Glacier National Park -Highline Trail and Hidden Lake Overlook
On the road at 4:20 am and drove to the park. Fingers crossed; we hope to have an open parking spot at Logans Pass – the highest point on the Going- to- the- Sun Road. The entrance booth is unoccupied. It’s still dark; however, we are not alone. Cars are already ahead of us. We start to wonder how early do we have to get up to beat the crowds. Mitch now has to drive 32 miles in the dusk-lit winding road to Logan’s pass. As we continue on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, the sky begins to lighten and finally – SUCCESS. An available parking space. Fellow hikers greet us, all getting their gear ready. We are eager to start hiking the trail.
This trail scaled along the mountainside with its narrow path. One spot even had a cable to hang onto. (Not a comforting thought) We watched the sun come over the mountain and glisten on the many snow patches still positioned in several areas of the mountains. The wildflowers on this trail were plentiful, unique, and could have been in the “Sound of Music” movie. The lush terrain begins to taper off as an area filled with boulders begins to emerge. Stopping for a quick snack, I sit on a boulder and look at the next portion to tackle. We are now three miles into the hike. The next part is two switchbacks straight up the mountain. The altitude is now getting to me; my mind is racing as I think – no way in heck am I making it up that part of the trail. Dread fills me, and it must have shown on my face because my caring husband said, “I’m good if you don’t want to go any further. We’ve had a great hike so far.” Typically, I push myself to finish a hike, but 14.9 miles was something I could not phantom on this day. We began hiking back. When we got to the parking lot, I felt a six-mile hike was nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes, one has to admit you aren’t up for the challenge and make peace with it.
When we got back to the Visitor Center at Logan’s Pass, Mitch spotted a sign- Hidden Lake overlook 1.3 miles. You guessed it – another hike. The Hidden Lake Trail is closed due to heavy bear activity as the fish spawn this time of year. Even Yogi bear wouldn’t pass up a free meal. The overlook trail started on a boardwalk which increased in altitude the further it spanned. Besides the beautiful mountain views, we spotted mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and marmots that look like puffed-up squirrels. The most unexpected part of the hike was trekking through slushy snow at various parts of the trail—snow in July – who would have thought. Fun fact – the Going-to-the-Sun-road was only cleared six days before this hike. I fought to keep my balance on the snow patches. Even with my hiking boots, the slushy snow won, and down I went. The overlook gave us a magnificent view of Hidden Lake and made me wish we could have gone down to the lake. Maybe next time.
