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Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier 2016
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Thursday August 18, 2016
Many Glacier Hotel
Glacier National Park

Friday August 19, 2016
Many Glacier Hotel
Glacier National Park
Next
Saturday August 20, 2016
Many Glacier Hotel to
Timberline Lodge, Oregon on Mount Hood

It is very early on a chilly Friday morning.
It rained all day yesterday, causing a morning fog on the lakes.
I was lucky enough to see a wolverine on the Grinnell Glacier trail in 2008 and I've been waiting for a chance to see one again.
I know very well the odds of seeing such an animal are very, very small, but I've got to try.
The only way to see such an animal is to break all the rules like I did in 2008.
I need to be the first one to hike up the trail this morning, hiking quietly and alone.
Of course, the precautions necessary to try to surprise a wolverine on the trail would also surprise a grizzly bear on the trail.
Overall this is not my smartest plan ever, but I am going to see a wolverine again, damnit!

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
04:34
Fog shrouds the lake and the mountains.

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
04:34

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
04:36

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
04:47

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
04:48

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
04:53

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
05:10

You're hiking alone through grizzly territory, and you're the first person to walk on this trail this morning.
You see fresh bear scat on your trail.
What do you do?

Keep hiking!

I could hear hikers on the other side of Lake Josephine, they were quite loudly ensuring they didn't surprise any grizzlies.
The north side of Lake Josephine had been closed for days due to grizzly activity, my route on the south side of the lake cost me perhaps 10m or so longer than their more direct route.
I needed to beat those hikers up the wall to have any chance to see a wolverine...

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
05:10

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
05:30

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
06:33

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
05:41

I was not very far behind the other hikers now.
They were making pretty good time!

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
06:02

I caught up to the other hikers - an older couple who came to Glacier National Park frequently.
They had no problem letting me run ahead to get eaten by a bear all by myself.

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
06:16

A ptarmigan - I only recognized the bird because the dinning hall at the Many Glacier is named after the it.

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
07:05

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
07:05

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
07:11

I slowly climbed higher and higher up the canyon toward the glacier.
I took lots of video as I silently made my way up the trail, but I didn't see any animals....
no bears, and no wolverines...

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
07:28

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
07:45

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
07:45

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
07:46

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
07:36

I was the first one to reach the glacier, or rather the end of the trail.
Reaching what's left of the glacier itself requires lots more scrambling in an area where you really don't want to break an ankle.
I've never touched Grinnell Glacier proper, only its lake.

I didn't even see any bighorn sheep in the area.
In 2008 and 2010 they were almost close enough to touch.
With my binocs I only saw one mountain goat very high up the canyon wall.

This was the first time I'd hiked this trail in decent sunlight, so my pictures this year were considerably better than previous years, except for the part where i didn't get to photobomb a bighorn sheep this year.

I spent perhaps 40m or so at the top as multiple parties arrived.
Finally it got crowded enough I headed back down the trail, knowing full well the trail below would be a zoo.... and it was...

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
08:01

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
09:48

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
10:20

I hiked back along the north shore of Lake Josephine since everyone else was.
Eventually I heard there was a grizzly bear ahead near the trail - it had been sunning itself in a small pool near the lake's edge, then it walked uphill and crossed the trail near crowds of hikers.
I rushed ahead alone to find the bear before catching up to another couple.
They were also eager to take picture of the bear, and I knew I could outrun both of them, so we slowly made our way around the corner where we'd been told the bear was waiting for us...

I young grizzly was eating berries perhaps 50-70' up the hill from the trail.
I didn't want to aclimate him to humans so I took some poor pictures and video while continuing ahead.
Then I realized I was the only one trying to follow the rules, so I went back and tried to get better pictures.
The bear quickly disappearred in the brush, and I waited for perhaps 10-15m for him to reappear as I told hikers there was a grizzly nearby
Finally I gave up and started hiking back again.
But I had, at last, encountered a grizzly reasonable close on a trail, even if I hadn't seen it first and dozens of others had told me about before I saw it.

tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
11:44
Many Glacier Hotel from the other end of Swiftcurrent Lake

I determined that everyone else was most likely on the trail to Redrock Lake, so I started hiking out that way.
Eventually I reached the kids, who told me that Kathy and her parents were following way behind.
I decided to have fun, hide behind a rock, and pretend to be a bear to scare Kathy.
It worked and it was hilarious....but she didn't think so...



tetons yellowstone glacier 2016 trip report
12:02

Mama grizzly and her cub, way high up on the mountain wall.


Previous
Thursday August 18, 2016
Many Glacier Hotel
Glacier National Park

Friday August 19, 2016
Many Glacier Hotel
Glacier National Park
Next
Saturday August 20, 2016
Many Glacier Hotel to
Timberline Lodge, Oregon on Mount Hood