One would think hiking in June, you’d have some decent weather and conditions to get to your chosen destination. In Montana, that is not always the case, as was the hike to Glen Lake on June 9, 2012. We planned for some chilly weather with light jackets, a cold beer or two and that’s about it. What we experienced was a little different. The trailhead to Glen Lake it the Bitterroot Valley starts at a pretty good elevation already. The drive is around 9 miles up the mountains. When we got out of the car at the trailhead, we all bundled up and we glad we had at least something to keep warm with. Some exchanged gear (aka, I borrowed gloves because I did not bring any) and off we went. It was a cool 34 degrees at the trailhead.
The lake is about 3 miles in on a pretty easy trail. The only difficulty was staying on the trail due to it being snow-covered in many places. I’m still learning how to use my GPS so it kept us close to it, but I’m sure it could have been a better tool had I fully known how to use it. The wind was picking up and a blizzard was moving it (yes, I said blizzard in June). It was quite the experience. You didn’t know if you were hot or cold because the hiking made you quite warm but the brisk wind and snow made you cold. It was a lot of layer adjusting throughout the hike.
The destination was pretty cool, even thought the lake was still completely frozen over. I had my hopes up to skip at least one rock in the lake which is something I try to do everywhere I go (kid at heart). Alas, it didn’t quite work out this time so we had our “summit” beers and headed back. Another great day on the trail and one to remember.
