Tuesday, July 14 Swiftcurrent Pass Attempt

We were greeted by thick fog this morning. The group decided to hike Swiftcurrent Pass…which begins at Logan Pass at 6700 feet and goes for 7 miles along a mountain wall and then up to a pass and down the other side.

I was very skeptical but agreed. We drove up to the pass and the fog up there was even thicker. I went to ask a ranger if it was supposed to lift or remain that way and she told me the fog would stay AND that there were thunderstorms moving in. That was all I needed to hear…I was not about to hike 17 miles that high with lighting! I went a mile and a half or so with Deb and Carol and turned back with them. It was so eerie…you know what terrain is there but you can’t see much of it.

There is a huge mountain above you, but you can’t see it.

There could be a grizzly or cougar in the wet, swirling mist that swallows everything around you…but you can’t see it. It was the most surreal hike I’ve ever done. My hair was soaking wet at the end of the 3 miles…I didn’t realize how wet it was!

We drove back down and I took a shower and did a quick load of laundry and then headed into the Many Glacier valley. Ryan called as I was driving in and asked me to tell Deb to pick them up at the Loop in a little while…they had hiked out that way instead of over Swiftcurrent Pass because of the weather. So I stopped at Many Glacier Hotel to find them and pass on the message (no cell phones seem to work in the Many Glacier Valley). Deb bought me a Huckleberry Daiquiri, my first of the year!

I had seen a pretty, golden colored black bear on the way in. There were no grizzlies that I could see on the slopes around the area so I sat and read at the Grinnell Glacier Picnic area for a awhile hoping something would show up, but no luck. So I finally drove back out. The same black bear was now on the other side of the road with a pretty big crowd stopped…many people getting out of their cars and going across the road closer to the bear and the bear was busy foraging and I think unintentionally getting closer to people. I quickly drove up to the entrance station to ask them to get a ranger over there NOW. I know from experience people watching wildlife aren’t going to listen to ME. Drove back out of the valley and called the group…they were going to be ready for dinner shortly so I went ahead to Two Sisters and tried to get a table but they had nothing for that big of a group. When they go tthere we decided to go to the Cattle Baron instead and caravanned up the road .


Some people didn’t like the menu and went back to Two Sisters Those who stayed I think had a nice dinner. Bill and I did a “critter drive” into Many Glacier after dinner but didn’t see anything except a moose. I know, I know…to some people moose are a big deal, I’d just rather see bears!