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.
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