Happy National Parks Week folks! I hope you are all doing well and maybe getting out to enjoy a Park or more! Life here on my end is getting to be a crazy balancing act right now!!! Between my artwork, landscaping, my fiancé and dogs, family and friends and all the other things that make up my life currently, it’s a bit bonkers🤪😂 But, most importantly, all is good. So with this in mind, I have decided to interrupt my ‘Wilderness Solitude part 2, Isle Royale’ post until sometime in May, as I simply need more time to sort through pics, video and writings to properly put everything together for you. And what I have to share these next few days is more time sensitive, seeing as I want to have these remaining two image releases that I’ve been holding out on, as well as some other information, out to you before my art festival season officially kicks off in Lewisburg, PA on the rapidly approaching Saturday April 30th!
So, without further ado, here you go - one today, one tomorrow, both from one of my favorite places on Earth and my favorite National Park thus far…
“Far away in Northwestern Montana, hidden from view by clustering mountain-peaks, lies an unmapped corner - the Crown of the Continent.” - George Bird Grinnell - Century Magazine, 1901
August 20th, 2019, early in the evening, Glacier National Park -
“I think it’s time to go build a fire and convene with some of Glaciers’ Spirits. A long day lies ahead…” - from my journal
The photograph below is not an uncommon view to many who visit Glacier National Park. I certainly won’t say it’s easy to get here - from the Many Glacier Hotel/Camping/Parking area, you’ve got a 3+ mile hike gaining roughly 800 feet to stand at this view. If you haven’t been here - believe it or not, more and more extravagant beauty awaits you over another roughly 3.5 miles and 800 feet elevation gain to Upper Grinnell Lake and the end of the trail. (See “What Is Remembered” in my portfolio for just a sliver of what awaits you!)
But come mid-morning to early evening, this trail is one of the most popular and crowded in the Park! And deservedly so. I often wonder if I have ever seen as much awe-inspiring splendor in one 6.5 mile stretch as the Grinnell Complex offers?! And this viewpoint area has been high on my radar ever since I took that first hike up here in 2016 and captured “What Is Remembered.”
So, here’s the thing… to truly capture the best light on this scene and bask in all of it’s glory with some sense of solitude, you’ve got to get here by dawn. And that means, in high Summer anyway, starting your day in the ballpark of 3am, give or take a little.
Oh, and if you haven’t had the thought already, the real kicker is - that means you are hiking in the dark/pre-dawn, by yourself, for roughly 3 miles, an hour and a half, in some of the most prime Grizzly terrain Glacier has to offer! There are often trail closures in this area due to Grizzly activity and they SHOULD BE HEADED WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT!!!
This is no joke folks - people and bears for that matter, die, unfortunately. The first time I was here in the Many Glacier region (2016) I witnessed two young girls being reprimanded by a Park Ranger for disobeying a trail closure due to Grizzly activity. If I remember correctly a mountain biker in the previous weeks that year had suffered a fatal attack not too far from this area. DO NOT SHRUG OFF TRAIL CLOSURES, ESPECIALLY IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES!!! And you SHOULD NOT BE HIKING WITHOUT CARRYING BEAR SPRAY!
There are two trails leading to where you start to climb the ridge line towards Grinnell Glacier, a North and a South shore. Both times I have been here one of those shores was closed. I obeyed the closures and followed the open trail.
Insane still, perhaps. The inherent risk is always at hand. I don’t write or tell about these things as a boast of bravery or that others should do the same. All I can say is that I know full well what I am getting myself into when I set out and I do my best to be cognizant and practice the smartest behavior under the given circumstances.
Why am I going on about this? - because I am NOT trying to blindly lead anyone to follow in my footsteps, haphazardly thinking it is totally safe. Always be Bear Aware out here! And not just for you, but for the bears’ sake as well! These are magnificent creatures that need our help and protection to thrive! The less negative interactions between us both, the better!
Despite the inherent risks, however, there lies the inherent beauty of this ‘Crown of the Continent.’ It often isn’t easy or 100% safe, but can I outweigh the risk with the reward is what I ask myself in such a situation?
You’ll often hear adventurers of all types say something to the affect of ‘I just had a good feeling about it.’ As crazy as it may seem, I feel these “feelings” have merit. If something seems off, maybe you should listen to that. If it feels right, go for it! Sometimes you just have to trust your gut and hope that it pays off, accepting there is no guarantee.
When I quoted my journal earlier talking about ‘convening with the Spirits of Glacier’ - that is a very real thing to me. Whatever you want to call it, this place has an ancient Spirit. And by feeling that, I feel safer in my journeys here.
All this being said, this morning turned out to be smooth seas, fortunately. To my surprise, I wasn’t even the only pre-dawn hiker as another guy pulled into the parking area right when I did and we set off on the trail almost together. He quickly passed me though with his lightweight day/hydration pack just out to beat the morning rush against me in my “lightweight” 50 pound only camera gear and a few essentials “daypack.”😂
It is almost impossible to put into words the full glory of the scenery here, and that lack of words, thoughts even that you can comprehend, speaks volumes of how special this place is. So, I’ll just let my journal entry take you out…
August 21st, 2019, gazing out upon early morning on Lower Grinnell Lake, Angel Wing, Mount Gould, the Salamander and waterfalls - all part of the Garden Wall, Glacier National Park -
“Wow…
That about sums it up.
This morning began at 3:30am, making coffee by moonlight at my Cut Bank campsite and driving over here to Many Glacier. I began hiking by the soft glow of pre-dawn light through the forest along the shores of Swiftcurrent and Josephine Lakes. Very early on, a movement in the forest and a couple sets of eyes accompanied by large silhouetted bodies met my headlamp… Bears, deer??!
Although I began hiking almost an hour later than I had wanted, it proved not to matter in terms of the light I had been hoping for, as the sun angle now in later August takes a while to rise up over the mountains. Late July I think would be ideal for catching when the sun perfectly rises in the valley between peaks and would bask the scene with its first golden glow!
Nonetheless, the colors and light upon these lakes, forests, and granite peaks I witnessed this morning were nothing short of spellbinding.
And here I have sat for a while now, so peaceful and serene, soaking in the fortune and glory of this blessed life!”
All my best,
Brandon
