Glacier-Waterton Hiker

with The World Outdoors (www.TheWorldOutdoors.com)

(July 2003)

Introduction

I did the Canadian Rockies Hiker immediately prior to this hike; and I hadn't been watching the news during the trip so I was surprised when Bill, the owner of The World Outdoors, called at dinner Thursday evening with news that there were fires in Glacier and that 2 of the 3 lodges--McDonald & Many Glacier--that we were scheduled to stay at during the hike had been evacuated. He asked me to call him on Friday as they were still gathering information on the situation.

There were 3 major wildfires burning in Glacier NP--the Robert Fire is located north and west of the West Glacier/Apgar area, the Trapper Creek Fire is situated in the north central portion of the park, primarily northwest of the Loop to Logan Pass area and the Wedge Canyon Fire is burning in the remote northwest corner of the park and the adjoining Flathead National Forest and these are marked on the thumbnail image below (remember, you can click on any  thumbnail to see an enlarged image).

On Friday I learned that they were going ahead with the hike. We were told we would be staying at the Pine Lodge in Whitefish instead of the Lake McDonald Lodge the first night and that the Many Glacier Hotel might not be open by Wednesday in which case we would probably be staying at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton. Also some of the hikes would have to be changed because of the fires. I like 10 of the other hikers decided to do it, and I'm glad to say the fires were not a problem. 

The park stretches from the Continental Divide on the north to Marias Pass to the south. The crystal clear streams are fed by melting snow and glaciers. The park received its name from the abundance of glacier activity. There are 60 large glaciers, and several smaller ones, receding a little more each year.

The first white man to see the park was probably Hugh Monroe, known to the Blackfeet as 'Rising Wolf,' a trapper who arrived around 1815. According to the Blackfeet Father DeSmet visited the area in 1846 giving the name of St. Mary to the two mountain lakes he had shown to him.

A traversable gap, described by the Indians, was sought after by several explorers. In October 1889 Major Baldwin discovered the gap, however John Stevens was the first to officially record it and walk into the pass on December 11, 1889. By 1895 settlers had cut a narrow trail through 

thick timber from Belton to Lake McDonald. On May 11, 1910 Glacier National Park was created by an Act of Congress and in 1911 the Glacier National Park Superintendent William R. Logan, inaugurated the construction of the first two miles of Glacier's Going-to-the-Sun Road with the statement "IT IS THE DESIRE OF MY HEART TO MAKE THIS PARK THE MOST WONDERFUL LAND IN THE WORLD".

In 1933 the Going-to-the-Sun Road was finished. and in the seven decades since, the road has taken countless visitors to the heights of Logan Pass. Now, its major restoration is bringing new glory to Montana's favorite sun and giving it a new birth.

In 1932, Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park were joined and designated Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, and the maps on the following pages shows the location of the two adjoining parks.

Glacier contains 1,600 square miles & Waterton 203 square miles

Our first hike was to Stanton Lake in the Great Bear Wilderness south of Glacier National Park. It was an easy 4 mile round trip hike with only 250 feet of elevation gain.

"easy" hike BUT I tripped on a root, fell face forward, and hit my nose hard on a rock buried in the trail which worried me since I was still healing from extensive surgery due to a "face plant" from a bicycle accident

Chuck at Stanton Creek

Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Monument on the Continental Divide

map of Two Medicine area

Appistoki Falls

our 3 guides (Wendy & Chuck from The World Outdoors & the Glacier NP Naturalist Guide)

views from the scenic point

in this part of the park sheer mountains rise abruptly from the rolling prairies of the Great Plains

on a clear day you can see 100 miles from the scenic point but the forest fires were creating a terrible smoky haze and we couldn't even see East Glacier clearly

looking at the trail going back down

This beautiful mountain park is nestled in the southwest corner of Alberta. Together with neighboring Glacier National Park in the United States, it is part of the world's first International Peace Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Officially known as Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, it was established by legislation of the Parliament of Canada and the Congress of the United States and is the world's first such park, representing the need for cooperation between nations in a world where the sharing of resources and ecosystems is a reality.

The United States dedication ceremony took place in 1932, while Canada's was in 1936. It symbolizes the peace and goodwill between the United States and Canada as exemplified by the world's longest undefended border.

An aerial view of the Prince of Wales Hotel and its grand surroundings - It was built high on a bluff overlooking the lake and Waterton. It opened on July 25, 1927 and is named for Great Britain's popular Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales.

front view

 

rear (or lake) view

the immense picture windows in the lobby that enable you to behold the majestic views of Waterton Lakes National Park

decorated fire hydrants

view from my window when I returned from breakfast

Waterton from the lawn of the Hotel

view of lake from the hotel

lake with zoom lens

Cameron Lake

a deer was sniffing Wendy's pack for food and Wendy shooed it away telling it to go find some deer food

Wendy

monkey flowers

fireweed & Cameron Lake

Beargrass, a member of the lily family is the unofficial emblem of the Peace Park. Despite its name, bears don't have much to do with the plant. Aboriginal people used the leaves to weave baskets.

Fireweed - it is usually the first flower to appear in burned-over areas. That's why it's called fireweed!

me at Summit Lake

shasta diasies

closeup of shasta diasy

Baker's Point in the distance--the high point & our lunch stop

Wendy walking by a field of fireweed with trail in the background

looking back at trail from Baker's Point

looking back at trail--we came up trail to the left (the switchbacks NOT the straight trail) and the trail continues to Waterton on the right

Chuck & Wendy preparing lunch at Carthew Pass

we had a big surprise when we found out that Chuck had carried a watermelon up the trail as part of our lunch. It and everything else was delicious

view from Baker's Point

Cameron Falls

deer resting beside the foundation of a house in Waterton--I saw several doing this

Prince of Wales hotel from the city of Waterton

The Glacier Park Hotel Company, a subsidiary of the Great Northern Railway, began construction of the Many Glacier Hotel in 1914 and completed it in 1917. The "porte-cochere" at the main entrance was added in 1957. The architectural style, using building materials native to Montana, is derived from traditional Swiss designs. One other hotel, nine chalets, and several tent camps were added to the Great Northern in and around Glacier NP to accommodate growing numbers of visitors. These guest facilities were connected to the railroad by a system of horse trails. Travel patterns changed in the 1930's with the popularity of the automobile and opening of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Today, the two hotels and only two of the chalets survive.

Years of exposure to ferocious winters resulted in major deterioration and a 7 point rehabilitation program was begun in 2001 to help preserve this tangible connection to our nation's heritage.

Phase 1, completed in 2002, focused on emergency structural stabilization and egress improvement, including straightening one wing of the building. To correct a lean toward the lake hydraulic jacks pushed the lakeside walls back into place at the point of contact between the basement and first floor while cables pulled from the other side. Today the hallway, formerly known as "Stagger Alley", has a barely noticeable lean.

Phases 2 & 3 currently underway focus on the Hotel's exterior. The siding and exterior windows and doors are being rehabilitated and the wood balconies are being reinforced with steel-framed structures clad with much of the original wood trim. Also the exterior will be painted to match its historic appearance. Two stairwells will be rehabilitated as will one of the two historic elevators. Phase 3 will replace the entire roof.

Future Phases 4 through 7 will focus on interior work that will bring the hotel's interior up to current code and building standards while preserving this significant historic building for future generations to enjoy.

Many Glacier Hotel & Swiftcurrent Lake from the slopes of Mt. Altyn Mountain

Day 4: I had another bleeding episode with my nose on Tuesday from my fall on Sunday and this time it took 3 hours to stop the bleeding and it started seeping again several times during the evening--when I sneezed or got up. Thus, I called the guides at about 7 am to let them know I would not be hiking today (Wednesday) and would like to get back to Whitefish whenever one of them could find the time for the long trip.

I stayed at the Prince of Wales Hotel & Waterton during the day then went to Many Glacier with the group and had about an hour before dinner to walk around and see the Many Glacier Hotel and its immediate surroundings as much as the smoke haze would permit, but I did not spend the night there. Chuck and I left about 9 pm for Whitefish so I could catch a plane on Thursday and see my doctor on Friday morning. Thus, dinner was my goodbye to the group and to Glacier National Park (at least for this trip). Since I was only able to do 3 of the hikes and one of them was not the regularly scheduled hike due to the fire and I opted for the shorter option on one of the regular hikes, I can and WILL return and have a whole new trip the next time!

scanned picture from postcard

scanned picture from postcard

33 of these vintage touring sedans were built to serve the visitors to the park in the 1930's. Over the years they wore out, so two years ago the park sent them to Ford Motor Company for a thorough refurbishing! They now are back in service providing transportation for guided tours of the park. They run on propane to set an example for keeping the park clean!

Many Glacier Hotel & Swiftcurrent Lake from road

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