Glacier National Park - Boulder Pass Trail - July 28, 2010 - Member Trip Report
| Hike Name: | Glacier National Park - Boulder Pass Trail |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Montana |
| Trip Rating: |  |
| Trip Date: | July 28, 2010 |
| Duration: | 1 day |
| Trail Conditions: | Fair to Good |
| Trail Traffic: | None |
| Trip Weather: | Sunny |
| Trip Winds: | Light |
| Trip Precipitation: | None |
| Trip Temperature: | High: 71-80, Low: 51-60 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Trip Report: | My wife dropped me off at the trailhead at Bowman Lake at 700AM and I was on the trail about 15 minutes later. At first the trail was just like a stroll in the woods, with very little up and down. However, there were very few places where I could get a look at the scenery because the trail rarely came down to the lakeshore and the forest was thick. Toward the upper end of Bowman Lake, the gooseberries and devil's club overgrew the trail very thickly so it was hard to see the trail at all. As I passed through the damp underbrush, I not only got wet, but it released hordes of mosquitoes, black flies, and even horse flies. I zipped off the legs of my pants for the crossing of Pocket and Bowman Creeks and left them off for the long climb up Thunderbird Peak. The price I paid for comfort on the overly warm and sunny climb was a good number of horse fly bites. At the first crossing of Bowman Creek, the current looked uncomfortably strong at the trail so I went upstream a little way to scout out a better crossing. While checking out a crossing over a pile of brush and logs jammed up against some rocks, I lost my footing and crashed through the brush, breaking one of my trekking poles and scratching myself up pretty bad. The black flies must have smelled the blood because they sure hounded me after that. The climb was easier than I expected (I had been a bit apprehensive going into this trip with the idea of hiking over 10 miles BEFORE starting a 2000' climb). Every step gave a new and breathtaking view of the magnificent mountains, waterfalls, glaciers that make this national park so unique. Just before breaking out over the rim into the pass, I crossed a cold stream with a beautiful little waterfall. I watered up there and then went on into the Brown Pass campsite. Brown Pass campsite had three tent sites but I was the only one there this night. Well, me and about 100 million mosquitoes, I should say. I prepared my meal in the designated food preparation area, but I ate it running around the pass trying to get spoonfuls of chili mac that did NOT have mosquitoes in them. The only person I saw this day was a guy coming out of his tent at the Upper Bowman campsite. Time on trail today 9hrs and 35min, total distance for the day 13.8 miles. |
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