2021 Fall Trip - Day 9 - 9/1/2021

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021 - On the Boulder Pass Trail in Glacier National Park, going from Hawksbill campground back to Backcountry parking at Kintla Lake [24.19 miles in 13 hours 1 minute]:

I was originally scheduled to only go back out to Upper Kintla Lake campground, where I spent Monday night. But that would mean a 12-mile-hike (almost 6 hours) Thursday morning. Add on a 2-hour-plus drive to get down to Kalispell. But Valley Medical Services (where I will get my drive-thru COVID test to be able to get into Canada on Saturday) closes at 3 PM - OUCH, that timing seems just a little TOO TIGHT for Thursday.

Yes, if I am EXHAUSTED when I get down to Upper Kintla Lake campground, that is just where I'll crash; and get up early tomorrow. But if I'm doing OK, maybe I can camp at Kintla Lake campground (if there is room), which is 2-3 hours closer to my car. We'll see how the day shakes out.

It was really windy, and then it rained last night (snow up at upper-elevation campgrounds), but was clearing when I got up:

I did the whole "morning thing", and was putting one-foot-in-front-of-the-other by quarter after 7. I had on my rain-pants, which was perfect to make my way through the jungle overgrowth on the trail. A final pretty view of Thunderbird Pond:

before making my way up to Brown Pass at 8:30:

The clouds were whipping by, but no rain, and the sun was only peaking thru sporadically. I was tired, but kept drinking water and eating health/energy bars (which really did seem to work, by the way - you don't feel coffee-peppy, but rather just normal/regular).

I headed up the trail:

and then ran into the ladies from yesterday, coming down from their Hole-in-the-Wall campground. We all congratulated each other on how cool and healthy we were, and then I headed up and they headed down. 15 minutes later, looking back, I thought I saw them (little moving black pixels) down in the sunlight-patch at Brown Pass:

(Note from the future: I emailed them the picture (at Glacier Guides), and they thanked me.)

The sun trying to burn-stuff-off, and the clouds just not giving up, sure makes for some dramatic views:

Careful - no guardrails out here:

The trail is narrow - barely two-boot-widths. No room for hiking poles. Not pleasant hiking:

There sure is a lot of rock out here:

Glaciers off in the distance:

Looking forward at Boulder Pass:

Those rocks have a really cool Rippled-Surface:

(Some geologist's dream?)

Over Boulder Pass, and heading down the other side:

Maybe it's time for a chainsaw, in addition to the weed-wacker action:

It is good seeing Upper Kintla Lake on my way down (1:52 PM):

Right after I crossed the "Extremely Well-Made Bridge":

I encountered 2 Rangers. I said they were exactly who I was looking for, that I was scheduled at Upper Kintla Lake campground tonight, but I need to get out sooner, and can I camp down at Kintla Lake campground? She looked sorry and said no, it was full tonight, but I could always hike all the way out (another 12 miles/6 hours from here). I said OK, that's what I'll do, and I headed on down the road/trail.

2nd-to-Final glimpse of Upper Kintla Lake:

and then an hour later along its shoreline:

At the bottom of Upper Kintla Lake (4:06 PM) I chatted with an older Ranger who was waiting for his wife to come down the trail. I finished another energy/concentrate bar, and he said that maybe I really could stay at the next campgound, that maybe sure it would be ok. I said Thank You, and we'll see, and headed down the trail (see any pattern here?):

I got to Kintla Lake campground at 5:23 PM - nobody:

So I continued ahead, as the sun was getting lower:

I finished at 8:18 PM. A final shot looking back at the Trail:

WOW - that was One Long Day! Laid out my sleeping bag and crawled into the back of the Crosstrek. Thank You GOD for all these wonderful adventures, and for giving me the Strength and Skill and Patience to get it done!

Hiking Music for today:

Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey, 1971


Van Morrison - Avalon Sunset, 1989


Van Morrison - Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl, 2009


various - Playboy Jazz After Dark II, 2005 2-cds

a collection of REALLY QUIET songs.

the Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland, 1968 double-album

It turns out that I have a rare cd, with the "album sides" misordered. Wikipedia says "As was common with multi-LP albums, sides one and four were pressed back to back on the same platter, likewise sides two and three. This was called auto-coupling or automatic sequence and was intended to make it easier to play through the entire album in sequence on automatic record-changers. In this case it has led to some CD releases of Electric Ladyland that have the sides in the incorrect one-four-two-three order." Since mine ends with Side 3 ("Rainy Day, Dream Away", "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)", "Moon, Turn the Tides....Gently Gently Away"), I LOVE how the album ends (for me) - it just fades away ...

Jimi Hendrix/Band of Gypsys - Live at the Fillmore East, recorded 1969/70, released 1999 live double-album


Bruce Springsteen - Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., 1973 debut album

[insert "misc. Bruce story" here]

Grateful Dead - Grateful Dead, 1971 live doubel album

An EXCELLENT way to end backpacking in Glacier National Park.