We got an early start leaving the Airstream before 9 am, and drove the 1 hour drive to The Loop and parked the car. We got our hiking gear ready and stepped to the side of the parking area where Frederick held up the sign he had made - LOGAN V.C. - and I stuck out my thumb just as a pick-up truck was driving past. Five seconds later, a car pulled over about 30 feet from us. A woman stepped out and said, "I think we can take two", and she and the woman driver began to clear the back seat, putting their bags in the trunk. We hopped right in.
Donna (Portland, OR) and Ellie (Olympia, WA) are college roommates from 30+ years ago and this was the first time either had visited Glacier National Park. We had a pleasant 20 minute drive to Logan, talking about books and visiting different parts of the country. They did us a good deed and their reward was finding a parking space at the Logan Visitor Center that was the first spot just outside the door.
The Garden Wall hike is one of the most popular hikes in the park because of its spectacular vistas and excellent wildlife-viewing opportunities. Here are the pictures from our day.
We began at about 10 a.m.
Looking back, towards the Visitor Center, at Clements Mountain. Notice that, again today, the sky is clear blue.
The trail cuts underneath the Garden Wall ridge just below the Continental Divide. The Garden Wall is a sharp, glacier-carved ridge that is called an arete. There is a steep drop-off and you can see the hand railing for those who might suffer from vertigo.
For the first part of the trail we followed the same side of the mountain as the Going-to-the-Sun Highway and you can see it at the bottom of the picture. Those with sharp eyes may be able to see the trail. It is still in the shade because the sun hasn't risen high enough to clear the ridge.
Hiking the trail in the shadow of the Garden Wall.
Stunning views of the Highway and...
the trail ahead, below the Garden Wall (upper right).
Across the valley peaks with remnants of glaciers.
Looking back up the valley towards Logan Pass and Mount Clements.
Gate of Heaven Mountain high above McDonald Creek which empties into Lake McDonald. The Going-to-the-Sun Highway runs along this creek.
Our first wildlife sighting - a mountain goat. It was great to see a semi-wild one instead of the ones we have seen along side the road.
There were no wildflowers remaining after the winter storm of a few days ago, but the mountain meadows have low plants that are turning red.
A view up to the Garden Wall.
Haystack Butte that juts into the Logan Creek Valley.
Shy, and elusive, big-horn sheep.
Lunch time.
More of the Garden Wall.
Looking down the valley at McDonald Lake.
At approximately 6.8 miles, a spur path "offers gluttons for punishment" the opportunity to climb approximately 1,050 feet in 1 mile up to a high notch in Garden Wall that overlooks the shrinking Grinnell Glacier.
Here we ate our lunch with this view.
Icebergs in the lake at the base of the glacier.
Gate of Heaven peak from the Grinnell Glacier Overlook. Lake McDonald in at center left.
Granite Park Chalet appears at about 9.6 miles.
Views from the Chalet back along the Garden Wall.
Northeast, behind the Chalet.
From the Chalet, Heavens Peak immediately across the valley.
From the Granite Park Chalet, the trail descends, via switchbacks, down 2,353 feet to reach The Loop, and our car.
The trail passes through burned patches of trees from the Trapper Creek Fire of 2003.
Across the valley we saw another mountain goat with the telephoto lens.
Just before the parking lot at The Loop, the trail passes over a bridge with this cooling waterfall - it was 80 degrees.
Meet Mark, on the left, and John who shared the trail with us today. Two friends hiking the Garden Wall Trail, we followed John's blue shirt for most of the first half of the hike. At about the half-way point they stopped for lunch and we passed them by. We met up again at the Grinnell Glacier Overlook and at the Granite Park Chalet. About a mile before the end of the trail they passed us again, and led the way to The Loop. At the end of the trail - that's why everyone is smiling - John asked if he could take our picture - they were impressed that we demonstrated such vigor on the trail (at our age). I asked if I could take their picture because they were such good trail partners for us.
Garde Wall Trail statistics -
13.6 miles
Elevation gain - 830 ft. plus 1,050 ft (Grinnell Glacier Overlook) - 251 floors
Time - 7 1/2 hours
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