Book 1, Chapter 2 – Chief Mountain Terminus

Going To The Sun Road up to the Chief Mountain Terminus at the Canadian border.

I can’t really convey how amazing and magical and huge things are.  A few pictures on a phone or laptop don’t do it justice.  You can’t really convey the size and scope of giant waterfalls, 10,000 foot mountains, and miles-long snowfields.  But I’ll try.  Saying “it’s awesome” or “it’s like something from Lord of the Rings but real” still falls pathetically short.

It’s also been tough focusing solely on the trail.  Hard to get into a rhythm when every few days you’re in a town.

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We stayed in St Mary for 3 days. Things still looked grim on Monday but there was a decent chance that the weather would let us go up the hill. We got an RV hitch, which is when people in an RV pull over and give you a ride. It’s considered a badge of honor along the thru hikers.

I began the long slow grind up to Piegan Pass. At the road there wasn’t any snow, it was just steep. I made good time considering. I’m still the slowest one out here by a good amount.  At about 6,000 ft, I started seeing snow on the sides of the trail, and by 7,000 ft, the whole trail was covered in snow.   Flurries were coming down, despite the sun being out. Frizz and Pedi were hiking together far ahead, and I could see them crossing the snow field. Shaun and I mostly hiked together. Since the trail was covered in snow, you really had to watch where you put your feet.  It was kind of sketchy but rarely dangerous.  Some of it was knee deep, and my feet ended up soaked.

Eventually, like when climbing all mountains, we made it to the top. At that point, there was lots of sun, and we seemingly climbed into a hole in the clouds. We didn’t stay too long on the summit of the pass because the wind was really cold. All around, you could see green valleys and waterfalls below.  I made sure to leave last so I could be King of the World.

After many switchbacks down, I was in the green, warm valley. There was a side trail to Grinnell Lake, which is fed by the Grinnell glacier. The water was an aqua blue color from the glacial runoff. Going down the valley more, I encountered a bunch of tourists making their way up, and they told me that they had seen a moose. At the top of the next lake, there was a boat dock with more tourists, and a moose across the lake in the water.

Finally arriving at the Many Glacier resort, I was repeatedly hassled by Rangers who wanted to check my permit. They wanted to make sure that I was scheduled to camp at the campsite that night. Apparently, there are hundreds of people trying to do this.  Or not. Otherwise, I can not possibly understand why they were so crappy about it. The Many Glacier Hotel is a 100-year-old Swiss style chalet that borders on the wrong side of tacky.

We road-walked out of Many Glacier in the morning, and picked up the trail about a mile later. After a brief up and over, we got to Poia Lake, which was of course gorgeous. Then we started the long steep climb up to Red Gap Pass. Aptly named, because in this part of the park all the rocks are this rusty red color with cool green lichens growing on them. There was almost no snow at this point. Resting at the top, we saw a herd of mountain goats, including a baby.  Lots of hikers were coming the other direction; more plans messed up by the snow.

After this, we did innumerable switchbacks down into the forest. Today was the big day, 22 miles. Legs were tiring at this point.  At mile 17, we stopped at Elizabeth Lake for a dip in the river, just short of swimming. The water was icy cold. We continued downhill past a couple of epic waterfalls. We left the CDT and went to Cosley Lake, the last night on that I was going to be with Frizz and Pedi.

They were doing the Waterton terminus on the west side of the park.  The Cosley Lake campsite was the best on the trail.  We all agreed that the day was the most “Glaciery” of the days and passes and campsites.  Here, each campsite had its own access to the gravelly shore of the lake. The lake was crystal clear, fed by all the waterfalls coming down off the snow fields. We could see trout jumping after insects. Bonus, we had to ford a river to get to the campsite.

This was my last night before reaching the border. I got up pretty early and on the trail by 7. By quarter after 10, I was at the Chief Mountain Terminus of the Continental Divide Trail. I took a few pictures of the border, cried a little, waved at the US Customs guys, and went back to the parking lot for a ride.

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This has been a pretty emotional stretch for me.  Soaring highs, literally, and profound lows, figuratively.  Dealing with all the permit stuff was a nightmare.  Dealing with the rain and snow was pretty bad, too.  Worry over my busted up ankle.  Wondering if I can physically even do this.  Wondering if I should.  It’s the uncertainty that chips away at the enjoyment.

Reaching the northern terminus was a goal for months in 2022; seeing it in person was incredible.  I just stood there, speechless.

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Shaun had made friends with a couple of other hikers who had a truck, and after about an hour, we were back in East Glacier at Luna’s. I used every minute of my 15-minute shower and even found some hair conditioner. Now it’s time for root beer, laundry, pizza, and some sleep. It was good to see a few other hikers that I knew, people who had gotten blown down by the storm, or had flipped or permit reasons.

Tomorrow, I will slack-pack the 15 miles to the edge of the park, returning to Luna’s to camp. After that, the Bob Marshall Wilderness, aka “the Bob”.  Already, the chaos clouds gather.  8-9 days of travel puts me in town squarely on the 4th of July weekend, so the post office will be closed.