Beers, Bros, and Bears

Written by me with help from Nate

Day 1 — Let’s go for a hike

It’s always fun to adventure, but it’s an entirely different scenario when you adventure into new terrain. My good friend since high school, Nate, resides out in Livingston, Montana. He is not too far from Yellowstone National Park (aka YNP) and I have been wanting to go out see him since he moved out west to Colorado a few years ago. So, I bought my ticket and flew out from Baltimore on October 10th; it was a beautiful Saturday when I arrived. We decided to rent a car as his daily driver was a Jeep wrangler that would cost us a fortune to drive any considerable distance. I picked up the corolla from the Bozeman airport and headed towards his house.

Livingston is a small enough town that you can walk most places so it was pretty easy to find his house. Lately, Nate has been working the early morning shift so he was just getting home from work a little before I pulled up. We cracked open some beers and grabbed a bite to eat before we headed out to hike Livingston peak. Ten minutes after I arrived I went to grab my beer off the table and felt a sharp pain in my finger, like I had been stabbed by a shard of glass. A hornet had landed on the bottle and happened to sting me as I went to pick up the beer. The sting was worse than I was expecting from the little booger as my finger pulsed for the rest of the day from the venom.

Anyways, after lunch we left for the hike. It is a 6.4 mile out and back hike that increases in elevation by 3000 feet. The total time is estimated at 5–6 hours. Plus we have to factor in the hour long RT drive from his house. The trail head is down a dirt road that can take some time to drive and would be inaccessible in the winter unless you have AWD of 4WD.

We started off with a few other cars in the parking lot and Nate's dog, Moab, along our side with the bare essentials (water, food, camera, etc.). The hike steadily climbed through the woods until we got to the “saddle” and it steepened for the last mile or so as we climbed higher and passed a couple that had been making there way up a little slower. Nate and I are in pretty good shape so breaks were brief and we hiked quickly, making the trip up in roughly two hours (I believe). The views were stunning on this beautiful day as we crested the ridge and were afforded 360 degree views. The wind was howling so we took a few pictures and found a little cover by some rocks to lighten Nate's load a bit. He had carried two tall boy IPAs up the whole way. I believe it was a local brew called the Flathead Lake Brewing Company. It was good for an IPA. As we made our way down the mountain we decided to take an expedited means by running down the trail. Maybe not the best idea when we were planning a backpacking trip in the next few days but it should is more fun. A few minutes in Nate went almost horizontal as his legs kicked up from underneath him and he came crashing down; safe! The wet trail had caught him just right as he flew in the air. Unfortunately, I did not have the GoPro on at the moment. I was fortunate to catch myself from falling multiple times as we made our way down, except once I briefly had my feet come out from underneath me. Once we got off the saddle, we slowed down to our hiking pace and took it a little easier. It was a good thing too as we came across a young moose about fifteen minutes later.

It was off in the woods when we came around a corner and Nate spotted it before his dog had a chance to set its eyes upon the animal. Even as a young moose, it was the size of a small horse. I made my way a little closer but kept my distance to get a few pictures and a little video, all while keeping an eye out just in case the mother was still around. Eventually, the moose passed out of eyesight and I headed back to the trail to continue our way down. But, I had seen a moose! Not my first one, as I had seen one in the fog before, but the best one so far. We made our way back to the car about twenty minutes before sunset. The whole hike was about four hours with a half hour at the top. Not bad for the first day fresh off the plane. The people we had passed near the ridge were going to have a much tougher time coming down in the dark as they were a little slower.

We grabbed a few things at the grocery store and chilled at Nate's house as he had to work very early in the morning and I was going to run down to Jackson Hole the next day as a favor. It took me through YNP and the Grand Tetons, so it was a win-win, albeit a little rushed. We made some brats for dinner as we caught up and relaxed a bit before the real trip would begin. We gladly passed out around ten as I was on east coast time and he had worked an early shift that very morning.

Day 2 — A short drive and a big dose of beauty

It was a good thing I was still on EST as I had planned on waking up around 5 or 6 to head down to Jackson, Wyoming — a 4 ½ hour drive each way. When I woke up Nate was still there but getting ready for his early shift. My plan was to get down to Yellowstone in time for the sunrise but it was simply going to be too early to make it all the way down to the Grand Prismatic Spring by sunrise. I ended up getting to the gates of YNP near sunrise. I had a little passenger cat that I was taking to a friend of Nate's as he agreed to watch it for a brief period. It was a nightmare as that little POS pooped twice on the way, making me pull over immediately and nearly throwing up each time as the car filled with the rawest, stomach-churning odor. Luckily I would be rid of it at noon.

Anyways, I stopped at Lower Geyser Basin and walked around a full geothermal features including mud pools, small geysers (not erupting in full at the time I was there), and few other things. It was pretty cool but the main feature I wanted to see was the Grand Prismatic Spring at the Midway Geyser Basin; it is one of the main attractions at YNP. The spring is mesmerizing in every way and is simply incredible in the pictures I had seen. Of course, those pictures are by professional and are from airplane so it wouldn’t be nearly as defined from the view I had. Once I pulled up to the parking lot I could see many people walking amongst the steam of the various springs in the area.

At times it can be annoying when you get stuck behind a group of, say Asians, and they keep taking selfies and are completely unaware of other people around them. Fact: this year has actually had an increase of people being gored by bison as they try to take a selfie with them. It is poetic justice if you ask anyone with some common sense. Anyways, the Grand Prismatic Spring was an awesome sight at water level and allowed me to get up close to see some of the vivid colors in the pool do to pigmented archaea in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water. See the below link for more information.

I enjoyed it but wanted to get above the water level so I could take in the entire scope of the spring; it is always clearer and the colors are more brilliant if you can get above. I just had to find a path that would take me there. As I drove south towards Jackson, I came across a trail head that appeared to go on the back side of the spring and figured it was worth a shot. I grabbed my camera bag and made sure the bear mace and knife were still securely attached to the outside in case I ran into any issues. However, being this close to the road and with the high volume of people, I figured my chances were pretty slim. I was running a bit as I made my way to the spring as I wanted to see as much as possible and had to get to Jackson by noon. The good thing was that I could see the spring from the trail and was able to judge in terms of where I should depart from the trail and head up hill to find an overlook.

Once I found a spot that looked more like a water run-off than a trail I headed up. Not too much longer I came upon a boulder positioned on the edge to make for a superb view. It did not disappoint. I had it all to myself and was entranced by the spectrum of colors and the vastness of Yellowstone from my perch. I stayed for 15 minutes with my jaw dropped admiring the blues, the reds, yellows, and greens of the pool. Well worth the trip already and I still “had” to go through the Grand Teton National Park. I took a few more pictures and hurriedly headed back to the car so I could make my appointment and get rid of the demon cat. There are just too many distractions along the way.

(http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/fieldtrips/2007/explorations/grand_prismatic/index.html)

I made it a few minutes before noon after driving through and passed the Tetons; I really wanted to explore more of them so I didn’t stay long. After I met up and dropped the cat off and grabbed the papers so we could take Moab to Canada, I headed into the Tetons building to get an idea of what there was to see on my short timeline. An employee helped me identify a hike, the Taggart Lake hike, I grabbed a quick bite and headed off. It was a beautiful day so I wanted to see as much of the park in the time I had. He assured me that this hike was one of the more popular hikes and I had seen it listed on a few sites before my trip as well.

The trail head its fair share of cars but was not close to full on this Sunday in October. Plus, there were a variety of routes/trails one could take. I chose the route that was four miles to Bradley Lake and went passed Taggart Lake on the way. The day was clear, the air was crisp and I had the trail to myself for the majority of the hike. I ran a little again but hiked most of the way in, only running during the unsightly and boring parts.

It did not take me long to make it to Taggart Lake but was somewhat disappointed with the view as I was expected something a bit more majestic but it was still very beautiful. I headed off for Bradley Lake with the famous Tetons on my left. I greatly enjoyed the hike and came upon Bradley Lake. It was a superior view and I had it all to myself. It was quite rewarding and a great hike but I had to get back to Montana as we had made plans for that night and were leaving for Canada the next day.

I ran a little more on the way back but still took the time to talk with a couple from Washington along the way. They were spending two weeks in the park, lucky them! I was back at the car in no time, the whole trip taking about two hours for five miles. It was a little rushed but enjoyed nonetheless. If I had had about two more hours I would have pushed further up but it was already three o’clock and I was running late as is.

Back in the car I zipped along the roads and passed cars as they stopped to admire buffalo or were simply plodding along slowly. I did, however, come across a traffic jam in the middle of YNP. Something was blocking the road but I could not see what it was, just that traffic was at a standstill. A few moments later 2,000 pound bison were walking past my car on the road. It was a crazy sight as I was once again was in awe and enjoyed it very much. I felt tiny in the little rental I had. Once they passed the car I was on my way once again.

I made it back to Nate’s around seven as he was just finishing cooking a great steak dinner. And no, that wasn’t our plans for the night. We ended up going to his friend’s house, Immanuella, to hang out with some friends, have some beers, and play some games (such as cards against humanity). It was a fun and chill night.

Day 3 — And we’re off

They plan we had for the day was for Nate to head to work on his early shift and get “sick” so he could be home around noon to head up towards Canada. In the meantime, I would pack everything up so we could leave as soon as possible. I ended up sleeping in to about 9:30 and was eating breakfast as Nate walks into the house around ten. As he had finished his work for the day, he decided to get out of there a bit early. Anyways, we ended up packing everything up to prepare for pretty much anything we would decide to do in Banff National Park (BNF) or along the way.

We had a ton of stuff in the car and headed out of Livingston around twelve headed do North towards Flathead Lake for the day/night. Flathead Lake is the largest natural fresh water lake west of the Mississippi River and is incredibly clean and clear.

I’m sure you’ve seen the infamous picture of the lady floating in the water as you can see the logs on the bottom twenty feet below. Arriving around 4:30 we explored a little and found a little state park on the lake to get a better view. The water was surprising not freezing and as clear as we hoped from our vantage point. As we had done little research we had no idea what to expect or where to find a higher vantage point. It would be an amazing place to spend summer days on the lake.

Flathead Lake lead us to be directly west of Glacier National Park (GNP), which we had planned to drive into to camp for the night and explore the next day. Unfortunately, Nate discovered that a pass was closed due to construction or some other lame excuse. We did drive into it briefly, but ended up turning around as the east side of the park is the one where are the main attractions are and we could hit it on the way back. Instead, we headed north towards the border find some back road to cross over illegally. Sike, we were in search for a campsite for the night since GNP was pretty much closed down for the winter season.

One of the perils of going camping in mid-October. It was getting late in the day when we found a little campsite close to the border. It was just north, and maybe a part of, Swisher Lake Campground, with only one other campsite occupied; a prime spot to pitch a tent, light a fire, cook some brats (because it is the ultimate, lazy, camp food), and wander around gazing at the night sky and taking pictures. Unfortunately, we would have to wait until the morning to find out what our campsite really looked like as we had arrived after dark. After a few beers, brats, and catching up we retired to the tent since we were planning to get an early start to maximize our time in Banff.

Day 4 — Kootenay, Yoho, and Banff

We were up and packed just before the sun came over the horizon. We will have to return to the campsite to truly see what it looked like as there were bigger and better things ahead. It was around at 4 ½ drive to BNF and we wanted to see the most in the few days we could spend up there. We had no problem crossing over the border into Canada after about five questions and the customary, “have a good trip.” Not even one question about the 50 pound dog in the back seat.

Fortunately, there were two other Canadian National Parks along the way to provide exceptional scenery and cause us to meander off the road from time to time. The first one was Kootenay, located to the Southwest of Banff, known for the Radium Hot Springs and the Kootenay River.

We stopped several times to stretch the legs, looks for wildlife, or simply enjoy the views instead of whizzing by at 80 km/h. The blue water provided for an intense comparison against the serrated snow covered mountain tops in the background and rugged tundra and sub-alpine meadows filling in the space between. So many places to see and so little time! Yoho National Park (very closely resembling another popular phrase) was much of the same and north of Kootenay. The name was fun to say the least and we were anxious to get to Banff so we stopped less but still enjoyed the scenery. It is also located on the British Columbia territory and has some unbelievably blue lakes to its name.

Around noon we finally arrived in Banff National Park. Our first stop was at the visitor center in the town of Lake Louise. We needed to get our bearings of the park, grab a little grub from the supplies we brought, and stretch the legs. Also, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are the marvels of the park. We both this would mean gobs of tourists and selfies sticks; luckily it was well past the prime season and the park is in the middle of the Rockies so it is not the easiest place to reach. Moraine Lake was closed for the season due to avalanche risk or some bull**** so we moved on (it is possible to walk or bike the road but we did not have time). It was too bad as Moraine is arguably the better of the two sites to see. Moving onto Lake Louise we came across a traffic jam. Nate concluded there was some sort of animal for all these cars to be stopped and ended up being right. Off to the side of the road was a small 2–300 pound grizzly, maybe four years old. He was just a little guy so I took a few pics got back in the car and proceeded to the lake.

Lake Louise was magnificent once we came upon it; at ground level it was a beautiful blue-green color and was surround by trees and mountains all around (cover picture at the top). The lake was also a huge tourist attraction so of course there was a massive hotel at one end.

It didn’t quite ruin it but it took away some of the wild and mystique of the countryside. After many pictures and walking around the lake we headed back towards the car. We had bigger and better plans; we had to find a trail that would give us a vantage point above the lake. The most direct route was on the Fairview Lookout. It was a steep trail that gained 400 feet in .7 miles but well worth the views. It didn’t take us long as we huffed it up the hill to see what the real fuss was about this lake.

The lake was unfathomably blue; bluer than any lake I’ve ever seen and blows the waters of New Zealand out of the water. The color was otherworldly and made the drive worth it all by itself. Nate commented that the color is created from a type of rock flour that is carried down by glacier melt water and those particles of flour reflect the blue/green colors. Basically, the lakes in the Rockies are known for having high levels of rock flour that are comprised of limestone that highly reflects the blue color in a brilliant color. It is most definitely a place to visit if you enjoy natural beauty.

After a bit of exploring the overview and going a little further up the trail, we headed back down towards the car. For whatever reason we decided to run down the trail, maybe to get the hike back over with? Maybe cause it provides a slight kick of adrenaline? I was in front with my camera bag tightened down to prevent it from swinging and GoPro in my hand as we stupidly and occasionally out of control flew down the trail. About as fast as you can reasonably go. As we came around a turn, I saw this rock sticking out of the ground which I needed to either jump over or to the side of. I ended up jumping over it as in the split second before I thought it would look pretty rad (Nate later admitted he thought so and did the same thing). I planted my right puma-wearing foot down on the gravel trail and felt it slide out almost immediately. There was no hope for recovery in this case as I dived forward onto the trail, putting my hands down for a brief second before realizing that this was the perfect opportunity to display an epic penguin dive. I slide for 10–15 feet before coming to a stop with my legs and hands in the air; Nate somehow stopped and avoided me in the chaos.

My GoPro had jumped out of my hand as I braced for impact and slammed down into the rocks shattering the dive case. At least the camera was fine but I couldn’t subject it to water for the rest of my trip. Not too beat up from the penguin dive I was able to walk down the trail with some small aches. Nate had a good show of the whole thing and undoubtedly laughed, once he saw I only had a few scrapes.

We hadn’t eaten much and needed to make a plan for our time in Banff along with find a campsite. Nate drove due to my obvious state of soreness. We drove down to the town of Banff and headed to pick our campsite. After that it was on to making a plan for the next for days. The visitor center was open so we went in and after talking with the employees and searching a little online we settled on a hike that was 10.8 miles into the backcountry and 10.8 miles back the next day. A loop is preferred but we could not find one suitable and this one ended at a glacier lake. We would go past the famed ink pots and head down the Johnston Creek Trail to Leullen Lake. When we were finally done, we headed out to explore the town and grab some food. It didn’t take long before we were sitting in a place enjoying Elk burgers and beers. And, since we had some free time, we found a brewery in town and grabbed a pitcher to split and relax for a bit. I was feeling good by the time we walked out and I am betting Nate was as well, although less since he lives at elevation and Banff is at 4,500 feet.

It was close to seven at this point as we walked around town in search for some souvenirs and gifts for friends and family. After several stops and quite possibly some alcohol inspired purchases, making it easier to swipe the card, we headed off to the campsite to set up camp. Camp was a few minutes outside of town so there would be little chance for us to go out for a few beers so we decided to make a fire and chill, since we had to hike a few miles the next day. We started with a few beers and ended up drinking them all. I do not know what the count was for the night but we were both nice and toasty and enjoyed the party until three or four in the morning. At one point, we did complete our goal to sit in some Adirondack style chairs that we had found while trying to locate the site.

I remember having trouble deciding which way to go on the main road to their location but we eventually decided on the route based upon the mountain they were “in front” of and the picture I had taken in the daylight. . It was a cold night out but it was worth it as we marveled at the dark night sky with a beer. Those moments make trips and memories with good friends. Anyways, we were getting cold so we headed back to fire and finish the beer before getting a great night of sleep.

Day 5 — Why Hello

Our campsite was in the shade of trees above but not an incredibly wooded place. When we woke up it seemed early enough to give us time to pack up and start our hike. I reached down to check my phone and was alarmingly surprised as it read 10:30, it must be wrong. Nate checked his and reported the same time. Drat! We had overslept. Anyone that camps know that it is a miracle to sleep in past eight and if you have to backpack it is best to start early. We ended up getting to the trail and starting our hike at noon; not an idea situation. However, being speedy hikers, we were not concerned about the distance and set out anyways. Very few things could delay us now. Because, Yoho! I mean, because it’ll be a while before either of us in Banff again and we were confident we had enough time. So, Nate, Moab, and I headed into the Canadian Rockies.

We had a fast pace going, probably around three miles an hour, and the beginning of the hike was under the cover of trees and fairly flat so easy enough. One of the unique things we came across are these birds called grey jays which Nate identified. They are very friendly birds and are known for landing on people if you hold out food for them. At one point we had the opportunity and it worked flawlessly. A little thing but still fun.

A few miles in we came out of the woods and upon the ink pots. These are clear emerald pools that aren’t particularly boiling hot but are warmed by an underground source and bubbles coming up from the bottom. It was a very peaceful place with the mountains in the background so we decided to take some time to replenish and walk around for a bit before heading back on the trail.

The pace remained quick as Nate lead when we started across the open sub-alpine meadows. There were a few bridges along the way made of two 9 x 9 pieces of wood with a hand rail on one side. Moab would go over some of the shorter ones no problem, but when we got to one that was six feet off the water and probably thirty feet long, he froze up. Instead he thought crossing the shallow white water might be a better idea. Nate and Moab “argued” back and forth and eventually Nate had to literally drag him across the bridge. I think Moab would have made it, but may have been taken downstream a little bit and would be exposed to the cold and maybe hypothermia.

Occasionally, we would hike through damp parts of the trail, but nothing too crazy for our boots to hold up as long as we stayed on our feet. The real concern in the valley would be the threat of a moose, bear, or even wolf among other animals; we kept our eyes out and made enough noise to alert animals to prevent from surprising them.

It was quite a beautiful hike with waste high grasses on both sides, a small river a hundred yards to the left and the pristine not-yet-snow-covered mountains a few miles on our right and left. A couple miles later we entered back into the woods for the rest of our hike until we reached Leullen Lake. We still had about four miles to go and it was close to three by now. At one point on the trail it turns to the right and heads up hill instead of following the river as we had expected per the contour lines on the trail map. The original trail clearly continued to follow the river but for some reason it was blocked and new cairns were made to follow up a rocky, dry creek bed. In later research I found that the original trail had been washed out. At the time we did not want to see a hill. Nate called BS as we headed up hill instead of following the flats. It sapped out all of our energy. Hindsight is a lovely thing when you can see that staying up the night before (killing 26 craft beers) may not be helping you finish the last three miles of the hike but it was great fun.

We sloshed on through a false hope of reaching camp and climbed higher on the hill dragging feet and slowing down to a more realistic pace. Nate was slightly ahead with Moab off leash wondering in between for a good portion of this part until we took a break to rejuvenate and finish off the day.

Once we made it off the hill and back near the water it was flat hiking, at least per the map. The trail was wide enough so we could walk two wide with Moab between us. It was after four and we had a little more than a mile to go which made it feasible to reach camp before sunset and enjoy the site before it turned dark and cold. As we rounded a corner, I saw it. Except in my tired-delusional state it took me a brief moment before what actually stood before us. About forty yards in front of us was a large grizzly bear, as wide as the trail and probably four feet tall, on all four legs. When I first spotted, I actually saw the panda from the movie Kung-Fu Panda as it was that big but after a brief moment realized it was a 1000 pound grizzly on the trail. I stopped dead in my tracks as Nate questioned why I stopped. He had been looking down at the time as I let out a shallow, “grizzly.” He was in doubt until he looked up. Nate later recalled that “he was amazed and excited at first because I hadn’t seen a grizzly this close in person and for me that is a special moment that not everyone gets to experience. Then, after that short moment of joy the reality set in that this animal may not be as excited or “amazed” to see us.” Standing forty yards from the beast, we locked eyes and all froze for a moment. We felt like the bear was assessing us and once he realized we were not a threat to him, he put his head back down and carried on towards us. Moab looked at the bear and then up at Nate like, “what is that?” After a moment we began to back up slowly and up the trail we had just come. Don’t run. We turned away on the trail so we could see the path and looked over our shoulders to see the bear was following behind, but not gaining ground. Once we rounded the corner and out of sight we picked up the pace and had both cans of bear mace locked and loaded. The odd thing was that Moab was not cooperating with Nate, lagging behind, and acting very strange. He also had never been so close or seen such a beast like that before so he may have either been curious or a bit shocked. Nate quickly put the leash on him and pulled him as quickly as we could hike. We were a good seventy yards past the turn and stopped for a moment. The grizzly rounded the corner and we knew we had to come up with a better plan as he came right towards us, still at a walking pace, however. (This was a bit of a relief knowing he was not charging us or threatening us but still not time to take the situation lightly and hangout on the trail to shake hands.) We did not want to tempt it anymore as we continued to walk the opposite way of camp we frantically but in an oddly calm manner conversed plans of action. I had proposed cutting off trail to the right and down the hill to the water to possibly cross it if needed but Nate suggested that we cut left off the trail and head up hill into thick bushes and coniferous trees. He had remembered a pretty steep part off the trail that we passed a couple hundred yards back and was hoping that we could see the bear pass from up there so we could be comfortable with continuing our hike. We took option two. We had rounded another corner shortly after we saw the grizzly continue towards us so we had a great chance to move quickly up the hill and out of his path. At this point, we hiked the fastest we had all trip and about fifty yards up. If the bear was coming for us, we were not going to out run it anyways. I tossed my pack on the ground and bear mace to Nate as I quickly climbed at pine tree to get a view of the trail below and hopefully the bear. Nate was on the ground and remembers, “Holding both bear maces in my hands; kind of made me feel like a badass as if I was wielding dual handguns or something. I had Moab sit at my side with a bit of confused look on his face but I was confident he would be my third line of defense if needed.” It was the hastiest climb I have done but was careful enough to hold on securely as the occasional branch would break from under me. About twenty-five feet up I looked down and concisely saw the bear walk past on the trail, of course communicating this all to Nate below. Did you see the bear? Did you see the bear? Did he pass? Did he pass? Hoping to get a bit of relief. I had only seen him for a split second but did not see any branches or movement coming towards us as a climbed back down. We cut parallel to the trail bushwhacking for a bit and then down the hill to the trail to realize the trail was a lot closer than we had expected it to be. With roughly a mile to go, we were now running on adrenaline as the situation had provide a boost of energy as would any other life threatening situation. It was a tense few moments as you fear the worst might happen and I would have loved to get a picture but it was a much too serious situation to mess around. We were ecstatic that it did not want anything to do with us and that we had not encountered it at a closer distance. It did not take us long to make it to camp as we followed the path the bear had just come from and down to the lake. The sun had set over the mountains but it was still light enough to take in the natural beauty you can only appreciate after hiking eleven miles and meeting a bear on the trail.

After checking out the lake a little and debating whether to camp on top of a wood platform or at a real campsite, we finally decided on the campsite. Nate was freezing for some reason so he was throwing on all of his layers. I was standing up on a bench to change into some warmer clothes and wobbled it a little bit when the can of bear mace tumbled off. A quick ‘tss’ sprayed a minute amount of bear mace into the air and of course as we both looked at it, the mace made us cough for a brief bit (even though we both knew what it was before looking). Only a fitting end to the day would do. We quickly recapped the bear maces and prepared for the night by setting up camp, cooking soup (heavy but very good on a cold night), and gathered what we could for a fire.

The correspondence went somewhat like this: 
Nate: You want to go setup the tent and I’ll get the fire going?
Me: Nooooo how bout we both go set up the tent and then set up the fire.
Nate: Oh right, the whole bear thing, yea that’s probably a good plan haha.

Neither of us really wanted to come face to face with a bear, let alone by ourselves.

The fire pit and its area were picked bone dry from the other campers and fisherman that had come before us all season so it was tough sledding. An ax would have been a big help but near impossible to carry the eleven miles.

Nate had been tending the fire while I made dinner but everything was pretty wet as it had been on the ground so the best we could get were small flair ups from twigs and such every once in a while. We had a few logs used for sitting on but had no way to get them cut up into sizable pieces to burn without smothering our fire. However, we did have a hatchet so we could strip off pieces of the logs and keep the fire going just enough. We would take turns picking at the log until we either got tired or our backs sore. It was getting tough to stay out by the ‘fire’ as it was in the 20s to 30s but eventually we found a solution (and no, it was not cuddling).

In order to get more sizable pieces of the driest log we could find, we took the hatchet and hit it into the log about two inches from the side of the log. Another log, that had two offshoots and used for handles, was then used to drive the hatchet deeper into the log and split it. It was pretty damn effective and soon we had a raging fire going. It was an incredible feeling at that point. Throughout this and more so once we had the fire going, we passed a bottle of cheap Canadian whiskey that we had picked up in town that morning. When it Canada. We did not have a traditional chaser as all we had to drink was water. However, I always carry some Haribo gummy bears on hikes and trips. These worked great to combat the ‘tasty’ whiskey which was gone fast enough. It was a good thing we only got a small bottle with the hike out the next day. One heck of a day.

Day 6 — The Return of the Hiking

The morning started slowly around nine when we began hiking. Our main goal, at least mine, was to lookout for the bear that we saw the previous day on the trail (or any bear in that case). We only went about a mile when we decided to park next to the river to eat breakfast and boil water to get through the day. Nate also had a life straw if we became desperate.

After a half hour or so we had replenished our water supply and eaten most of the rest of our food but were off. The pace was quick as usual but we had the advantage of a longer night sleep and less of a hangover to sap our energy. Food is really key when hiking for a few hours. We followed the bear paws down the trail for a two or three miles before we finally lost track of them.

Compared to the day before it was fairly uneventful sans a few uphill parts that we had completely forgot about on the way in. We did end up passing a couple of day hikers even with our full packs and made it out of the woods a little after three. It was a beautiful day to hike and especially in Banff and in the valley as we passed the ink pots and meadows.

With a few hours left in the day we decided to grab a meal in town and proposed going for another short hike while we were there. However, fatigue got the better of us and we ended up skipping it to start making our way down towards the border. It was after six when we started heading south. After about two hours we pulled off the highway to get some gas and to research what time the border gates closed. Some are open for 24 hours but others close at night. Nate found that the Carway Border Crossing was open from 700 to 2300; it was near 2030 now and his phone was giving us mixed results as to how long it would take (I believe we were just south of Calgary). Just across the border it was three hours but before the border it was two hours. We were not really sure. After a few minutes of deliberating I decided to go for it as I thought we could make it. Another option would be to go east to another crossing or wait until the next day. However, it would be best to get a jump and cross that night.

We set out with Nate driving now. The good thing we found is that you can go 10–15 km over as that is common on the highways and there a very few cops out there, especially this late in the season and day. Our directions were laid in screenshots that we took beforehand and I dozed off for an hour or so to wake up just before we pulled up to the border. We had made it with time to spare; it was 2230.

The border patrol window was on the right side of the car which seemed odd as we pulled up. I think Nate was simply exhausted as he pulled up to the window but with three feet between us in the window. The guy was a prick as he ordered us to, “back up and don’t hit anything.” Nate easily complied. As I had just woken up, I must have looked completely out of, on drugs, or somewhere in between. And, of course, as I was on his side all the questions seemed to be fired at me. It was a devilish game of twenty questions as two exhausted travelers were simply trying to get back into the US. Three times as many and odd questions to boot but we finally supplied enough two to three word answers that he was satisfied. Not mention of the dog in the backseat, again.

We drove for another 25 minutes to St. Mary, Montana to camp for the night. It was only a few miles into Glacier National Park. One of the two campsites open in this part of the year. After a quick set up and crawling into our sleeping bags, it didn’t take a whole lot of time to pass out.

Day 7 — Celebration

Surprisingly (or not since we were camping), we woke at a decent time. We had a 5 ½ hour drive back to Livingston but wanted to explore what we could in the little time we had in Glacier. There were a few longer hikes in the area that led to glaciers but were close to eight miles round trip or more. We thought we would be able to tackle such as hike but settled on a rather pedestrian two mile round trip hike to a waterfall instead.

The only downside is that the Apikuni Falls hike has an elevation gain of 625 in that short distance of one mile each way. Both of us were unpleasantly surprised at how sore we still wore as we walked at a very slow pace. It was a great decision to only hike a short distance. The falls were cool to see as it tumbled over the cliff and Nate took a quick dip.

Nate’s personal recount of the dip: I knew the water was going to be cold but I had been talking about getting into a lake or river the whole trip and had wimped out up until this point. Of course I waited and chose a glacier fed water fall that was probably a few degrees from being frozen. So I stripped down to boxers so I could keep the only clothes I had dry for the hike back. Just shortly after taking my socks off I realized how cold the rocks outside the waterfall were and that alone made me realize how bad it was going to be. As I got within twenty feet of the waterfall, that I remind you plunged about 150 feet, I was misted with the freezing water all over which only got worse as I continued to get closer. So as I began walking into the small pool of water under the waterfall, not only were my legs in a state of shock but my whole body was being sprayed with this freezing water. If you have been in freezing cold water before then you know the feeling of pins and needles you get as your body goes numb. This was the feeling I had within fifteen seconds of being in that water but I insisted I push to get directly under the water because we all know that is the money shot picture we want. Once under the waterfall I gave a quick look back to the camera as the freezing water was pelting me in the head and back. After maybe ten seconds under the water I began my retreat, realizing my legs were in more pain then I predicted. The rocks on the bottom felt like knives every step and the numbness was causing me to lose my balance much easier. I managed my way out quickly but not graciously at all and 45 degree (whatever the air temp was) air never felt so warm.

Our legs were warmed up now so it didn’t take nearly as long to get back to the car and it was all downhill also. I will definitely be returning to the park to explore more and see the infamous glaciers before they completely disappear. We were able to see one in the distance as we drove out of the park.

It was close to noon when we exited the park and made our way back to civilization. As we were in no rush, we decided to have a little fun along the way and make some stops at a few breweries. Montana has a map of all the breweries in the state (that participated in the tour) so it was easy enough to find them. Nate also had a general idea of what cities some of them were located. Along our trip we stopped at two breweries: The Front Brewing (Great Falls) and Lewis & Clark Brewing (Helena). We were going to stop at a third but wanted to get home and relax for a bit with a fire and some brats.

We rolled in around eight and grabbed a few quick supplies from the store and another local beer to try at our leisure. Nate got the fire going and invited a friend over for a bit as we cooked some brats and chilled for the night. I also made s’mores and avoided the hornets this time. Nothing fancy but a fitting ending to a great trip. I had an early flight out in the morning and Nate had to return to work early in the morning; back to reality.

Day 8 — Can we do it again?

After a quick goodbye in the morning, we parted ways as I headed to Bozeman and Nate into work. We are bound to have many more adventures but this was a great one to kick it off.

I am currently trying to convince Nate to go to the running of the bulls in Spain summer 2016. If not, we will surely do another awesome hike.

Stats:

• Moose spotted: one
  • Grizzlies encountered: two
  • Hornet stings: one
  • Cops seen: two?
  • Miles traveled by myself: 450 (YNP and Tetons day mostly)
  • Miles traveled with Nate: 1,350
  • Miles hiked: 37.2
  • Showers taken: three
  • Skunked out by the cat: twice
  • Wipe outs on the trail: once each
  • Money spent: approximately $600
  • Near death experiences: one
  • Bon fires: four
  • Beers drank between us: approximately 60 (my guesstimate 4+5+7+26*+4+0+14 = 60) (Nates guesstimate 2+7+6+32*+4+2+8 = 61)
   o *Night 4 in mostly a guess and from dinner on
  • S’mores eaten: four (in one night)
  • Brats devoured: 20
  • Waterfalls swam in: one (Nate)