not a comfortable companion up high especially while carrying metal poles and ice axes (lightening rods). We spared no time hauling ourselves to a lower elevation.
The descent was interesting because we actually were forced to walk under a couple of waterfalls. The waterfalls would normally be small streams or dry streambeds, but there was so much melt off from the snowfields that they were waterfalls. That coupled with the pouring rain left us cold and wet, but we just kept moving. We were fortunate enough to see a mountain goat with baby goat and bighorn sheep on the cliffs above us. There were some extremely steep but narrow snowfields that slowed us down. They were so dangerous that we traversed down the mountain, around the snowfields, and back up again on loose rocks, since that was the safest alternative. Unfortunately, that took time, slowed us down, and in our soaking wet state, left us extremely cold.
Finally we arrived at Atlantic Creek campsite. The campsites were flooded and Zuddha generously offered one of us to camp in their tenting area. David pitched his tent there and Leslie and I pitched our tent in one of the less-wet tent areas. She dug trenches (a no-no, but necessary) to drain the water and to keep our tent from being completely soaked from underneath. Normally one would just camp somewhere else, but with the permit system, we were not permitted to camp elsewhere. That night we shared hot cocoa with Zuddha and Nomad, shared some stories and laughs and headed back to our tents. Leslie, David and I played a few games of hearts and then it was time for bed.

DAY 10
We woke up to a rainless morning. I was feeling a little sad that we were almost done hiking Glacier but we did have one more pass - Pitamakin. We began hiking after Zuddha and Nomad had left. A few miles into the trail I saw what looked like a grizzly about 200 yards above us on a mountain side. I pointed it out to Leslie to confirm what I was seeing and she agreed it was a grizzly. After looking at it a bit more, I was positive it was just a big brown log. Then it turned its head and looked straight at us. It was enormous. I told David to hike fast, Leslie then exclaimed “Hey! I’m not going to get left behind!” and took the lead (it’s important to note that David hiking fast is near impossible to keep up with). Needless to say we made great progress the next few miles and never saw the bear again. Leslie’s comment: “I’ve never been so scared of something so far away from me!”
We met up with Nomad and began hiking in the snow as we ascended the pass. We walked between two beautiful alpine lakes that were beginning to thaw. The powder blue cracked ice filled each of the lakes with interesting jagged angles like broken glass. We navigated through the trees and slowly found our route. Suddenly heard a shout from Nomad, he did a major posthole with his entire leg in the snow. The bigger they are the harder they fall when it comes to post holing and we were thankful that Nomad didn’t get hurt.
I spotted Zuddha near the pass crossing the last and highest snowfield before the pass. We determined our route through the snow and trail to the high snowfield and began climbing to increasingly majestic views of the twin lakes and surrounding peaks. The wind started again and it was very strong. We had to use our technique of stopping during the gusts- even when we were on rocky trail with no snow! When we reached the high exposed snowfield Leslie decided to use crampons with her worn out Chaco Sandals. Crampons are basically a tool that adds spiked traction to shoes or boots. Our crampons are four point steel crampons that are strapped onto our shoes for additional traction in snow or ice. David crossed the 100 yard snowfield just behind Nomad, who offered encouragement to David and guidance.
Leslie and I teamed up with Leslie following me across. Since Leslie is scared of heights, our strategy was that I would take steps four at a time. She would then say, “Wait." or "Go.” and then I would take 4 more. While we waited for Nomad and David to cross, we recognized a pattern with the wind- when there were clouds overhead it was windy and when the sky was blue overhead it was not. Since the sky was littered with clouds, we waited for a blue patch and then took off- hoping our assessment was accurate. Because of Leslie’s fear of heights, a 100 yard snowfield at this height and steepness would normally take her about 15 minutes, but Leslie was so comfortable in the crampons that with every fourth step I took she just said “Go!”, “Go!”, “Go!”, “Go!”. We almost ran across that snowfield, stopping only twice because of the lactic acid that built up in Leslie’s quads. A very different experience than in the past! At the top we paused for pictures and enjoyed the views. David spotted a moose swimming across an alpine lake on the other side of the pass in the valley below. As we started walking down we saw two marmots, mating? Kissing? Fighting?
We continued descending the other side, which had minimal snowfields- both in size and quantity. They weren’t even noteworthy except for the fact that Leslie actually fell and hyper extended her right knee. Fortunately, I was waiting 2 feet away when it happened and caught her mid-fall- preventing the situation from being any worse than it already was. She screamed in pain for about 10 or 15 seconds and then got quiet. She had already hyper extended her left knee, which hadn’t yet healed, and now she had hurt her right knee. By the end of the day, her right knee would swell in two places, both the width of a baseball and about an inch tall. After she got quiet, she just looked at me, sighed, shrugged her shoulders and said “Well, nothing to do except hike”, and we continued down the trail without another word. During our descent we started talking about the very real possibility of food at the Two Medicine Campground and the camp store. Moose Drool beer, ice cream and hot dogs were at the top of the list. We continued hiking until we reached Two Medicine Campground, reported the bear to the Ranger Station and then went to the store where all of our dreams came true, we gorged ourselves and sat next to the fire with Nomad. The fire place was huge, at least 5 times the size of a regular fireplace with beautiful stonework and huge logs. When we were warm and satiated we went back to our camp and slept.

DAY 11
We had completed the toughest portion of our hike through Glacier. This alone had been a trip of a lifetime with some of the most spectacular views and rugged mountains I have ever experienced. The hike today required us to hike up to “Scenic Point”, which was just that, and descends through the Blackfoot Indian Reservation and back into East Glacier where we started. Leslie was excited about no snow and David was ready to get up high again. There was only one small snowfield that we traversed and then after hitting the high point we descended into beautiful valleys of wildflowers. We then hiked through a marshy and muddy trail and finally came out at East Glacier. We decided to stay at the Backpackers Inn again and were greeted by a new set of thru-hikers. Suge, Blister and Jerome were there and we all had dinner together. They were all experienced thru-hikers except for Jerome. Jerome had traveled here from France to see the Rockies and hike the CDT. We then went to bed with the plan of slack packing the next day.

DAY 12
We hitched out of East Glacier to Marias Pass and hiked 15 miles back to East Glacier. Because we weren’t camping anywhere and planned to stay again at the Backpackers Inn we had very little weight and traveled fast. The hike was uneventful and lacked the scenery that we were spoiled with in Glacier. We did our chores when we returned and met Jared another thru-hiker who was only 17 years old, was hiking alone, and this was his first trail.