We all know what its like
to plan a hike months in advance, and then wait in anticipation for the big
day to arrive. The excitement builds, and all of your planning begins to pay
off as the day draws near, and then you take your first step on a trail you
have only read about in books. That day came for us on July 18, 2003 when we
set out at 9:00am to hike the Gunsight Pass Trail up to the Sperry Chalet in
Glacier National Park. This 20 mile trail would prove to be through some of
the most scenic backcountry that the United States has to offer.
The sky above was a deep,
clear shade of blue and the sun was rising with the promise of a warm alpine
day. The three of us (Dar, Pick, and Weisey) set off from the Jackson Glacier
Overlook towards our goal for the night, that being the Sperry Chalet just
13.3 miles down the trail. We had booked a night at the Chalet several months
prior to our hike, and our only deadline was the ringing of the dinner bell at
6:00pm later that evening. Without a need to carry camping equipment, our
packs were nice and light, which made for more comfortable hiking. The
heaviest thing in each of our packs was our 70 ounce bladder of water, and of
course, the ever present photo equipment.
With every step on the
trail we distanced ourselves further from the rush of one of the most scenic
drives in the U.S.A, the Going-to-the-Sun Highway, and we brought ourselves
closer to the high country heaven of subalpine lakes, waterfalls, active
glaciers, and a myriad of wildlife. The beginning of Gunsight Pass takes you
for a brief descent to the valley floor where you meet up with the St. Mary
River. It was here that we also met up with a constant hiking companion, the
infuriating mosquito! We stopped for a brief time at Deadwood Falls and
applied liberal amounts of Deet to keep them at bay. They were especially bad
along this section of trail, due to the marshy forest along the river. Don’t
be caught without insect repellant in this area, and products with Deet seemed
to work the best. Perhaps because it was early in the hiking season, or maybe
it is just always like this, but the trail is quite narrow all through this
area. While hiking through these lower sections you will be crowded in by
towering stalks of Cow Parsnip. It is actually kind of fun, but at other times
a little unnerving, like when you remember you are in grizzly territory and
that you can’t really see very far in front of you! No worries though, just
sing a happy tune and make your presence known.
We soon found ourselves
crossing Reynolds Creek via a footbridge just below Deadwood Falls. It was
9:46am and we were happy with our progress thus far. We had just passed the
1.3 mile marker and were heading up a hill when I heard Pick say, “Wait a
minute! Something isn’t right!” Well, I of course thought at first a grizzly
was about to bite one of our head’s off, but then I quickly returned to the
land of level headed people to realize that Pick was throwing her backpack off
in a hurried manner. We rushed to her side to see what was wrong only to
realize that a minor disaster had occurred…her camelbak bladder had worked its
way loose from the attached hose and had leaked all over her pack and down her
backside! Well, it wasn’t the worst thing that could happen, but hey! We now
only had two 70 ounce bladders to share between the three of us over 12 more
miles. I know, I know, we should have brought a water filter, but
unfortunately it never occurred to us to pack one. Live and learn! Anyway, we
continued on up the trail making light of the fact that Pick was soaking wet,
and reveling in the thought that we would soon be further up on the ridge
where some sunshine could dry Pick off, and the views would open up.
At 10:50am we passed the
4.0 mile marker and the junction with the Florence Falls trail, from here the
trail climbs the east slope of Fusillade Mountain and indeed the views do open
up. Fantastic views of Mt. Jackson and Mt. Logan can be seen from the high
ridge. The sun was beating down hot on the trail, but Pick was finally
starting to dry off. It was unseasonably warm in Glacier during the summer of
2003, with temps in the mid-nineties even high up in the mountains. Luckily,
none of us were overly bothered by the heat. The views, by the way, were
absolutely amazing! Wildflowers were blooming everywhere, including profuse
displays of beargrass. Open, sweeping views of the mountain range were spread
out before us as we made our way to Gunsight Lake. It was 11:58am when we
reached the shores of this spectacular lake. One could not ask for a better
place to rest and eat lunch. We found a little trail through some bushes that
brought us to the edge of Gunsight Lake, where we each grabbed a rock on which
we laid out our individual picnics. We had now hiked 6.2 miles, but the
hardest climbs were yet to come. Knowing what lie ahead made that perfect rest
spot even more enjoyable. Just as we were finishing up our lunch, two gentlemen(Roger and Don) came walking down the trail towards the lake. We all
exchanged greetings and then shared a few trail stories. Roger and Don were
heading up to Lincoln Pass, and Don was worried about his fear of heights. We
offered our encouragement, and then asked if they would mind posing for a
picture by the lake. They happily posed for a portrait and we promised to make
them “famous” through our website. So if you guys are out there, we hope you
like your photo, and be sure to drop us an email! As we have said many times
before, you always meet the nicest people out on the trail!
The outlet of Gunsight
Lake is crossed via a cool, wooden suspension bridge and then the climb
begins! Gunsight Pass is 3.0 miles, and nearly 1,600 vertical feet away up the
slope of Mount Jackson. But, trust me, you won’t even notice the climb. The
views along this portion of the trail are unbelievable! To your right will be
a steep drop-off into a green valley and in its center will be the blue waters
of Gunsight Lake. Feeding into this nirvana are ribbons of snowmelt that are
virtually everywhere you look. These streamers cascade down the intricately
cut striations of Gunsight Mountain, its folded strata being a perfect example
of glacial carving. One thing that captured our attention more then the
outstanding views, was the snowfield that was blocking a large portion of the
trail. It covered the trail at about a 45 degree angle and was being severely
undercut by snowmelt. We had two choices: one, we could try to walk across the
snow and risk falling through or slipping and sliding down into that beautiful
green valley, or two, climb the scree field about 100 feet above the trail in
order to circumvent the snow and then climb back down to the other side.
Seeing as how we were not experienced in mountaineering and not wanting to win
any Darwin Awards at our demise, we opted to climb the scree field. As we
reached the top of the snowfield, three hikers below us donned crampons and
crossed the icy snow. They made it with no problems, and so did we, at about
the same pace. Continuing on along the proper trail we passed several rushing,
seasonal, waterfalls which were great for cooling the tired hiker. Our next
stop was the shelter cabin, sans roof, that sits at Gunsight Pass. Below us,
sparkling in the sun, was Lake Ellen Wilson. It was now 2:54pm and we had
hiked 9.2 miles. Everyone was holding up pretty well, and we were looking
forward to the home cooked meal that was waiting for us over the next pass.
From the shelter cabin
the trail descends down to Lake Ellen Wilson and then skirts around its shores
to begin the climb to Lincoln Pass. The whole time I was hiking, I kept
wishing that Sperry Chalet had been built in this ideal setting. The lake was
absolutely stunning and the high cliffs all around us were decorated with
waterfalls and wildflowers. The beargrass along this section of the trail was
unbelievable, and everywhere you looked it was out in full bloom. Not only the
scenery was breathtaking; the steep climb was taking our breath away as well,
and really giving us an aerobic workout. It was along this section of the
trail that we ran out of water; thank goodness the chalet was just over the
ridge. In addition, the heat was starting to really get to Dar. In an effort
to help keep the quick pace going, Pick took Dar’s backpack and carried it up
the steepest section of the trail…the kid is an animal! Finally, after several
rest stops, we reached the 7,050 foot Lincoln Pass. It was now 5:03pm and we
had hiked 12.1 miles, that left just 1.2 miles, straight down I might add, to
Sperry Chalet. We were really excited to get to the Sperry complex where we
could sit down, unload our packs, and get some nice, cold lemonade! We made
the rest of the hike in just fourteen minutes, arriving at the chalet at
5:17pm, and man did that lemonade hit the spot! We ordered a whole pitcher for
$3.00 and enjoyed every sip! The Sperry crew was super nice and friendly,
after a warm welcome they gave us the run-down on the complex and assigned us
our room. We had room #5, with three beds, a balcony, and a great view of Lake
McDonald. The balcony would soon be a perfect place to end a perfect day, but
for now, it was time to get ready for dinner.
We were summoned to
dinner in proper backcountry style by the ringing of a nice loud bell. We
entered the dining room and found the table that had a card with our party’s
name on it and took a seat. Dinner is served family style and gives you a
great chance to meet other hikers and share a good meal. That night the crew
offered up a special treat of traditional Thanksgiving dinner fare. We started
off with pasta salad and pumpkin bread, and then moved on to an excellent
tomato basil soup. The main course consisted of turkey, dressing, mashed
potatoes, and peas. It was all topped off with chocolate cake for
dessert…yummy! Coffee, tea, ice water, and lemonade were all offered as
refreshments. We shared a table with some wonderful people; a physician and
his two sons, and a couple from the Midwest. After some great after dinner
conversation we decided it was time to retire to our room. We spent a few
hours out on the balcony watching the sun set over Lake McDonald and then we
turned in for the night.
We awoke the next morning
feeling refreshed and ready for our next hike. The Sperry crew was there at
the dining hall ready to serve a piping hot breakfast with your choice of
eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, pancakes, oatmeal, toast, and orange juice. Dar was
feeling a little under the weather from the strenuous hike the day before, so
we decided to skip Sperry Glacier and just continue on out to Lake McDonald,
that is until Judy (one of the great Sperry crew members) told us Dar could
stay there at the chalet if Pick and I wanted to tackle the 8 mile hike
ourselves. Well, this sounded like a great plan to us, and Dar was cool with
the whole thing, so off we went to see a glacier!
The trail to Sperry
Glacier is steep and challenging, rising 1,600 feet to Comeau Pass in just
2.5miles. The early morning light was casting a beautiful radiance through the
mountains when Pick and I began our climb. Once again the scenery was
stunning. Waterfalls, towering cliffs, and beargrass were everywhere we
looked. The steep trail and many switchbacks took us further up into the
mountains where lakes studded with icebergs dominated the landscape. Hoary
marmots and mountain goats grazed along the trail providing constant
entertainment, and before we knew it we had reached the pass. Comeau Pass
consists of 45 granite steps cut right into the rock. It is a steep climb to
the top of the stairway, but the view that awaits is fantastic! Sparkling
streams, blinding snowfields, and soaring mountain ranges greet you from the
top of the pass. Views of Edwards Mountain, Mt Brown, and my favorite, Little
Matterhorn, dominate the horizon. Scattered among the lofty peaks are rock
cairns that will guide you the remaining 1.5 miles to the foot of Sperry
Glacier. We crossed several snowfields on our way to the glacier and what fun
it was! We felt like kids out playing in the snow. In contrast, the glacier
itself is an intimidating place. Large boulders and deep crevasses mar its
deceptive outer shell, so we stayed a healthy distance back from the perilous
surface. On our return hike to the chalet we met up with Tom from Kalispell,
who had just returned from the summit of Edwards Mountain. We joined forces
just above Comeau Pass and completed the hike back towards Sperry Chalet
together. Tom was an amazing hiker, having accomplished much of his hike in
the darkness of night, and making the summit of Edwards solo!
Sperry Glacier
Photos
