This trail has easily risen to one of my favorites hikes that I have done. The trailhead begins at Logan Pass, which is the epicenter of the Going-To-The-Sun Road and Glacier. The hike is an out-and-back trail that starts at Logan Pass and ends at The Loop, which is on the other side of Glacier National Park. My family and I and a few of Patrick's friends who happened to be out in the park as well, only set out to hike to Haystack Pass, which would be a out-and-back 7.2 mile round trip excursion. The trailhead quickly transitions into a path that clings to the mountainside high above the Going-To-The-Sun road. The clinging nature of the trail continues for much of the hike, with some portions consisting a mere 6-foot wide trail and steep drop off. We happily weaved along the trail through fields of wildflowers and cool shadows from the peaks to our right. About 2 miles in, the shadows left us with the rising sun and the then flat trail steedily began to rise until we met two large switchbacks. After conquering the switchbacks, you arrive at Haystack Pass.
From here, many people decided between continuing on to the Granite Park Chalet and the Loop stop or turning back for Logan Pass. A portion of my family elected to turn back while the rest of us decided to continue on in search of a fire tower we were tipped about. After a few miles we realized that we either missed the fire tower turn off or are on the wrong trail. We stopped to take in the view, sip some water in the increasing heat, and decide upon on future route. At this point we were high above some of the lower peaks of the mountains and had attained full service on our phones, where it had been unavailable for most of the park. We looked up the trail and decided to continue on for the Chalet and the Loop, which would ultimately result in a 12 mile hike above the forest floor. This proved to be the best decision of the trip as the rest of the hike was incredible. We saw wildlife, experience beautiful alpine views of Heaven's Peak, and visited the Chalet.
The Chalet was a popular spot for people to hike from the Loop as it was only 4 miles one direction. We stopped inside the old lodge to eat a lunch of snacks, dilapidated PB&J sandwiches, and warm water. After some photos of the lodge consisting of seven rooms and no running water, we set off to finish the hike. Although entirely downhill, the hike was difficult with the heat and increasing thirst of cool water. We passed through bundles of warped pines and fields of berries, which the latter was happily eaten by one of Patrick's more adventurous friends. After six hours spent on the trail, we heard the rush of water and the hum of cars. We soon rounded a corner and saw the source of the splashing and clambered down to the water's edge to fill our bottles. While the others filtered the water, I hiked to the trailhead and held our spot in line for the shuttle to take us back to Logan Pass. When it was all said and done, we arrived back at the campground eight hours later and gladly scarfed down pizza.
On our last evening in Glacier, we were able to attend a Star Party at Logan Pass that was put on by the National Park and the Astronomy Society. I set up my camera and attempted to capture a time-lapse that included dusk and the emerging of the Milky Way. As I write this, I am uncertain as to how the time-lapse turned out. While I was shooting the hundreds of frames required for the video, I captured a lot of images that had tail lights and headlights illuminating the foreground. This is may prove to be interesting or bad. Well just have to see.
But for now, I hope you enjoy the photos from this last leg of the North of North America trip. If you have read all of this and other entries to my recent adventures, I greatly appreciate the interest and support and I hope that you have seen and enjoyed some beautiful things that I have captured. Goodbye for now.
This song seemed appropriate as we were hiking the "Highline" trail. It also helps that it's an incredible song. Enjoy the photos and the tune.
Above: The trail with a portion of the Going-To-The-Sun Road below.
Above: Beautiful mountain flowers.
Above & Below: Various photos of Bear Grass in bloom. Luckily we didn't see any bears.
Above: I really liked the minimalism of this scene. Below: At Haystack Pass, the turn-around point for most hikers.
Above: Patrick, Matt, and Dean.
Above: Some CBJ support all the way out in Montana. Go Jackets!
Above & Below: It's a one-for-one deal when it comes to Patrick posing for a photo. He stood quietly for the first photo, but then slowly turned and placed his head in the Bear Grass for the second. Which do you like better?
Above: The Chalet in the distance.
Above: I changed lenses about five times just to snap photos of the Chalet perched on the peak. As we drew closer and closer, the view became better and better.
Above: A deer happily walking beside us on the trail.
Above & Below: A field of wildflowers just before the Chalet.
Above: One of my favorite photos of the trip. It took me about 20 tries to get the exposure right.
Above: Beautiful Heaven's Peak. You cannot tell in the photos, but in person, the cliff-face has a glint to it like frozen metal.
Above: One last shot of Heaven's Peak before I put my camera away and raced down the trail in a hurry to get on the shuttle, in the shade, and some fresh water.