Starting south from the Canadian border will take you directly into the National Park and backcountry camping permit system. I was lucky enough to get advance permission and a good selection of campsites that allowed me to spend 7 days in a row, averaging about 15 miles a day, while I get used to the elevation.
Arriving at Luna Base Camp a day early meant I could walk to the ranger station and pick up my permit, and also complete my day 7 route (this would come in handy later). This gave me my first solo hiking experience in grizzly bear country, so I kept an eye out for sounds in the bushes, while having my bear spray ready. All I saw was old bear scat. With the permit successfully obtained, I hitchhiked back to East Glacier with a couple of local workers who had just finished for the day.
Friends and Tramily
Looking Glass Base Camp (affectionately known as Luna) was a hive of activity, with hikers preparing to start like me, and others just finishing up their first week and resupplying to continue further south. I met up with two hikers who had agreed to accompany me with my permit (you can have a maximum of 4 people per permit): Bumbleberry and Long Story. This would be an immediate Tramily at least for the first week as we would be hiking and camping together through the Glacier.
Additionally, there were about a dozen other people setting out on the same path as us and along a similar route, who we crossed paths with daily and became friends very quickly. There followed a lot of shared stories, hiking history and conversations about routes and alternatives that were hoped to be achieved. It was also surprising to hear how many hikers had met in previous years on other trails, which shows how small the hiking community is.
Waterfalls and river crossings
Glacier National Park reminded me a lot of the Swiss Alps, with numerous alpine-style streams and waterfalls, driven by melting snow from the high peaks. The park’s trails are very well maintained, particularly on popular trails and near trailheads. If you go a few more kilometers, the maintenance will become less and less, with a lot of brush and streams that are crossed by jumping instead of having bridges. Occasionally they proved too deep to even use rocks to cross, with no option but to walk straight through them – cold but refreshing!
Lifting and Passing
Most days followed a similar pattern, starting with a few kilometers along a valley or lake, followed by a climb up a mountain pass, then down the other side and to the next campsite. Ascents were between 750 m and 950 m (2,500 ft-3,000 ft) and passes generally at 2,300 m (7,500 ft). No snow on the summits, but definitely snow on the climbs and descents that needed negotiation, and I was grateful to have microspikes in one section.
Wildlife and other animals
Spending a week in nature really allows you to get close to nature and immerse yourself in a way that you don’t normally have the opportunity to do. There are a wide variety of birds that were unfamiliar to me, but other hikers recognized their songs or colors. Eagles flew in circles high on the mountain peaks. Ground squirrels scampered among the bushes and rocks. The cutest, by far, were the furry marmots, which live at the top of mountain passes and seemed curious to observe passersby.
We also saw our first grizzly on day 2. In the distance, across a meadow, he looked at us and then continued doing bear things because he decided we weren’t a threat (or food). 400 meters away, but close enough for me! The highlight was the fourth night while we were camping next to Red Eagle Lake where we got to see a young moose who ran into the lake and enjoyed splashing in the water.
I must also mention the cute cat (Spartacus) and dog (Artemis) at Luna’s!
The weather changes
After 5 beautiful days, day 6 started off wet and got progressively worse as the day progressed. That day, the mountain pass was completely covered in clouds and the wind picked up a lot in the afternoon.
The day culminated with a wide and deep river crossing just to make sure it was completely wet. Luckily, I had already completed my day 7 route earlier, so I headed back to Luna’s to dry off. Now we take a zero day to rest and resupply, then onto the Bob!
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