After a long morning trying to figure out how to jump two hybrid cars and some help from strangers we made our way to the Apuki trail head to begin our adventure. 

We opted to shuttle a car down to Swift Current Inn to avoid a two mile road walk once finishing the trail and John saw a baby black bear cub! 

Before we strapped on our packs another back bear was seen wandering in the meadow by the trail head. 

The hike was short and mostly shaded, but the heat of the day still managed to penetrate through the trees. We took our time, since it was only 6 miles in to our first camp ground and enjoyed the trail spotting a cute white footed rabbit and about a million ground squirrels. 

We we arrived we got our first experience of designated backcountry campgrounds in Glacier National Park. With 4 spaces available for permit holders we loved being able to walk right up to a flat area and set up our tents with ease. Each campground in Glacier is equipped with designated tent sites, a pit toilet, a food prep/cooking area and a hang pole/bear box. 

The cloud cover was thick, the heat from the day faded and the water was frigid but we still made an attempt to swim. We all made it out knee deep and chickened out- worries we wouldn’t be able to warm up in time for bed. A splash bath would have to do for the day!

After cooking dinner in the designated area we went back down to the rocky shore to relax and spotted a moose across the lake. We sat and watched as he swam from shore to shore and munched on the vegetation along the lake as the sun set. 

We started the morning by hiking around the lake for a few miles with minimal elevation gain before reaching the climb over red gap pass. 

Despite the warming temps, a breeze kept us cool as we hiked to the summit. Our jaws quite literally dropped when we saw the views on the other side of the pass. This was Glacier National Park. This was why people traveled from all over the world to visit. We felt tiny looking out at massive peaks before us. 

We descended quickly and opted for lunch at a small waterfall on our way to lake Elizabeth. The 4 miles after lunch felt like 100 as we were introduced to the type of hiking we would be faced with the next few days. Raspberry bushes and shrubs waist to shoulder height over grew the trail, making it impossible to use trekking poles and trapping the humidity of the day. We didn’t change elevation much but it was exhausting. When we reached the lake we quickly made our way to the beach for a dip and a loooong break. 

The last for miles to Helen lake weren’t much easier, despite being nearly flat. We saw a massive toad, which was quite unexpected and scoped out some WAY better swimming spots to play the next day on our way to our 3rd campsite. 

The next 4 miles were grueling. We passed dawn mist falls just after lake Elizabeth and took a quick detour to check it out- which was totally with it! Though elevation change was minimal we found ourselves spending nearly the entire day navigating shoulder high shrubs and raspberry bushes that made the trail barely visible. To say we were stoked to reach Cosley Lake is an understatement, we even had our bear encounter just as we reached the lake! Since we were making good time we decided to take a long lunch/swim/siesta break. The day was hot and the water was refreshing. Laying on the rocky shores with the beach all to ourselves was magical! 

We put our heads down and trekked along, taking more breaks than we can count. The sun was overpowering and we were pretty tired of working against the bushes with each step up. It was so hot my (Erica) lunch didn’t settle and I found myself curled over sick from the heat. Stopping wasn’t much of an option so after clearing my stomach of its contents we continued to the top of the pass. 

With a mile and a half still to camp, we were beyond grateful to be met with the most incredible views of the peaks around us as we reached camp for the night. 

It was quite possibly one of our most difficult days on trail to date. 

We chose to fall asleep without the rain fly on to enjoy watching the stars and woke around 5am to rain. 

Despite having a shorter day ahead of us, we decided to start early to beat the heat. The climb was mellow and quick so we opted for a detour overlooking Susie lake. It was TOTALLY worth it! 360 views and there were icebergs floating in the lake which was super cool to see as we skipped out on a day hike to iceberg lake.

The trail followed the ridge line and the clouds kept us cool from the sun so we cruised through the miles taking all the breaks enjoying every second of it. We reached our first snow crossing and opted to eat lunch in an ice cave!

It was a fairly uneventful day, but beautiful nonetheless. A ranger told us there were some mountain goats ahead on trail, but we must have missed them. We were also informed that the camp we stayed at the night before had been closed that day due to bear activity- of course we didn’t see any! 

Before we knew it we reached camp for the night around 5pm. 

Michelle and I found weird water creatures that looked like hermit crabs using pine needles as hats. It was one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen…I forgot to take any photos or videos of them so I guess that discovery is just for us. 

We spent hours relaxing and chatting with some fellow Salt Lake City folk following the same route as us back to many glacier. We also met a dad and his son spending 10 days on trail and talked for hours about all of their adventures together! 

We were finally greeted with the sunset we have been craving and It started to rain again so we decided to head to bed early! 

We woke early ready to get on trail- The trail up the the chalet was steep but made the last of the pass seem like a cake walk. The Chalet was built in 1914 by the Great Northern Railway and now serves as a camp spot for people looking for a little more civilized accommodation the the back country.

After climbing over swift current pass we were greeted with views of the area our trail began. Seeing it from a different perspective was amazing! There were so many waterfalls and lakes as far as the eye could see. John and I got in an argument, don’t even remember what it was about, but we hiked separately down the trail as fast as we could- real food and a showers are excellent motivators. 

We had planned to stop for a swim along the way but instead opted to continue on. After a steep climb down to the valley floor we hiked the last few miles with more people on trail than we had seen the entire 6 days backpacking. We crossed paths with an older couple that showed us a grizzly up on the hill side and shared their binoculars with us. They were from across the country and this was their 23rd time to Glacier! 

We reached our car, grabbed an ice cream from the lodge, payed $4 for an 8 min shower and hopped in the car with only a hot meal on our minds! 

It was bittersweet knowing that our backpacking had some to an end, but we were excited to spend the next few days exploring Going to the Sun Road! Stay tuned for our favorite day hikes/adventures!