The group was:- Joyce,
- Kristan
- Dave (Kristan's husband)
- Kareem (a relative of Joyce and Kristan)
- Sue Ann
- me
It wasn't till 7 am that Joyce and her husband picked me up. We left Dave and Kristan's pickup at the Lake McDonald Lodge parking lot (our destination) and all of us squeezed into Joyce's car and drove to our starting point. We never started our hike until 9:15 am as we had to drive over Logan Pass to the east side.
While the weather forecast called for wind and a 20% chance of rain, especially in Glacier Park, the morning dawned bright and clear. By the time we reached Logan Pass we were in the clouds as a backdoor cold front was pushing west over the Continental Divide. Driving down the east side of the Pass was like driving in pea soup.
As we prepared for the hike it was trying to drizzle. We couldn't see Jackson Glacier as the view to the glacier, and the valley we would hike in, were in clouds that looked to be heavy with rain. Joyce's husband, who wasn't doing the hike, thought we were crazy and we would get wet.
Sue Ann got concerned about the weather and decided not to go on the hike. She rode back with Joyce's husband. No one really tried to talk Sue Ann into changing her mind to come with us. Without Sue Ann along this hike was fairly quiet.
Dave wasn't too enthused by the hike but decided to go if his wife was going. Or that is what he said. Some of us teased him that he really preferred to hike 20 miles instead of spending another hour in a car with Sue Ann as she talks and talks, and talks.
I was glad I decided to wear long pants instead of cutoff jeans. Everyone wore long pants except Kareem. He was 18 and male. He said he was fine. Okay.... Joyce and Kristan tried to give him an extra sweater to wear but he refused. You know... 18 and male.
Kareem hadn't really hiked before. But he recently joined the Army and his enlistment starts in November. He plans on being a tank operator. He decided to go on this hike to help get in shape before basic training. By the time the hike was over he regretted it. The hike I mean. His legs were cramping up on him the last few miles and he was cold going over the Pass. His feet were also killing him. I told him that when things got tough during Basic Training to think back on this hike and how remember how hard things could be.
The start of the hike was downhill a good distance. I was in the lead with Kareem following me. After almost two miles I stopped at Deadwood Falls and the others caught up, then passed me as I took photos.
When I caught up to them I learned that Kareem had hiked on far ahead of the group. They were concerned as he was alone and bears could be about. I hiked on up ahead and found Kareem sitting by the St Mary River eating a can of beans he had opened. We chatted - and I warned him about the others' concern about bears - until the others caught up to us.
We met a solitary backpacker on his way out. He had camped at Gunsight Lake with friends and the previous day they had hiked up to Jackson Glacier. I made a mental note to do that hike next year.
I learned that the side trail to Florence Falls was only .6 mile. This was the falls the group planned to see last Spring but turned back because of rain concerns. Come to think of it, Sue Ann was the one who decided to turn back. Do I detect a pattern here?This was my last chance this year to see the falls. Joyce had seen it before, and the others didn't want to add 1.2 miles to the 20 miles we had to hike. I decided to hike to the falls and then catch up to the others.
Up the trail I went. A quarter of the way to the falls I realized I could leave my daypack as I would be returning this way. It was faster hiking without carrying the bag of food. No one else was on the trail.
Florence Falls is nice, even though the water level was low. The falls were tall, but were a series of falls as the rocks 'stepped' out down the mountain side. I took plenty of photos then quickly returned to the main trail and quickly hiked to join the others.
The first photo shows fresh scat on the trail to Florence Falls. Fortunately this was not bear scat. I was the only person on the trail to Florence Falls and occasionally in the thick vegetation I called out "Hey bear! Hey bear!" to warn any bears I was in the area.
The second photo shows the clouds and mountains. Sign of things to come.
The third photo shows the typical bridge across creeks. This one was new as it probably was damaged or washed away during last November's torrential rains.
A solitary backpacker was hiking and was lost in thought so I startled him when I asked how far the others were ahead of me. He said a quarter mile as they were at Gunsight Lake. His sense of mileage was off as it was more than a quarter mile hike to the lake.
When I reached the lake the others were starting up the mountain side and Kristan shouted "Hello!" at me. From the lake the trail ascends steadily to the Gunsight Pass. I was hungry from my effort to catch them so I stopped to eat.
The first photo shows the large rock upon which I climbed to take the previous photo of Gunsight Lake. The rock was much taller than me.
When I started up the mountainside I heard bear bells. Tourists.
Soon I caught up to the slow moving backpackers. Initially I thought it was a young woman and a homely young man. It turns out they were both women. The homely one never spoke, while the attractive one and I chatted. She thought it was "so cool" for us to hike this trail as a day hike and we were so lucky to live here. They were from Provo, Utah and she loved hiking in Glacier. They were camping at all four back country camp sites on the trail.They were slow hikers and while I had seen my group ahead I lost them while I hiked with the woman and chatted. Of course I got teased about this once I caught up to my group.
As I climbed to catch my group the trail went up into the clouds. It wasn't long before I lost sight of Gunsight Lake far below. Whenever the trail went around a bend the view ahead was into the white.
At one point the trail was all torn up. A grizzly bear had gone after a marmot or ground squirrel and had ripped up rocks in an effort to catch it. I was told grizzly bears do this because black bears don't make the effort to catch the squirrels. I caught up to my group before Gunsight Pass. (elevation 6946 ft)
At the pass was a rock shelter. Unexpected and very welcome as the wind picked up something fierce when we reached the pass. It also started to rain.
Inside were four other people. A young man and woman backpacking to Lake Ellen Wilson on the west side of the pass, and two middle aged men from Mississippi backpacking to Gunsight Lake east of the pass. The wind was blowing strongly from the east so I felt sorry for the people hiking east.
Everyone from our group was inside the shelter including Kareem. The men from Mississippi looked to be dressed for winter with their heavy duty gore-tex rain suits with hats and gloves. They were amazed that we all were hiking the trail as a day hike, and even more amazed at Kareem and I due to how we were dressed. Kareem in short pants and a sweatshirt and me with a t-shirt and my "map of the world" windbreaker.
"Aren't you cold?!!!"
I told them I wasn't. "I think it is because I was born and raised in North Dakota and I have Ukrainian and Norwegian blood in me."
They were so amazed at us that they took several photos of us to show their friends back home in Mississippi.
The walls of the shelter were thick rocks and the only light was from a small window to the east. Still one knew a storm raged outside, especially when someone would open the simple thin wooden door to come in or out.Our group quickly set about eating our lunch. It may be because I was chatting away yet again that I was still eating when the others wanted to cut our lunch short so as to continue on down the pass before the cold front got too far west. And we had many miles left to hike.
Before I left I ate my raw zucchini and the young woman backpacker asked in amazement what I was eating. She never knew anyone who ate raw zucchini.
Out we went into the howling wind and clouds and down the west side of the pass. Joyce lamented that we were not able to see the view which she claimed was gorgeous. Joyce has done this hike last year.
Down we went into the whiteness with only a view of the trail. Joyce was glad she had packed and brought her coat but wished she also would have brought her gloves. I put my hands in my windbreaker's pockets but I found as time went on my hands were getting cold even in the windbreaker's pockets. I had worn a baseball hat as with the weather forecast I didn't want to tempt a repeat of my nice straw hat blowing off another cliff. Even so, at times I thought my baseball cap was going to blow off my head.
Eventually we began to see the faint outline of Lake Ellen Wilson. As we rapidly descended the switchbacks we saw the lake more and more clearly. Above, back on the trail, it was solid white as the cloud fell down the pass.
Once we reached the lake we went around the east side to the north side then followed the lake west. As we went around the east side of the lake we crossed a waterfall that came from the Pass down to the lake. The back county campsite is mid-lake on the north side where a flat area pokes into the lake.
Joyce stopped to retie her shoes and it look a long time as she didn't have strength in her hands due to the cold we had passed through. I found that neither did I. The further west we traveled the less cold it was. By the time we reached the west end of the lake we saw blue skies and sun. Looking back to the pass we could see the enormous cloud flow down over the mountains and Gunsight Pass.
Leaving Lake Ellen Wilson we began to climb again to another (unnamed) pass. It wasn't as severe of a climb as the hike over Gunsight Pass.
Here are a series of photos looking west to show the clouds still try to reach us east from Gunsight Pass though we were some distance from it.
Before we reached the second pass I could see a mountain to the NW with a hole in it. Kristan said that twice a year the sun shines through the hole.
In the third photo you can see the clouds still trying to move west even though we are well past Lake Ellen Wilson.
South of the second pass is Lincoln Peak (elevation 7050 ft). Joyce and Kristan had climbed it in the past. They said they would wait up for me at Sperry Chalet below the pass so I decided to climb to the top.
Kareem had been waiting for us at the pass and I mentioned he should join me in the hike to the top of Lincoln Peak. He followed me but I quickly lost him. I later found he turned around soon after starting as his legs were cramping up on him.
Man, what great views from the top of Lincoln Peak!!! I could see back to Lake Ellen Wilson and the clouds coming down over the pass. Below me was Lincoln Lake. To the west I could see most of Lake McDonald. To the south I could see how the mountains and valleys went. This part of the park I hadn't hiked too much in because it was mainly trails in valleys. To the north and below was Sperry Chalet. I could see the trail that led up from the chalet to Sperry Glacier.
The first photo shows the unnamed pass as seen from the top of Lincoln Peak.
The next two photos are looking back at Lake Ellen Wilson.
More of Lake Ellen Wilson, and of Beaver Chief Falls. The last photo is of Lincoln Lake. A long ways down!!
Lake McDonald as seen from Lincoln Peak. I marked where the trail ended.
Photo 1 is of Lake McDonald and the valley down to the lake.
Photo 2 is of the Sperry backcountry campground at the pond.
Photo 3 shows Sperry Chalet from Lincoln Peak and the red X's mark the side trail up to Sperry Glacier. Kristan said one could also hike to the top of Gunsight Peak using that trail.
As seen from Lincoln Peak, on the left is Edwards Mountain and on the right Gunsight Mountain. The trail to Sperry Glacier is between the two mountains.
I wanted to stay on Lincoln Peak longer but the others were waiting for me. Once I reached Sperry Chalet they were ready to continue the hike. I had them go ahead as I wanted to walk around the buildings and check them out. It had been 10 years since I hiked up here and that was in late October. Back then snow had covered the ground the last mile or so of the hike, and seeing as how the sun set earlier in October and I had started that hike late, I had to quickly turn around to return. Even so I ended up hiking in the dark and wandered off the trail over to the horse corral.
I met the Park chalet caretaker who was preparing the buildings for winter. The prior Sunday was the last night the chalet was open. The buildings - other than the high tech outhouse - were closed so I wasn't able to go inside them.
The first two photos are of the sleeping quarters. The last photo is of the million dollar outhouse that uses solar power to decompose the waste.
Time had passed as I looked the buildings over and chatted with the caretaker. I hurried down the trail to catch the others. I did stop to look at the spot where the grizzly bear had dug a hole after a ground squirrel. Then quickly down the trail.
Photo 1: moss in Sprague Creek up near Sperry Chalet.
Photo 2: where the grizzly dug
Photo 3: looking back at Sperry Chalet
The top part of the trail is rocky and rough. I caught up to Joyce, Kristan, and Kareem halfway down the trail. By then the trail was in among the pine trees and had lost its rocks and was soft dirt and much nicer to hike on.Sperry Chalet to Lake MacDonald is 6.4 miles with an elevation loss of 2432 feet.
We had to stop every so often so Kareem could rest his aching legs. He so wanted a McDonalds hamburger which led to a discuss of the "Super Size Me" documentary and how bad McDonalds and fast food is for a person.
Dave was already at the pickup when we arrived. He so wanted to get to the pickup and have the hike be over. He was in a bit of a tired and cranky mood and regretted going on the hike. 20 miles was too much for a person who hadn't hiked in over three years.
We reached the pickup at 7:10 pm. So, no hiking in the dark this time. Our hiking time was about 10 hours for 20 miles for them and 21.5 miles for me. Not a bad time considering the elevation gain and loss and rough rocky trail in spots.
Lake McDonald as seen from two spots nearer the end of the trail.
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