New Glacier National Park Gallery

My new Glacier National Park Gallery is live! These images cover a span of nearly 15 years, and are comprised of at least six different trips to the park (at least that I can count!).

My first time visiting the park was a two-week visit comprised of overnight backpacks - nothing extended. I visited the likes of Gunsight Lake, Otokomi Lake, Cracker Lake, Sperry Glacier, and some destinations up in Waterton National Park.

My second visit was mostly peak-bagging adventures, knocking off the likes of Gould, Siyeh, Gunsight, Flinsch etc., and some day hikes with my wife to Iceberg Lake, Garden Wall, etc.

My third visit was with a good friend, but fell victim to weather. We did get a visit in to Comeau Pass, Sperry Glacier and another visit to the summit of Gunsight Peak, however. We camped near the Sperry Chalet, which was closed for construction.

My fourth visit was a backpacking trip with my wife up the North Fork - a trip to Boulder Pass and Hole-in-the-Wall (see previous post). This trip included the most bear sightings I have ever experienced in the park - all black bears, except for the young grizzly at Hole-in-the-Wall.

My fifth visit was to backpack a variation of the North Circle with a climbing friend. We hiked the Garden Wall to Granite Park (where I took the first photograph above), continued on the Highline trail to Fifty Mountain, then we made it interesting! We climbed over the shoulder of Mt. Kipp and followed the Chaney Glacier route down to Sue Lake. From there, we continued our cross-country trek to Stoney Indian Pass and Stoney Indian Lake, then continued the North Circle route to Mokowanis Lake and up to Elizabeth Lake before crossing thru Ptarmigan Tunnel and descending to Many Glacier - an incredible trip!

Finally, last summer I visited the park with family, focusing on mostly roadside photography. However, my wife and I did the Garden Wall trail one-way, exiting at the switchback. Later while staying at Two Medicine Lake, I did the Dawson-Pitamakan loop, visiting No Name Lake and climbing Flinsch Peak along the way - all this with a broken toe! The toe hurt quite a bit on the Garden Wall hike, but was pretty much a non-factor on the Dawson-Pitamakan trip.

I plan to have more gallery updates to share soon! I'm still deciding which is next, but am leaning toward the Wind River Range. We'll see - check back soon!

Glacier National Park

Later today I will be leaving for one of my favorite national parks - Glacier National Park in Montana.

Glacier has a very extensive backcountry trail system. I have travelled most of its trails over several visits and have always come back impressed. I can still remember my very first backpacks into Cracker Lake and Gunsight Lake, as well as my last extended backpack over Boulder Pass (pictured above) and into Hole in the Wall. Memories from these trips are plentiful!

For this trip, we will be doing the North Circle - or Highline Trail. We will begin our 7 day backpack at Logan Pass and hike the Garden Wall to Granite Park. We will then continue on to Fifty Mountain before starting the most interesting part of our trip - climbing over the shoulder of Mt. Kipp and descending the Chaney Glacier to Sue Lake Bench for a remote backcountry camp. From there it is on to Stoney Indian Pass before descending the Belly River Valley to Elizabeth Lake. Finally, we will climb to Ptarmigan Tunnel and end our trip at Many Glacier. We also hope to summit a handful of peaks along the way.

I will be joined by my friend Greg, whom I met last year during a climb of Bonanza Peak in the North Cascades. Greg and I really hit it off on that trip and I am excited to be able to spend time with him again while doing what we love - hiking and climbing!

Wish us luck, and hopefully I will be able to share accounts of a successful trip upon our return!

Edit: The Highline Trail is a mere section of the North Circle, which is also comprised of the Stony Indian Pass Trail, Ptarmigan Trail and Garden Wall Trail.