Labor Day weekend is usually the opening weekend of Grizzly Football and this year was no exception, it was even at home. I’ve only missed 2 home Griz games in the past 9 years and this opening weekend would mark the third. Judging my the title of this post, you should be able to figure out why I missed it. I went on a 30+ mile backpacking trip in Glacier National Park with my buddy Kyle.
We headed north from Missoula on Friday evening after work. We scouted for a camp spot in the park close to the backcountry permit office (I’ll explain why in a bit) but had no luck. We settled for a camp ground just outside of West Glacier, which was still pretty convenient. The next morning we had to show up at the backcountry permit office which opens at 7am. We arrived about 6:40 to try and get a good spot in line. You have to have a permit to backpack overnight trips in Glacier so we showed up and picked the best option that was available. The trip would be from Two Medicine Lake to Upper Park Creek for two nights, allowing a day trip to Lake Isabel on the second day.
The trip was absolutely amazing, hiking by Cobalt Lake, over Two Medicine Pass and down the other side, which was quite the steep trek, about 12.3 miles. The wind was absolutely crazy, it was blowing so hard when a gust would come up, it would knock you off the trail about 2 step before you could regain balance. Huckleberries were in abundance, beautiful greenery and a lot of wildflowers. It was extremely scenic and the views are too pretty for words, thus the photo album below.
We made it out in a great time, trekking forth without too many stops. It was a great experience, one I’ll never forget and aspire to do again. I didn’t mind missing the Griz game for an adventure like this. Being completely out in the wilderness with only the supplies one can carry in a backpack is a feeling everyone should experience at least one. It’s amazing how you can learn so much about the limits of your body and mind. Fears go away (like fear of Grizzly Bears), motivations are enhanced and self reliance is at it’s best. Backpacking is one of my favorite activities to do, wish I could do it more.
