Saturday
Back in August a big part of my trip was to see the
Going-To-The-Sun Road in Montana’s Glacier National Park, but nature had other plans. Months of extremely dry weather had been prime conditions for wildfires and the Park was not immune to them. The Rising Sun Fire had sparked up days before my departure and closed the road over Logan’s Pass. I was disappointed at the time but understood the need to contain the fire and save such a magnificent Park was far more important than my vacation schedule. The road itself, after all, wasn’t going anywhere and I was a half day away when the opportunity arose again.
Glacier National Park in the United States and Canada’s Waterton National Park together has been called
“The Crown of the Continent” and after seeing so much of both now, it is hard to argue. I have traveled the mountains of both the US and Canada extensively, from the Front Range to the Pacific Coast and it is hard to find another spot as picturesque as Glacier is from the east side of Logan’s Pass. The Going to the sun road is both strikingly beautiful and an engineering marvel. It is no wonder it has been declared a heritage site. The sheer magnitude of the work needed to build it back in the day is amazing. It is hard to imagine that the will or money would be available today to repeat the undertaking.
Fall was fast approaching and the “
Sun Road” was scheduled to close on the following weekend so I had to do it now or next year. I am always packed to go camping, as my gear is cleaned, restocked and reloaded in the saddlebags after every trip. It is only a matter of locking on the bags, stowing the camera gear and going. Friday night with a favorable weather forecast (for Saturday anyway) I made sure to put my Passport in the Jacket and load my GPS tracks. I would do a run over the Sun Road from east to west camp at Apgar Campground and return home Sunday via Eureka and Fernie BC. As with all my trips, a good dose of backwoods gravel would be thrown in for good measure.
Saturday morning I was up before the dawn (channeling my inner
Supertramp) and on the road before the sun hit the horizon. My laneway is being paved finally after twenty years and as I dropped out of my garage down to the freshly prepped gravel base I met the paving crew doing their final markings. They seemed amazed that I could get a fully loaded bike up over the 8 inch step at the street with no effort. The morning air was cool and damp, but I was prepared considering that Sunday I might see snow coming home. A weather front was on its way and today (Saturday) was to be sunny and near 30 degrees, but Sunday a high of only 12 was forecast. My experience is that when bad weather is forecast, the weather man is rarely wrong. I had packed accordingly, expecting a cool night camping, and a cold day coming home.
As the sun warmed the air the temperature rose quickly. It was pleasant for riding as I wound my way south across the back roads towards the Chief Mountain border crossing. I took a few of my favorite roads, like East Sharples and “Snake Trail” north of Pincher Creek. A quick fuel and I was southbound on Highway 6 past Waterton passing a familiar bike northbound that turned out to be my friend Andy on his 950 Adventure. The border crossing was quick and friendly and my next stop was for fuel at the Sinclair in Saint Mary, Montana.
just before East Sharples road.
Snake trail as it winds along the Front Range.
The cloudless sky was a perfect backdrop for the park as I entered from the East gate on the freshly paved Sun Road. Minutes later I had Saint Mary lake on my left and scorched trees from the recent fire on each side. The road and buildings at Rising Sun campground where undamaged and a testament to the fire fighters’ efforts. The acrid smell of wet burnt wood permeated the air in places along the road here. The road climbed relentlessly with almost all of the many pull-outs blocked off; inexplicably since the pavement work appeared completed. The few that were open were packed full of picture-takers, like me. The bike made it easy to find a spot anywhere I wanted. I stopped often on my way to the summit and Logan’s Pass Visitor Center.
Saint Mary Lake
Burnt trees near Rising Sun Campground.
A panorama just west of Logan's Pass Summit.
I decided to skip going inside the Center after seeing the mass of cars jockeying for a parking spot. It was the ride and scenery I was after, the history could be read from the comfort of my easy chair at home.
http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/upload/Going-to-the-Sun Road - An Engineering Feat.pdf
The sky had a special shade of blue from the altitude at the top, accentuated by the use of a polarizing filter. I lingered at a pull-out just west of the summit watching hikers high above on a razor thin trail hugging the cliff face. For a few moments I considered it, after all I was at least wearing a helmet, even if my boots were not made for hiking.
The visitor Center at Logan's Pass Summit.
The descent on the west side towards Apgar Village, and Lake McDonald offered more spectacular views until it entered the forest at lower elevation.
West of the summit.
Unique stone work.
Haystack Falls on the west side of the summit.
A couple living dangerously at a sheer drop off of hundreds of feet. I was hanging over the side to get this picture.
Once into the tree line the smells of the forest and the winding road entertained me to the turn off for the campground. Apgar is the largest (and at the lowest elevation) of the campgrounds on the west side. With a cool night coming being close to the lake and at a lower elevation than some of the other campgrounds in the park was an important consideration. Normally I prefer a more remote camp experience, but recent bear encounters made me feel more comfortable in a more populated campground. This was the time of year that bears normally come to lower elevations in search of food to fatten up for winter, and with the drought conditions this season it was more noticeable. The Sows also have cubs that they are still looking after and there have been an abnormally high amount of encounters this year that have ended badly for the humans, 4 in the last month alone. This would be on my mind as I headed out alone on deserted roads tomorrow.
Apgar Campground spot.
A short hike in the woods.
gratuitous bike shot.
Apgar Village store.
Lake MacDonald a short walk from my camp spot.
Recent rains had made having a camp fire a safe proposition and tonight I would relax with a nice glass (or 3) of Cabernet by the fire pit as darkness fell on the forest.
More to come.... stay tuned.
