Day 147 - Continental Divide Trail - Many Glacier Campground to CDT Northern Terminus at Chief Mountain

Day: 147

Date: Monday, 30 September 2024

Start:  Many Glacier Campground 

Finish:  Continental Divide Trail Northern Terminus at Chief Mountain.

Daily Kilometres:  33.7

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  4211.0 (=2617 Miles)

Weather:  Very cold to cool and mostly sunny.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/Muesli

  Lunch:  Protein bars/Trail mix

  Dinner:  Patty melt & fries/Meatloaf & fries, ice cream.

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - right knee still painful.

Highlight:  Completing our 4200 kilometre (2600 mile) journey along the Continental Divide Trail.  We had very mixed feelings - a sense of accomplishment, sadness that the adventure is over, gladness that the hardships and deprivations are done, thankfulness that the journey was completed without major mishap, wonder at the sights we have seen, people we have met, and experiences we have had, and anticipation of what comes next (tbd).

Dave is now unofficially a Triple Crowner, having completed the three iconic US long-distance trails - Appalachian Trail (1986 & 2023), Pacific Crest Trail (2017), Continental Divide Trail (2024).  Julie just has the PCT to complete.

Lowlight:  It was very cold around dawn, probably the coldest we have been on the entire hike.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke at 3am and were hiking by 4am, thankful that it was dry and the wind of yesterday had largely abated.

The first three hours were spent climbing steadily to the Ptarmigan Tunnel (7200’) in the predawn darkness by headlamp.  When we reached the tunnel entrance, we took our breakfast break and watched the magnificent mountain scenery to the south of us, jagged peaks and some snow patches, be gradually illuminated by the rising sun.  It was very cold and we were glad to get moving around 7:30am by passing through the 200 metre rough rock-hewn foot tunnel to the north side of the Ptarmigan Wall.

There, a whole new fantastic mountain vista awaited us.  A platform had been cut into the sheer rock wall as had a walkway along the cliff face.  We began our descent, being careful where we put our feet in a few places where there had been rockfalls.  It was a long way straight down if there was a slip.  Despite this, we moved as quickly as we could to try and warm up, occasionally stopping for photographs of the awesome scenery with shaking fingers.

It took a long time to descend into the treeline where it was a little warmer, though we were very unhappy to find that the National Park had removed a footbridge for the winter and we had to wade across the icy cold Belly River at Elizabeth Lake.  We were even more unhappy when we had to wade across the same river an hour later because a second bridge had been removed.

Apart from the river crossings, however, it was a beautiful day for our our last day of hiking on the CDT.  The sun shone, the jagged and sheer mountains towered above us, the autumn colours were everywhere, Including a yellow-leaf-carpeted trail in many places, and there was little wind.

Our last miles for the day were uphill, but the forest was so beautifully peaceful and the trail so good, we barely noticed.

At 2:50pm, we reached the trailhead and walked the very short distance down to the US border post where the friendly Customs and Border Patrol officer was happy for us, including Rob who had been waiting patiently for us at the trailhead, to cross to the obelisks marking the border between the US and Canada to take some celebratory photographs.  This happened to be the last day this border crossing is open for the year.

We were very happy to finish, but relished the experiences we had had on our trek.

Rob then drove us to Kalispell, a large town to the west of Glacier National Park, where we all had a motel booked and we later had a celebratory dinner at a nearby bar.  Tomorrow morning, Rob will drive us to the local airport where we have a rental car booked which we will drive to Los Angeles.  From there, we fly home on the weekend.

Another adventure ends.

Day 146 - Continental Divide Trail - Reynolds Creek Campground to Many Glacier Campground.

Day: 146

Date: Sunday, 29 September 2024

Start:  Reynolds Creek Campground 

Finish:  Many Glacier Campground

Daily Kilometres:  27.4

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  4177.3

Weather:  Cold, windy and overcast with occasional light showers.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/Muesli

  Lunch:  Protein bars/Trail mix 

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - painful knee after a fall (see below).

Highlight:  More spectacular mountain scenery on the climb to, and descent from, Piegan Pass (7574’).  Although low cloud hid the tops of some of the jagged and sheer-sided mountains, most were still visible as were some glaciers and large snow patches.

Lowlight:  The weather gods were not shining on us today.  Sara, the Swiss CDT hiker who was in the same campsite as us last night, had said the weather forecast was for strengthening winds during the day and it would be a good idea to get over Piegan Pass as early as possible.

The wind did strengthen on the way up but, on the way down it was terrifying.  Both of us were blown off our feet at various times, both sustaining knee injuries.  Dave's looked worse, perhaps thanks to being on blood thinners, but Julie's seems more serious, slowing her down in the latter part of the day and she's now taking some anti-inflammatories.

If that wasn't enough, when we finally reached camp and were about to eat dinner, a mix of sleet and snow began to fall.  It was miserable.  Must be time to finish the trail.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were hiking, along with Rob, by 7am.  However, thanks to the policy of the Glacier National Park (GNP) of removing some bridges for the winter, we first had to ford a very cold Reynolds Creek in our sandals before donning our boots/shoes.

The first half hour was spent climbing steadily up to where the trail crossed the Going to the Sun Road.  Rob had left his car here and he switched to a day pack before joining us for the long climb up to Piegan Pass.  The higher we went, the more the weather deteriorated, though it didn't seem to bother Rob, a Scot, who felt right at home.  The views from above the treeline were fantastic and we could see many peaks and some glaciers beneath the forbidding skies.

At the Pass, Rob turned around for the walk back to his car and we continued on.  Tomorrow, Rob will do a day hike of his own and then, very generously, meet us at the northern terminus of the CDT at the Chief Mountain border crossing into Canada, before driving us to Kalispell where we will pick up a hire car on Tuesday.

After farewelling Rob, we began our descent from the Pass which turned into a very slow, very stressful and, at times, terrifying journey.  We knew the only way to get out of the diabolical wind was to descend below the treeline, but we had to go extremely slowly, sometimes sitting down to avoid being blown over.  Fortunately, there were not very steep drop-offs so a fatal fall was unlikely, but the rocks were sharp and the slope significant so a fall was likely to result in injury, as happened to both of us.

Despite all this, we were still in awe of the wild scenery, witnessed in such wild conditions.  Eventually, we did get into the trees, which was such a relief, though there were still sections exposed to the wind.  To top it off for Dave, he slipped on a wet rock crossing a stream and ended up with himself and his pack partially in the water for some time before he was able to extract himself.

On our way down we met a southbound CDT thru-hiker who is attempting to hike all three long-distance trails - Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide - in one calendar year.  That's a total distance of around 12000km (7500 miles).  He has just three months to hike what has just taken us nearly five months!

The lower we got, the safer the conditions and the last kilometres of the day were alongside two beautiful lakes, Josephine and Swiftcurrent.  We reached our goal, the Many Glacier Campground, around 5pm in bleak conditions.  Many Glacier is a tourist hub in GNP, but is now closed for the winter.  The chalet, motel, cabins and store are all closed.  An area had been set aside for CDT hikers in the vast campground which is empty, apart from the Swiss/Canadian couple and ourselves.   The water has been switched off, so Julie had to collect some from the nearby Creek for dinner, and all the toilets are locked apart from one pit toilet.  It's a forlorn place, especially with the wind howling and a mix of sleet and snow falling every now and then.

We are hoping conditions improve overnight as we are planning a very early start tomorrow for our last day on the trail.

Day 145 - Continental Divide Trail - Red Eagle Lake to Reynolds Creek Campground

Day: 145

Date: Saturday, 28 September 2024

Start:  Red Eagle Lake 

Finish:  Reynolds Creek Campground

Daily Kilometres:  25.3

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  4149.9

Weather:  Cold early then mild and mostly sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/Muesli

  Lunch:  Protein bars/Trail mix 

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  For much of the morning the trail ran alongside, but high above, Saint Mary Lake, through lovely forest with magnificent views across the pristine lake to the jagged mountains on the other side.

Lowlight:  Nothing in particular.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke at 6am and, on his way to the privy, Dave met a full-size moose on the trail which casually walked off and was later silhouetted by the dawn light grazing in the lake shallows.  Magic!

We were hiking by soon after 7am on a cool morning under clear skies, but the surrounding mountains prevented any sunlight from reaching us for another hour or two.  We followed the Red Eagle Creek downstream through long-burnt forest with the sun gradually illuminating the rocky escarpment to our left.

After crossing the creek, the trail took us along the shore of Saint Mary Lake and we had magnificent views (see above).  There was no wind today, which was a very welcome change.  It was a perfect day for hiking.  As we neared the western end of the lake there were some spectacular waterfalls and just after the falls at Virginia Creek we met, coming the other way, our friend, Rob.

Rob has kindly arranged to be in Glacier National Park to coincide with our finish of the CDT as part of a trip to the West Coast and will be at the Canadian border to pick us up when we finish the trail on Monday afternoon.  He hiked some of the Pacific Crest Trail with Dave in 2017 and also joined us for some days on the Appalachian Trail last year.  We were very pleased to see him and he is camped with us tonight.

We reached our campsite, along with Rob, around 3pm and had a lazy afternoon catching up on each other's news.

While we all had dinner, we had an interesting chat with the Swiss/Canadian CDT hikers we first met on the trail a few days ago.  Then, just as we were about to retire to our tents, another CDT hiker, Snazzy, arrived in camp.  He had started the CDT the same day as us back on the Mexican border nearly five months ago and we hadn't seen him since.  It was good to see he was still going and he seemed pleased to see us.  We didn't get time to catch up with him, but we'll probably be staying on the same campsite tomorrow night so will see him then.

Day 144 - Continental Divide Trail - Morning Star Lake to Red Eagle Lake

Day: 144

Date: Friday, 27 September 2024

Start:  Morning Star Lake

Finish:  Red Eagle Lake

Daily Kilometres:  23.2

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  4149.9

Weather:  Cold to cool and partly sunny with a strong and blustery wind.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/Muesli

  Lunch:  Protein bars/Trail mix 

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  The climb up and over Triple Divide Pass (7376’) on well-engineered trail that gave us dress-circle views of the precipitous mountain scenery was memorable. Below us were alpine lakes and we could see some spectacular waterfalls coming down from the heights.

Lowlight:  The gusty wind that had blown yesterday and all night continued today and, when we were above the treeline, made the hiking unpleasant.  For much of the climb up to the Triple Divide Pass, very strong wind gusts seemed to be determined to blow us off the trail and down the steep slope to our left.  We frequently had to stop and brace ourselves to avoid that fate.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We slept in, knowing we had a short day, and didn't start hiking until 7:45am.  The location of the backcountry campsites in Glacier National Park (GNP) and the distances between them have determined our itinerary through the Park.  After a long day yesterday, we have three relatively short days before a longer day on Monday to finish the trail.

Even though it was a short day today, Dave was still fatigued from yesterday's big day and this showed on the 2000’ climb to Triple Divide Pass, buffeted by strong winds the whole way.  So, progress was slow, but the views, which seemed to change around every bend, were breathtaking and well worth the slow climb.

Once we crossed the Pass and began our descent, the wind did not let up until we eventually dropped below the treeline.  Then it was just very windy!

The trail below the treeline was a little overgrown, but generally good quality and we made better time.  We passed more waterfalls along the way and the autumn foliage was beautiful.  Lower down we had to cross two rivers on suspension bridges, the second of which was very sketchy.

We reached Red Eagle Lake and our campsite around 4:30pm, a very unusual and welcome early finish to a hiking day, and set up camp.  We are the only people staying here.  The GNP backcountry campsites have designated clearings for tents, and another clearing, perhaps with some logs for sitting, for cooking and eating away from the tent sites (in case bears pick up the dinner scent), and generally a privy (long-drop toilet).

We had an early dinner, after which, Julie went for a kilometre walk to another campsite at the other end of the lake where we knew another CDT northbound couple (one Swiss and one Canadian) we had met yesterday were camping, to have a chat and find out what their plans were for the next couple of days.

Then we had a welcome early night.

Day 143 - Continental Divide Trail - East Glacier Park to Morning Star Lake

Day: 143

Date: Thursday, 26 September 2024

Start:  East Glacier Park MT 

Finish:  Morning Star Lake

Daily Kilometres:  37.4

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  4126.7

Weather:  Cold, with some light rain/hail in the morning then partly sunny and very windy all day, particularly in the morning.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Egg mayonnaise sandwiches

  Lunch:  Meat & cheese wraps

  Dinner:  Protein bars

Aches:  Dave - very tired and the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  The spectacular mountain scenery.  Almost all day we had clear views of the mountains of Glacier National Park which seem impossibly steep and jagged, towering over forested valleys and alpine lakes.

Lowlight:  The wind has made the day memorable.  In the morning, as we crossed over Two Medicine Pass (7411’), the wind was so strong it was literally blowing us off our feet.  At times we were clinging to the ground or cliffside to prevent being blown away.  When we did make progress, we looked like bizarre folk dancers, taking unplanned sideways or backwards steps in an effort to stay upright.  It was tiring and slow progress.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We left our motel at 6:15am and began hiking out of town on a bleak morning.  It had been raining and was still spitting a bit, and it was cold, dark and the wind was blowing hard.  We knew we had a long hard day in front of us and our motel room had been warm and dry.  Dave was ready for our journey to be over, but we still have five days to go.

Our mood didn't improve as we left the roads to follow overgrown and narrow wet trail by headlamp up to the boundary of Glacier National Park.  Soon Julie's feet were wet and cold.

The trail quality did improve in the Park and we climbed steadily and, occasionally, steeply towards our first pass of the day, Two Medicine (7411’).  The views were spectacular but the increasing strength of the wind as we gained height often made it too hard to stand still to admire the views or take photographs.  This was particularly true at the high point and as we followed a ridge northwards (see above).  We were very happy to start our switchbacking descent towards Two Medicine Lake though the wind still made it challenging.  On the way we met some longhorn sheep that did not seem too bothered by our presence.

Down at the Lake there were lots of tourists and some primary school groups.  We found a picnic table partly out of the wind and had lunch.

After lunch we hiked along nice trail following Dry Fork Creek upstream, mostly through pretty forest with the autumn foliage of some trees and undergrowth contrasting with the deep green of the evergreen pines.  On either side were the sheer sides of jagged mountains.

Eventually we crossed Pitamakan Pass (7631’) with more superb views then descended to Morning Star Lake where we camped at around 7:45pm.  It was getting dark and Dave was very tired (over 5500' of ascent today) so we didn't bother with a cooked dinner and had an early night.  We can hear some large unidentified (so far) animals moving through the forest around where we are camped.

Day 142 - Continental Divide Trail - East Glacier Park MT

Day: 142

Date: Wednesday, 25 September 2024

Start:  East Glacier Park MT

Finish:  East Glacier Park MT 

Daily Kilometres:  0.0

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her run today.

Total Kilometres:  4089.3

Weather:  Cool to mild, mostly sunny and breezy.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Omelette, hash browns, toast & jam/Scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, choc chip pancake.

  Lunch:  Ham & salad rolls

  Dinner:  Cheeseburgers & fries, icecream 

Aches:  Nothing reported.

Highlight:  Not only did we get all of the backcountry campsites we wanted when Dave went to the Glacier National Park (GNP) Office in St Mary this morning but, while midway through the booking process, GNP management decided that the famous Ptarmigan Tunnel (for hikers), which was scheduled to close tomorrow (a couple of days before we would get there) would now.remain open for a further week.

Lowlight:  Although the weather forecast for GNP for the next week is good for hiking and sightseeing, tonight and tomorrow have a very strong wind warning.  The ranger who made our booking warned that wind speeds could reach 100kph (60mph) tomorrow in two of the high passes we have to cross.  Not looking forward to that.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Dave's 7am shuttle driver to the GNP Office at St Mary, 50km away, didn't arrive until nearly 7:30am, but he drove fast.  He was a member of the Blackfeet Tribe and a good conversationalist so the journey to and from the GNP Office was very pleasant with the bonus of magnificent scenery on a fantastically clear morning.

At the GNP Office, Dave was able to book the campsites we wanted in the park (see above), despite GNP IT system failures which ended with him paying in cash and getting a hand-written permit.

While Dave was getting the permits, Julie went out for a longer run than usual, carrying bear spray.  Grizzly bears are prevalent in GNP with one of our preferred campsites closed because of bear activity and a hiker attacked by a grizzly in the park last week.  It was driven off by his hiking companions with bear spray.  Apparently grizzlies are very active at present as part of their pre-hibernation “feeding frenzy”!

Anyway, Julie survived her run and we had a late breakfast at the same cafe as yesterday after Dave returned from St Mary.

The rest of the day was spent packing for our last five days hiking and on laundry as well as relaxing in front of the TV (Dave) or reading or dozing (Julie).

We likely have a long and tough day tomorrow to reach our booked backcountry campsite in GNP, so ate early at another nearby restaurant and had an early night.

Day 141 - Continental Divide Trail - East Glacier Park

Day: 141

Date: Tuesday, 24 September 2024

Start:  East Glacier MT

Finish:  East Glacier MT

Daily Kilometres:  0.0

GPX Track:  Click here and here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her run and walk today.

Total Kilometres:  4089.3

Weather:  Cool early then mild and mostly sunny.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Omelette, hash browns, toast & jam/Scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, blueberry pancakes.

  Lunch:  Meat & cheese subs.

  Dinner:  Nachos, icecream 

Aches:  Nothing reported.

Highlight:  Lazy relaxing day.

Lowlight:  Dave tried six different possible shuttle drivers/companies to organise an early ride to the Glacier National Park Visitor Center in St Mary, 50km away, tomorrow morning to book our backcountry campsites for the next leg of our journey.  It opens at 7:30am.  Campsites are allocated on a first-come first-served basis on the day of, or the day before, you enter the park, so it is desirable to be there early.

The response of the companies/drivers contacted varied - some didn't respond, some weren't available and some were outrageously priced.  Finally, one offered to do it at a less outrageous price.  Hopefully they turn up at 7am as.promised.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Julie went for a dawn run and then we both walked to a nearby cafe for a nice American breakfast.

For much of the rest of the day, Dave hung out in the motel room doing planning and admin while Julie looked around town and went for a walk in the afternoon.

East Glacier apparently originated as a railway town, but is now more of a tourist stop for visitors to Glacier National Park.  A large percentage of the population are Native Americans of the Blackfeet Tribe.  It is a good place for hikers as there are various eateries and the town is compact.

Last night, Julie accepted an invitation (to both of us) to join some of the other CDT hikers for a drink back at the Mexican restaurant where we had earlier had dinner.  Dave opted out.  Tonight we joined some of the same hikers back there for a very convivial dinner.  Everybody is proud of what they have done and savoured the experience, but looking forward to their last days on the trail and moving on to the next thing in their lives.