It dawned on me that the Two Medicine ranger station calculated my miles with the assumption that the Ptarmigan tunnel was open. Well it’s not. This means I need to go an extra 5 miles over the top of Red Gap pass making for an almost 20 mile day.
I started early from Elizabeth head campsite and zoomed past all the other hikers still asleep in their tents at Elizabeth foot. The views along the trail up Redgap Pass are spectacular. I reached the top and had some lunch. At these high passes there is usually a lot of wind which helps suppress the mosquitoes a bit. But eventually you get cold and then it’s time to head down the other side. On the way down I encountered several bighorn sheep just off the trail.
The trail followed Kennedy Creek east until the valley started to open up and it could climb the hump over to the Many Glacier valley to the south. This “hump” looked like a low ridge on the map, but it was actually a long slog on a thickly forested, muddy, horse- chewed trail.
The last mile I decided to take the road into many glacier. As I walked along the road a car slowed and a woman told me there was a small grizzly up ahead on the road. I rounded a turn and saw all the cars stopped in the road ahead. I kept going and eventually saw a small brown bear screwing around on a pile of dirt by the side of the road. I took out my bear spray and continued heading for it. Eventually it saw me and turned tail and ran into the forest. The cars then drove off. I supposed I ruined their show, but I have no time for such nonsense. I want a shower and a burger!
I had heard from other hikers that the Many Glacier campground (where I was supposed to stay) was shut down due to a problem bear. Everyone was being forced to sleep in the community center on the floor. I decided to try to get a room at the lodge. They had only one room and it was more expensive than any room I’ve ever had. I took it. I don’t care anymore. I just want a place to eat and sleep. I can’t believe how much they get for a room with no tv, no wifi, and no cell service, but it was clean and had an outlet to recharge my electronics. It also had a couple of good restaurants where I stuffed my face, and a beautiful view over the Swiftcurrent Lake from the balcony outside my room.
