Back to Montana
I’ve been bouncing around a lot this summer between Montana, Washington, and Oregon, and that theme continued over the last month since I completed the Washington BDR. From Central Washington, we headed back East to Helena where we spent a couple more nights with Jocelyn’s family before going back to my parent’s place on the Continental Divide in Southwest Montana. We spent another week there where Jocelyn worked and I helped out with various chores around the cabin and property including cutting yet more trees that had fallen on fences. We also got out for some good hikes, managed to snag a few wild strawberries before the birds and other critters did, and of course took in some more amazing sunsets.
Next we headed back North where we stayed in Helena for another couple of nights and then met up with a friend from Portland at Jocelyn’s family cabin near Helmville, Montana. We stayed a night there on our way up to Glacier National Park.
Glacier National Park
We spent three days in Glacier National Park altogether. I’ve been to Glacier a number of times, but it never gets old. There is such a diversity of landscapes and ecosystems in such a relatively small area. From moist Cedar groves and Cottonwood stands, to Hemlock forests that seem like they were teleported from Oregon, to high alpine lakes and meadows, and of course glaciers, it offers something for everyone.
Our first night, we stayed in a campground near Polebridge. In our past experience, this side of the park is much less crowded and first-come-first-served campsites are much easier to come by. This time was no different and as a bonus we stocked up on delicious pastries at the Polebridge Mercantile.
We then spent our next two nights at the Avalanche Campground on the West end of the Going-To-The-Sun road, where we’d made reservations. It was a nice campground, with ample space and shade, clean bathrooms with flush toilets and running water, and some peek-a-boo views of peaks through the trees. The first day we hiked up to Avalanche Lake–a short hike to a mountain lake ringed by snow field covered peaks threaded with waterfalls. It was a bit crowded due to the short hike and proximity to the road and campground, but still workable and still well worth the effort.
Our third and final day in Glacier, we got up at 5:00 am to beat the crowds and get a parking spot at the Siyeh Bend trailhead. The Going-To-The-Sun road was as empty as I’d ever seen it at that hour. The sun rose in a burst of orange and cerulean over the peaks, glaciers and verdant hillsides. Going to the sun indeed. A herd of bighorn sheep crossed in front of us as we ascended, and couple of mule deer bucks crossed the road at Logan Pass.
The trail started out following a creek rushing over rocks before starting to climb up through Subalpine fir and abundant wildflowers—Arnica, Heather, and fragrant Beargrass. As we climbed past the tree line heading East toward Preston Park, Piegan Glacier came into view to the West. The morning light bouncing softly off of snow fed lakes that filled the wide basin as we climbed toward Siyeh Pass. Pikas scurried around us grazing and frantically gathering grass for nests, mostly oblivious to our presence. They have bigger things to worry about. Even though summer has just begun up here, winter is right around the corner too. We topped Siyeh pass at 8,000 feet having climbed 2,000 in a few short miles and were treated to an entirely new view—glimpses of Sexton Glacier, more steep granite peaks, and alpine meadows. At this point, we parted ways and I continued down the other side of the pass. The views kept coming–wildflowers and granite, ice and snow, rushing water. I saw only a couple other hikers on this section of trail, it was mostly me and the marmots. Eventually I got back to the madness of the Going-To-The-Sun road in the afternoon. I munched a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and waited for Jocelyn and our friend to pick me up, which they did about 30 minutes later.
Fire In The Mountains
We parted ways with our friend and headed to the other side of the park to Red Eagle campground on the Blackfeet Reservation bordering Glacier where we met up with some other Portland friends. This is the site of the Fire in the Mountains music festival and it was our second year in attendance. Fire in the Mountains is billed as a “heavy music” festival and it includes an eclectic mix from heavy metal to Americana and singer-songwriters. At first glance, it seems a little incongruous to have a metal festival in such a beautiful and remote place, but in its way, it fits very well.
This festival is something very special. It is done in close collaboration with the tribe and benefits the Fire Keeper Alliance, an organization focused on preventing suicide among native youth. It celebrates the power of heavy music to provide catharsis and healing, a way to metabolize and process the trauma that many of the youth here unfortunately face and also as a way for all of us collectively to process and move through the troubled times we live in. Along with the music, there are great workshops where participants can learn about Blackfeet culture and the surrounding landscape as well as hear from panels of musicians about topics like “music as medicine”, and “riffs as ritual”.
One of my proudest achievements of this whole trip is that I made it to the final round of the non-native dance competition during the opening night Pow-Wow. I also appreciate that the event is alcohol free, which makes it safer for everyone and leads to a much more mellow and connecting experience than it might otherwise be. On the last night, the wildfire smoke rolled in thick enough that it blotted out the stars and I woke up with burning nostrils and the taste of it in my mouth. Yet another reminder of the new normal in this part of the world at this time of year. Despite the smoke, this has become one of our favorite events of the year and I’m looking forward to next year already.
Smoke on the Divide
From Fire in the Mountains, it was back down to my parent’s place for our final week in Montana. This time, I got out for a 40 mile motorcycle ride that included a part of the Continental Divide Trail. It was unfortunately very smoky from wildfire smoke blowing in from Oregon and Washington. It was bad enough to blot out the whole western view into Idaho, Mt. Borah, Idaho’s tallest peak, included. A couple of CDT through-hikers I ran into were struggling with the smoke as they traversed the high mountains, lungs burning, and spirits deflated as they missed the spectacular views that for some might be a once in a lifetime opportunity. We’re all struggling with the smoke and devastation of this year’s unprecedented wildfire season here in the West, but the pain was especially acute for these folks, physically in their lungs, but also in their spirits as dreams of the trip of a lifetime literally went up in smoke. There is still beauty in the mountains here though and I hope they managed to appreciate what they could.
We left my parent’s on a Friday and after a brief stop at my sister’s near Bozeman, we were on our way back West. We stayed one night at a nice spot along the Clark Fork, where we got a refreshing dip in the river and a good night’s sleep before crossing the Montana border for the last time this summer.
The Enchantments
We met up with a Portland friend near Leavenworth Washington with plans to hike in the Enchantments. We camped nearby and got another early start at 4:30 am to get a parking spot and beat the crowds. I’ve always wanted to hike here, but have been turned off by reports of overwhelming crowds and the resulting trash and other impacts on the landscape. Getting there early helped with the crowds, although there was still a surprising number of people. I’m also happy to report that the trail seemed clean, likely the result of the heroic efforts of volunteers given the budget and staff cuts to the Forest Service. Hiking here it’s easy to see why it’s so popular. The lake, granite peaks, and glaciers are grand in scale. The turquoise lake below the imposing granite walls bigger than any photo could do justice.
Twisp, Cut Short
Our next stop was a spot near Twisp Washington that I discovered last year with great hiking and abundant berries. Our plan was to spend the work week there, but the Little Giant fire and the resulting smoke changed that. We got two nights, a hike to a beautiful North Cascades lake, and a good haul of Serviceberry, Thimbleberry, and Raspberry, before the smoke pushed us out.
Re-Evolution
Our final stop of this trip was Darrington Washington and the Re-Evolution festival there. After leaving our previous spot near Twisp early, we drove toward Darrington and found a place to camp in the mountains North of there near Sauk Mountain. It was still pretty smoky even further West, but I was able to get a hike up Sauk Mountain and got lucky to have the smoke clear enough to get some good views of Mount Baker to the North.
This is the second year I’ve been to the Re-Evolution festival as well. The Darrington Music Park where it’s held is one of the most beautiful venues I’ve ever been to. Camping is tucked into a lush shaded forest, the main stage has views of the magnificent White Horse Mountain, and the Stillaguamish river runs nearby providing opportunities for a refreshing dip in between bands. We met up with friends there too and spent three days dancing, swimming, and enjoying each other’s company in a beautiful place. We also got out for an afternoon of rock climbing at a nearby crag. This is an eclectic festival in the music department including everything from bluegrass, to jam bands, to EDM. This is good and bad in my opinion. At the risk of sounding like a crotchety old man, the EDM going all night until 5 or 6 am is a little much. I like to have a good time, but some sleep is good too. Nonetheless, it was a good time in hindsight with the benefit of being caught up on sleep.
After another 5 weeks on the road, it’s nice to be back home in Portland for a while. It was a great trip full of family, friends, and two festivals in two beautiful places. One festival that asked us to confront the shadow and one that asked us to embrace joy and dance until sunrise. The wildfires and smoke chased us for most of it, which is something I’m unwillingly getting used to as the price of being out here in August.
In a few weeks we’ll be hitting the road once again for Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next dispatch from the crooked trail!
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