Two Medicine Lake, Montana, United States
Although it’s hard to pick a favorite U.S. national park
since many of them are so wonderful, Glacier might well be my favorite of them
all. The mountain landscape may not be as unique in the world as the canyon
landscape in the southwestern parks, but I’m very partial to mountainous alpine
landscapes. And whereas the Rockies are generally rather rounded by the
standards of the Alps or Himalayas, they become very jagged and pointy near the
border in Glacier and north through the Canadian Rockies. The glaciers are
impressive too, although not comparable to the bigger icefields only about 200
miles north in Banff and Jasper.
Glacier Park Lodge was built in the 1910s across from the
train station on the Great Northern Railroad’s cross country line at East
Glacier and is one of the park systems great historic hotels. It was a great
place to hang out and have beers, access the WiFi, quietly car camp in the
parking lot for two nights, and eat a big buffet breakfast before an epic hike.
The Two Medicine area in the southeastern part of Glacier
not as well known or as heavily visited as other areas of the huge park.
Two Medicine Lake is very scenic but does not have
extensive facilities beyond a campground, general store, and boat rides on the
lake. Most hikes originating in the area do not look to be among the top the
park has to offer with one exception. The
loop trek I’ve seen called both Pitamakan/Dawson Passes Loop and Oldman/No Name
Lakes Loop is considered on of the top hikes in the park.
Maybe I’m crazy, but with good weather forecast and long
July daylight I decided to go for it and do a 19-mile loop hike that’s
recommended for a two-day backpacking trip in one really long day. Epic! I
wasn’t the only crazy one, though. Most of the people I encountered along the
way were also doing it as a day hike.
“I’ve done 20-mile days before on the Camino!” I told
myself, as if this big deal. A mountain trail with rocks and elevation gain is a
different story from a relatively level walk cross the Spanish countryside. I was honestly quite impressed with quality
of trails in Glacier, though, after my experience on the Alpine Haute Route
last year.
This trail as well as all the
others I’d complete in Glacier were all well maintained, not too steep, and
mild in terms of exposure.
I started at the campground to do the loop in a counterclockwise
direction for a more gradual ascent. It’s
probably due to my bulk, but I don’t like going up steep hills. There was a
gradual but steady elevation gain through the beautiful Dry Fork valley between
two ridges like ribs off the Continental Divide. The first beautiful lake situated beneath two
prominent peaks on the divide, Mount Morgan and Flinsch Peak is named Oldman
Lake, although I prefer to call it “Old Man Lake” and call it my own.
From the first viewpoints above the lake, switchbacks head up
the steep mountain wall to stunning views in all directions at Pitamakan Pass,
often accessed by a different trail that starts in the Cut Bank Creek area of
the park. The trail then rises even
higher around the west wall of Mount Morgan for a. top of the world walk around
peak. That’s followed by a long ridge walk on the Continental Divide around the
west and south sides of Flinsch Peak, providing great views of the ridges to
the west as well as Oldman Lake below.
The trail descends somewhat to Dawson Pass and then descends
steeply into the thickly forested Bighorn Basin. At that point I was completely zonked and it
felt like the trail would never end. When I arrived at the west side of long,
narrow Two Medicine Lake is was still another relatively level miles above the
lakeshore to my car but felt like it took forever as dusk began to fall.
So how long does it take to walk 19 miles with an elevation
gain and loss of 3,200 feet? I’m ashamed to say it, but it took me somewhat
over 10 hours with only relatively short breaks along the way. It all reminded
me somewhat of hike of similar length and terrain I did in Grand Teton National
Park with my friend John in 2010.
deb
2019-08-20
Incredible, incredible !!