August 13 -
After a day off and getting my backcountry permit all
straightened out I was more than ready to hit the trail again.
With an early start, I headed over to Two Medicine via the trail
over Scenic Point. This is part of the Continental Divide Trail
and I was looking forward to the views I'd experienced from here
on other treks. Up and up I hiked; up into the sun, but also into
a fierce and biting wind. 
It was like a living thing, pushing and
pouncing, and often playing with me. I'd be pushed off the trail
or held in place with the noise a freeway of sound. But it was
sunny. And I had the entire summit to myself. I could look out
onto the plains for hundreds of miles or I could look down at the
Two Medicine Lakes and the sharp, distinctive mountains
surrounding them. It was a wonderful walk.
When I started to drop down I ran into some nice folks from Colorado and other day hikers from many different places. It seemed to get busy. Camped at the campground amid RV's and autos, I was a fish out of water, but a happy fish.
August 14 - A short day
today. Hiked up to beautiful No Name Lake and set up camp. Bald
eagle soaring and a mountain goat spotted on the cliffs high
above the lake. The wind was blowing clouds by so fast it looked
like a time lapse film. The skies started to clear after a gray
morning. I sang for a nice couple from South Carolina, Bryon and
Kathleen, who were also camped here. A very laid back day.
August 15 - Such
a beautiful morning in the mountains. One of those crisp, cold,
still mornings when the air has a scent of spruce and seems as
fresh as the day the earth was born.
As I approached Dawson Pass a bighorn ewe watched
me curiously and never moved from her spot next to the trail. The
views unfolded and all around me were sharp topped peaks, some
with a wisp of cloud draped over the peak, others with a girdle
of snow. The trail contours the west side of the Continental
Divide here for a few miles. It's an amazing bit of trail
construction with the path cut into solid rock and hanging on the
steep slopes. It might be 3 of the most beautiful miles of the
entire CDT.
It was very cold and I walked with more clothes on than usual, but the sun shone and I stopped often to soak it all in. Eventually I recrossed the Divide to Pitamakin Pass where I started seeing many day hikers and also more clouds building. Here I dropped to the north and eventually camped at Morning Star Lake with hikers, Ken and Walt.
August 16 - The rain started last night about dinner time. It came down all night , often driven by a fierce wind. Usually I sleep so well with the rain falling on the tent, but the wind batting my tent around kept waking me up.
I slept in and read for a long time in the morning as the rain continued. Finally I realized it wasn't going to break so I packed up and headed on. What a wet trail!
Heading up to Triple Divide Pass the clouds dropped. I could see 20-30 feet and that was it. This could be anywhere for all I could see! But I do enjoy the misty fog. It lends a mystery to the land that we need sometimes.
Stumps and rock outcroppings take on a different character, and the colors, especially greens, appear as if they actually glow sometimes. By the time I ended my day at the foot of Red Eagle Lake the clouds were lifting enough to let the surrounding peaks reflect their faces in the still lake reminding me that this is the prettiest lake in the entire park! (my opinion, of course!) I had the place to myself, and singing on the beach to an entire valley of hushed stillness was inspiration enough to fill any heart. The words soared and echoed, "Forever wild, forever wild, Let it stay forever wild!"
August 17 - I wasn't looking forward to this day, especially when I woke up this morning to find the lake gone. Totally disappeared. A dense fog lay over the canyon. I couldn't see a thing. Within a few miles the skies began to clear and it turned out to be a glorious day!
The section of trail I wasn't looking forward to was walking a little used, overgrown trail along the south shore of St Mary Lake. Memories of this trail were not favorable and I dragged at the turnoff, not wanting to go, but knowing I had to. Though it was a jungle in many places, overgrown and wet, it was not as bad as last time. I sang loudly to let the animals know I was there and had the trail to myself as far as I could tell!
At Virginia Falls the trail suddenly became a freeway of tourists and I marveled at the incredible beauty of the numerous cascades and falls with the dozens of other visitors to this place. I camped alone at Reynolds Creek and enjoyed an icy bath and a toasty campfire. I sung to the full moon as it peeked through the spruce and fir.
August 18 - More jungle trail until hitting the Siyeh Bend trail and then met Stuart and Lori from Baltimore whom I ended up hiking with most of the day. It was great having them as company as we hiked over Piegan Pass and then down through a series of alpine basins. Waterfalls and sharp topped mountains towered around us. One set of grizz tracks but no sightings. A "social' kind of day with lots of folks on the trail. One man had seen me in concert and the ranger at Swiftcurrent uses my kid songs with her 2nd grade class. Nice to get such good feedback.
Resupplied at Swiftcurrent, called Leslie, and finished my day dining on a big pizza with Stuart and Lori!
August 19 - Heading up the Ptarmigan trail I ran into Dave Shea, an old friend who was stationed in Belly River for many years. It was nice chatting with someone I knew and someone who knows and loves the park as much as he does.
Loads of people on the trail. I couldn't blame them. The Ptarmigan Tunnel is an amazing bit of trail. Constructed in the 1930's by the CCC, the trail switchbacks up the rocky slope above azure Ptarmigan Lake before disappearing into the high ridge itself via the tunnel. Popping out the other side a hiker is greeted by the awesome sight of Elizabeth Lake and the deep valley of the Belly River all surrounded by rugged peaks. The trail is then cut into the solid rock, traversing across the cliff and drops gradually to the lake. An incredible section of walking. One that I first did in the 70's.
Great campsite at the foot of Elizabeth Lake and wonderful company with eight other hikers. We had an enchanting evening of sharing stories, songs and laughter.
August 20 - I'm starting to drag my feet as I near my ending point for this year. I slept in this morning, then read for a while before a long, leisurely breakfast. Very late start. But it was a short day and easy walking. Had one shallow ford at the foot of Cosley Lake, and what a beautiful view looking up the lake and all the surrounding peaks. Then on to the head of Glen's Lake where I camped and swam, spending the rest of the day reading and playing music. Deric, from Calgary, shared the campsite.
August 21 - A roaring wind began last night and blew in dark clouds, but they just kept blowing over and never did rain. I was last over Stoney Indian Pass 21 years ago, so I was looking forward to doing it again. The trail took me up beside a series of waterfalls and into a couple high basins. Lots of climbing but very well graded trail. I love this park. Such superb vistas.
I've enjoyed the social aspect of hiking in
Glacier Park also. All along I've met wonderful folks and when I
got down to Stony Indian Lake I met 3 gentlemen from Georgia and
2 rangers who knew some of the same people I do. Later shared the
campsite with Erik and Jen, and Barry and Doug, both lovely
couples. This is my last night on the trail for this year. I
watched the sun slip over the far horizon and have mixed feelings
about returning to that other life, out there in the so-called
civilized world.
August 22 - My last miles were strange ones for me. I was filled with joy and sadness at the same time. I stopped often to finish one more song, and had it done by the time I reached the south shore of Waterton Lake. Here I sat myself down on the beach looking north. All the miles of the summer, 601 of them, lie behind me and I let my mind go back over the ridges and canyons I'd walked; the Gallatin Range, the Bridgers, the Belts, the Gates of the Mountains, the Continental Divide, Scapegoat Mountain, the Bob Marshall wilderness, the Badger-Two Medicine, and this wonderful park. It is all connected. The continent gets smaller for me each year as I tie more and more of it together with the miles I trek. Just as one trail can lead to another and thus to anywhere one wants to go, so does one ridge tie to the next and thus to the next. Yes, the Yellowstone is tied to the Yukon. I can feel those ties woven amidst the miles and memories, and already they call me on. I listen and all I can say is; "Next year!"
To Be Continued In The Summer of 1998
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