Great Bear: Grant Ridge Traverse, glaciers and huckleberries

The hike was slowed by numerous huckleberry stops

Great Northern Peak crowned by Stanton Glacier

Gordon Whirry is impressed with Glacier Park views

Mount Stimson is the monster in view in Glacier Park from the Great Bear

Mount Grant with its large Grant Glacier

A view of Stanton Lake from our trail

How crazy is this? Glacier Park is jammed with tense tourists trying to see a bear, eat wild huckleberries, glimpse a glacier or even find a parking space. 

Literally 100 yards across US Highway 2 to the south of the park is the Great Bear Wilderness where all these things are possible, and it's not crowded. 

We hiked the Grant Ridge Traverse Wednesday from the Stanton Lake trailhead and saw no other hikers over a 9 hour stretch until we left the wilderness area. There were uncountable ripe, sweet huckleberries for the picking, we had magnificent views deep into Glacier Park and its prominent peaks like Stimson and St. Nicholas, and we saw glaciers in the Great Bear rivaling any in the park, like Grant and Stanton. 

I pity those folks vying to get into overcrowded Glacier who whizzed past an equally wonderful but empty national treasure.

This is the fifth year in a row that we did this 11.4 mile, 4,200+ feet hike.   It's a long day from Great Falls, involving a 175 mile drive to the Stanton Lake trailhead off US 2.  

We drove up at sunrise and back at sunset on a clear, windy day.  That clear air was fouled by the uncontrolled Colt wildfire drifting over from Seeley Lake. 

It was the first time I've done this hike going clockwise from the parking lot, doing the half mile walk along the US 2 right of way to the small trail sign in the dark forest.  I think this is the way I'll do it in the future.  

Last year the counter clockwise beginning was marred by deadfall that had not been cleared by Forest Service crews.  I had to climb over more than 50 of them going that direction.  This year the deadfall was removed, but the trail was hidden by dense, lush foliage that has grown over a wet spring and early summer.  It was like walking in a brand new forest.

Earlier in the week, Katie and I stretched our legs on Rodgers Peak near Rogers Pass and found a large number of bitterroot flowers we hadn't expected to see, as well as ripe huckleberries.