Hiking Report: Highline and Grinnel Lookout

Today I hiked the Highline Trail with a friend.

 Wildflowers carpeted the mountainsides. I found a few handfuls of Huckleberries too!

 

Notice where the chalet sits. From where we were standing the Garden Wall trail climbed steeply to the Grinnel Glacier overlook!

My friend didn't have the energy to get up here so I did it solo. I hiked up to the notch and up along the ridge line up to near the peak.

I met an older fella up there who challenged me to climb to the top of a peak along the ridge line. I declined, but got him to snag a photo for me before I made the climb down.

My back gave me some trouble earlier in the week so at this point I was hurtin'!

 Here you can see the Garden Wall Trail which led me to the Grinnel Overlook.

We hiked along the wall that spans the picture. The Overlook was a mile or so to the left of the picture. Today we parked at the Apgar Transit Station and took a free shuttle bus to Logan Pass. We hike the trail coming out at the Loop Trailhead. From here we caught a bus back to Apgar. It reduced wear on our vehicle and made the precarious ride easy. We never waited more than 15 min for a bus! I hiked a total of around 13 miles in just over five hours.

Going Through Glacier Pictures!

I take way too many photos when I head out into the wilds. While I went through the files I found a few really cool shots.

Marmot!

 

 The roar, the jump, and the splash!

 Pretty Flowers!

Hiking Trip Report: I Gotta Get Out Fishing Soon

After a marathon week of outdoor fun we capped it off with a hike to Twin Lakes at Jewel Basin. We brought a little fishing gear but these lakes showed no signs of life.

The first 2 miles was characterized by steep switchbacks and beautiful views of Flathead Lake and Valley. After passing over the ridge we were greeted by the interior mountains of the Swan Range.

 Just over the ridge is the lake...and lots of wildflowers!

These things look like Dr. Suess trees.

Beautiful views but no fishes.
 
We haven't seen many bear on the trails this year but wildlife has been abundant. This is one of around a dozen mountain goats hanging out and grazing on the shoreline.

I can't wait to get out hiking again but for now bring on the fishes!

Hiking Trip Report: Mount Brown Lookout Tower

Today a friend and I hiked up to the Mount Brown Lookout Tower in Glacier Nat'l Park. 

 We hike 1.6 miles to the trailhead, then 3.4 miles strait up!

 One of my friends recommended that we take this hike. After admiring the views for a bit I started looking around at the lookout. I found a fire service log book that hikers use as a guest book. I opened the book to about half way and began reading the entries. At the bottom of the first page I saw my friends name and the name of the person he hiked it with almost a year earlier!

 This was by far the hardest hike I have ever done. We were spurred on by loads of huckleberries along the trails 5 miles of moderate to steep switchbacks. We met very few people on the trail. We made it to the top in 3 hours of grueling hiking. We got to the bottom in 1.5 hours! 

Stay Tuned: We'll be heading out to the Jewel Basin again tomorrow!

Cliff Diving

 The staircase up and the quick way down!

 I did a few dives and my buddy perfected the pencil jump!

 This lake gets down to 492 feet deep!

Hiking Trip Report: More Hiking From Logan Pass

Today the wife, a friend, and I decided to hike the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park.

No. We did not have an ice axe, crampons, or the skill to use those items. No boots, map, compass or route finding skills either!

 This trail was quite precarious but there was a garden hose mounted to the side of the rock for us to hold onto when things got sketchy.

Pump the brakes and drive slow homey!

 That's Lake McDonald nestled between the mountains.

That's the Chalet 7.6 miles from the trailhead. After taking a leak at the Chalet we hiked an additional 4.0 miles down the loop trail to the loop. We finished tired, but excited to get out again!