Glacier’s Backcountry – Touched by Nature’s Magic

My fascination towards the mighty National Parks of the west continues to grow.  I finally fulfilled my dream of visiting Glacier National Park at Montana. A dream that I cherished since I road tripped across Yellowstone in 2006. This truly is one of the best-kept secrets of the west. My two weeks at the Grizzly country included six days of backpacking, two days of overnight rafting and five more days of popular day hikes. My excitement started to build as the tiny aircraft descended towards Kalispell Airport, about 24 miles from the West Entrance of the park. Stayed at the Glacier Guides Lodge and spent the afternoon wandering around the park entrance while awaiting the six-day wilderness adventure due to commence the following day. Following morning met the rest of backpacking group. The gang included our awesome guide JD, myself, Markus from Germany, Shawn & Kristine from Michigan & Jerry a retired war veteran from Delaware.

Belly River Trail 

We quickly packed our backpacks and were driven off to the northeast region of the park. On the way we passed Blackfeet Indian reservation & were dropped at Chief Mountain Customs Trailhead just before the US / Canadian immigration checkpoint.  Ate a good packed lunch and started our descent towards Belly river ranger station campground that was about 6.1 miles away and elevation drop of about 492 ft. It had been over a year since I indulged in backpacking and the pain of carrying the backpack came rushing back to my shoulders and upper back. But the Foggy views of Gable Mountain, Belly River and stunning meadows kept us alive and we made it to the campsite.  Guide JD did give us the lesson on leave no trace ethics of the backcountry. Just the thought of wandering bears ensured we don’t carry any snacks into our tents.

Bear Mountain & Lake Cosley

We were planning on staying at this site only for one night. But Jerry 70-year-old retired war veteran was hurting in his hips. He was not in a position to continue so we had to extend our stay for second night so he could safely get out of the park by joining another group who were finishing up. So second day we base camped at Belly river campsite and did a day hike to climb up the Bear Mountain. We crossed a stunning bridge and saw a black bear sitting on the trail and munching carelessly about 50 ft. from us. We made lot of noise but he was unperturbed. It took him over 10 minutes for him to get bored and disappear into the forest. We moved on to hike the Bear Mountain. Views of Lake Cosley were absolutely breath taking. Just when we were about to reach the top of the mountain it started raining. I was amazed at how weather turned from bright/sunny to cloudy/thunderstorms in matter of minutes. Glad we carried rain jackets in our daypack.

Lake Glenn’s

After waving good-bye to our veteran friend we packed our backpack and started hiking towards Lake Glen. Hiking through several miles of thick bushy forest was a bit nerve wracking. We ate lunch at the first campsite along the lake and then hiked 3-4 miles further southwest into second campsite. Lake Glen campsite was the best campsite we stayed during this six-day journey. Campsite was right in front of stunning blue lake and distant views of snow filled Gable Mountain and Red gap pass made it special. This site had it all. Clean and new pit toilet, fire pit to start campfire and awesome water to dip/swim. We had couple of deers who were relentless to chew our sweaty clothes that we put on our tents. Woke up early to take some nice reflection shots of Gable Mountain on Lake Glenn's.

Lake Elizabeth

Plan for the day 4 was to get to the Lake Elizabeth campsite. This meant hiking back in the northeast direction on the same thick bushy trail to Lake Cosley and then crossing water to descend south towards Elizabeth Lake. Hike was full of breath taking views of Lake Glenn’s, Cosley and Gable Mountain. Elizabeth lake was beautiful but personally I felt Lake Glenn’s campsite was spectacular.

Red gap pass, Poia Lake

This was the hardest hike of the whole trip. We were to first climb over 2200 ft. to the Red Gap pass and then hike further east to get to lake Poia campsite. It was raining for over an hour at Lake Elizabeth campsite so we had to wait out before starting this hike. Hiking up Red gap pass was quite a challenge while carrying the backpack. But the views just nailed us. Ate lunch upon reaching Red gap pass. It was so windy we had hard time holding onto our food. As we were approaching Lake Poia (about 1/2 mile from campsite), we saw a huge Grizzly who apparently was watching us hike from about 100 ft. He looked straight at us for a minute or so and then quickly vanished.

Apikuni falls trailhead, Many Glacier road

Our spirits were high on the final day of the backpacking trip and we had a short 6 mile hike to get to Apikuni falls trail head on Many Glacier Road just across Lake Sherburne. On the way we hiked up some nearby peaks to catch the spectacular views of Lake Sherburne and many glacier area. Caught up with distant views of Swift current lake as well. We quickly made it to Many Glacier road by noon and a fabulous Glacier guides lunch was awaiting us at the van.

Logan Pass Continental divide

After lunch, we were driven off Many glacier road and then entered Going to the sun road from St. Mary entrance all the way to West Glacier. I was tired and sleepy but when the vehicle crossed the Logan pass, Garden wall area my jaws dropped at the views and I was wide-awake for the rest of the ride. I bet anyone who sees Logan pass area for the first time is going to experience this feeling. Pizza from Glacier Grill followed by good byes with the backpacking group.

Rafting Flathead river

These two days were spent rafting on the middle fork of Flathead river. Glacier guides did a fantastic job with providing the guide who took food preparation to whole new level. The whole rafting trip was more like a bbq/pool party. Loved all those stunning rocks at the bottom of serene Flat head river. Second day we did raft through quite a few terrific rapids. Yay!! I survived my first rafting experience without getting dumped in the ice-cold water. At the end of rafting trip I returned to Kalispell airport. I picked up my rental car and drove to Lake McDonald’s lodge inside the park where I had hostel room reservation for 2 nights It was very clean and well kept.

Avalanche hike, Hidden lake overlook

Avalanche was a short hike probably 4-5 miles. But I felt the views were just about ok and not that spectacular compared to Logan pass/ Many glacier areas. Had I known, I would have skipped this hike for sure. Didn’t waste much time after the hike. Returned to the lodge, ate my lunch and took the hiker shuttle to Logan pass. I did the hike to Hidden Lake overlook. It was stunning hike with lots of mountain goats along with walking on snow. It was all worth it as the hidden lake was spectacular. Would have loved to go all the way to the lake but it was closed due to bear activity.

Highline hike to Haystack  (Garden Wall)

I checked out of Lake McDonald’s lodge and drove to Glacier Guides office. Met up with other hikers and our guide JD drove us to Logan pass for the Highline trail hike. I’m glad I didn’t drive to Logan pass as parking lot was full by 8:30 am. We were a big group of 18 people hiking highline trail to haystack. Loved the Garden wall all along. Being a runner, I was envious when I saw another runner holding bear spray and running on the highline trail. I would love to do this hike all the way to Granite park chalet one day. Views are just out of this world.

Going to the Sun Road (GTTSR)

For the first time I drove all the way from West Glacier to East on Going to the Sun Road and it was a mind blowing experience. If there is only one thing you want to do at the park, then my suggestion is to drive on this spectacular man made wonder. Stopped at will and took pictures.

St. Mary Lodge & Park Cafe

Checked into St. Mary lodge. Probably the worst lodge in the whole park. I was given a dumpster room in the basement. I didn’t want to spend anytime in the room. I drove to Park Cafe to eat dinner and came back only to sleep. Hot Chocolate, Falafel Wrap & Huckleberry pie at Park Café made a great dinner.

Piegan pass from Siyeh Bend

I wanted to hike Piegan pass or Siyeh pass. I did not want to venture out myself so waited at the trailhead to see if I can find company. A family from Connecticut were in the same predicament and we hiked together. This was one of strenuous hikes. Walking on steep snow was very scary towards the top of piegan pass. But the hike was totally worth it. Returned back to St. Mary lodge. Rested for a bit and drove to Many Glacier hotel to confirm the boat/hike ticket for Grinnell Glacier planned for next day. Had a great time dining at Many Glacier lodge restaurant.

Grinnell Glacier

I was thrilled to hear Grinnell glacier trail was open all the way and I was going to hike the trail on the first day of season. I drove early to Many Glacier hotel and waited for the boat ride before starting the Grinnell Glacier hike. Paying $24 for that boat ride is one of the things I will regret. Its waste of money and had I known earlier, I would have hiked all the way. Found few more solo hikers looking for company. Ranger's group was awfully slow for our pace. We hiked ourselves. Thoroughly enjoyed the Grinnell glacier hike. I felt this was the best hike of the whole trip. At a certain point, you get to see all the three lakes(Swift current, Josephine and Grinnell).What a view... Hike had it all. Marvelous views, hiking on snow , getting drenched by water fall and the real treat is the Grinnell Glacier. What a place to hangout. Sat there for several hours marveling the beauty of the place. Took lot of jumping pictures and thankfully didn’t end up at bottom of lake. I did not bother to take the boat during return trip. Just hiked all the way with the rest of solo hikers.

Iceberg lake

My final hike of the trip was the Iceberg lake. Checked out of dreadful St. Mary lodges and ate breakfast at Many Glacier lodge. Drove to Swift current motor inn and was joined by other hikers from Glacier Guides to hike the Iceberg lake. Hike was not as scenic as Grinnell Glacier but the Iceberg lake was spectacular. Saw some brave souls swimming in the lake. I tried to take a dip but couldn't last long.. LOL. Fully satisfied with the trip I returned back to Swift current motor inn. Ate Huckleberry ice cream and drove out of the park. Just when I was about to leave the Many Glacier road, I saw a huge black bear sitting very close to the road. For one last time I drove all the way on GTTSR from east to west glacier. I finally made it to Kalispell where I was spending the night at a motel near airport.

My glorious trip had come to an end and I survived 90 miles of hiking and still feeling terrific. 

It felt weird experiencing hot water and toilet seat covers at Denver airport restrooms. For a moment I was like “what’s with all that ?” LOL. I’m going to miss the disgusting pit toilets and going all naturale. :) . I wish I knew more adjectives. This paradise deserves it.

I uploaded a bunch of photos from this trip. Feel free to explore them.
Photo Album

Holy heat .. Humbled by Humidity

June has been a month of surviving heat. Month started on National Trails Day and I ran 20 brutal miles on the first day of the month. This was the RVRR "Train" run along to towpath canal. For me it was filled dehydration and multiple sessions of vomiting .. LOL.. This run was followed by a week of salvaging my tired and depleted body. I had made a commitment to run three NYRR 5 mile races in an attempt to get a guaranteed entry to NYC marathon in 2014. Ran first 5 miler at Portugal Run on Jun 16th finishing with a personal best (for the distance) at 9.3 min/mile. That was followed by a Stratton Faxon Fairfield beachfront half marathon on Jun 23rd at Fairfield CT. This was the hottest race I have ever run and temperature was close to 90 degrees. Not a day to PR but managed to finish in 2 hr 22 minutes. This was slower by 20 minutes compared to  my other half marathons run in early spring or fall. To wrap up the month I ran two consecutive NYRR 5 milers 29th (Front Runners LGBT Pride run)  and 30th(Achilles & Hope run). The best I could do on both races was to finish in 10 min/mile pace. As of now I have finished 4 NYRR races. Need to squeeze in 5 more by end of the year and volunteer for a race to get myself an entry into NYC marathon 2014. Overall heat and humidity just nailed me this month. All the three 5 mile races were at Central park. Those rolling hills really got my quads. Getting humbled by heat and doubt my abilities as a runner has become a tradition for me. I have vowed not to fuss about pace and avoid categorizing runs as good/bad. I guess I have no choice but to treat this month as a series of lessons and move on. I saw couple of my friends finish Fairfield half under 1:40.  And couple of super ultra runners ran 100 mile races this month. Their level of strength, conditioning and determination just blows my mind.

Last year I mostly avoided running in the heat by getting all my runs very early in the morning. One change I made this year is to push myself to go out there early evenings when temps are still in the 80s. One another addition has been to get hill repeats at Rutgers stadium once a week. In addition to Pilates I have added Jordon Metzl's Iron strength workout session at least once a week.

I’m so looking forward to my upcoming vacation next Saturday. I’ll be off to Glacier National Park Montana. Goal is to backpack 6 days , Rafting for 2 days followed by day hikes for 5 more days. It’s been my wish to visit Glacier ever since Idid a road trip across Yellowstone national park in 2006. Glacier is a hikers paradise. Hopefully I’ll stay healthy to do justice to the location. I will try to squeeze in few runs especially if I encounter Grizzles. I will surely miss running with my RVRR friends during these two weeks.

Have a great summer everyone & happy July 4th as well.

Just Roughin - Backpacking Grand Canyon Rim to Rim

Relax folks. This is not another running event and I presently am in no shape to run the Grand Canyon. This is about a backpacking trip I took last spring with an awesome company called Just Roughin'It " . I wrote bits and pieces of this write up last year but totally forgot about sharing it. Thought it might be worth putting it together while they are still lingering in my memory. Taking into consideration my zero experience in backpacking I was looking for a guided tour and this company fit my needs perfectly.  They provided all the backpacking equipment, which I figured was a plus as carrying them from NJ appeard too impractical for me. This company also took care of all the permits & campsite reservations which I had heard was difficult to get during Spring time.The group had myself from NJ, A couple from Florida(Mark & Cheri) and two incredibly fit and athletic Canadian ladies(Paulette & Meg) in their late 60s. Our super guide Jayci led us through this four-day Rim-to-Rim adventure.



Map of the hike we were about to embark !!

http://www.everytrail.com/guide/hiking-the-grand-canyon-rim-to-rim/map

I flew to Phoenix the night before the trip began and I was picked at my hotel next morning around 4 am. I met the wonderful Cheri & Mark from Florida and we began our 4-hour drive to Grand Canyon. On the way we stopped at Flagstaff to pick our Guide Jayci & the two Canadian ladies and were off to the north rim. Upon reaching the Bright Angel Trail head at the north rim, we grabbed the backpacks and  packed all the essentials.  Camera hanging round our necks, Camel bak filled with 2-litres of water along with couple of Gatorades and we were ready to go. 

All Set to go.

Pack weighed about 40 lbs. and  initial miles were not fun at all.  My extremely weak upper body and ankles started complaining after about ½ a mile or so.

Geared up. That pack is heavy.

Day 1: We started our descent along the north rim at about 11 am just when the temperature had hit the lower 90s.  Our job was to go down the north rim for about 5-6 miles with a elevation drop of 4000 ft. Destination for the first night was the Cottonwood campground. The journey that begins from Roaring Springs Canyon was a visual treat. It begins with a evergreen forest reminding of some of eastern national parks but within few miles you get to see the spectacle of the Red Canyon. Being inexperienced hikers we demanded many lunch, snack and pee breaks throughout. Our guide was patient and knew how to push the pace. He does this trip every other week with amateurs like me. After lot of huffing and puffing we made it to the Cottonwood campground. Here are some pictures I took along the way. Im no photographer by any standards, but it was not easy to focus on taking a picture with a 40 lbs pack pounding your upper back.

 Upon reaching the campground we setup our tents and feasted ourselves to very nice pasta dinner cooked on the spot by our guide. Campground had a compost toilet and a creek nearby for us to fill water. I was very nervous with all those crawling lizards and chamelons around our tents. Jayci told that they were food to the rattle snakes and it certainly didn't ease the tenison. But I was exhausted by the day's adventure and dozed off pretty quickly.

Day 2: Woke up nice and early to the coffee smell that Jayci was preparing along with Couscous breakfast packed with nuts and cranberrys.I fed myself several servings of it to prepare myself for the second day's hike. It was quite a task packing the tent and sleeping bag back into the backpack. Everyone were very sore from previous day's hike and forced ourselves to wear the backpacks again as we headed towards the Bright Angel Campground. 4000 ft of desent continued on day 2 for another 5-6 miles.  Within a mile away from Cottonwood campground was a very steep side hike to Ribbon falls. It was a perfect spot to get wet as the day was only going to get hotter.



Ribbon falls - a side hike on Day 2

Journey to Bright Angel campground was the hottest 5 hours I have experiened in my life. Drinking Gatorade and water every 20 mins or so was not enough. We were forcing ourselves to salty snacks every 15-20 minutes just to ensure we don't get dehydrated or develop any kind of heat stress. Despite all our efforts, the oldest member of our group Meg(aged 70) succumbed to severe heat stress and dehydration. Jayci's superb experience in handling the situation came to rescue. We all shared carrying the contents of Meg's backpack. Jayci signalled myself, Cheri and Mark to move ahead sensing the two Canadian ladies would need lot of walking breaks to get to the campground. We were dumbstuck by the heat and the scorching sun. Bottom of the Canyon felt like an oven toasting us to depletion.

Dumbstuck bearing that heat !!

We finally made it to the Phantom Ranch at around 3 pm, threw our backpacks away and drank several glasses of lemonade.

Cold Lemonade welcomes us.

Ensuring we were peeing every hour or so was necessary to avoid dehydration. After couple of hours Jayci, Meg & Paulette made it to the ranch. We looked at a nearby Thermal-gauge that explained why we were so drained out.

We reached the campground, setup the tents and went for a short hike to Colarado river. Despite the brutal heat the water was freezing and swimming felt like heaven. Meg came out of water feeling much better.

Black bridge. Another option to cross the colorado river

It was time to eat dinner and crash. Don't remember what I ate but it was a heavy carb dinner for sure. I was so damn tired and I didn't think of lizards or possible rattle snakes that night at all.

Yikes !. I saw those little reptiles on my tent at some point.

Day 3: We knew from the beginning Day 3 and 4 would require us start climbing up the south rim.  It was an added stress to already depleted and weary bodies. We fueled ourselves with coffee and breakfast and reluctantly began our journey towards the Indian Garden Campground. Crossed the colorado river walking on the majestic silver bridge to get to the bottom of south rim and the ascent began.

Silver Bridge to cross Colorado river

Temple of rocks

Meg was still feeling effects from previous day's brutal hike. We carried most of her contents in our backpack to ensure she could walk comfortably. We stopped and took breaks as the group needed and slowly started climbing up those steep steps along the trail. Surprisingly it was not as hot as the previous day and we had become pros carrying the backpack as well. So the hike felt lot more easier than first two days. There were several creeks along the way for us to dip, wade and wet ourselves.

There's  lunch..

We made it to the Indian Garden campground as early as 1:30 pm. Set up our tents and took a nice nap. Woke up couple of hours later. Chatted about variety of things that mattered to each of us ranging from Running, Football, Hunting,  Grizzles , Mountain Lions, Yoga to Bhagavad Gita & Vivekananda. We unofficially hired Jayci to guide us on a hike to Yellowstone.

Later that evening headed for another 2-3 mile side hike to Plateu point. That hike felt very easy as we had left the backpacks at the campground. Plateu point is certainly the highest vista on the canyon and the views around are absolutely stunning. This is a photographer's paradise and I really pity my useless skills in that department.

Day 4: Final day's ascent began very early around 4:30 am after Coffee & Granola/Milk breakfast. Meg looked like she had new springs on her feet. She felt great and was raring to wrap up the final day's hike. It was worth waking up that early and starting the hike while it was still dark. We got the opportunity to watch the sun rise and hum "Here comes the sun".

Here Comes the Sun

Canyon we are leaving behind

Few hours into the hike, we stopped for a snack and this visitor peeked at us out of nowhere.  Jayci told he was very popular at this spot and at times does not hesitate to scare the people around. It was a delight to watch him climb down the steep rocks and then run wildly disappearing into the canyon.

He was not shy at all.

Last leg of the ascent was not at all strenuous  Everyone felt a sense of fulfillment as we climbed the last few steps of the Bright angel trail on the south rim.

Finishing up. No worries

Well earned prize

Highly recommend them.

Finally had the luxury of restaurant food and modern rest rooms after four days. Needless to mention a shower was in order. During the hike I saw several runners attempting to run Rim-to-Rim in a single day and make a return run back to starting point the next day. Watching them run with such insane level of endurance & conditioning in brutal conditions was mind blowing.

After the trip, I was dropped off at Flagstaff airport. Waved good byes to the terrific group. I picked up my rental car and drove to Sedona for a relaxing 2-3 day trip. 40 mile drive to Sedona from Flagstaff was spectacular. That is listed as one of the top 10 scenic drives in the country. Sedona itself is a great vacation spot. I would highly recommend Sedona to folks with families and kids. Within few miles outside of Sedona you get to see the wilderness that is very different to Grand Canyon. There are several fun trips you can take like the Pink Jeep and Helicopter tours. I also managed to do 5 hour kayaking at Verde River before flying back to NJ.

On the way to Sedona

Chapel of Holy Cross

Cool jeep ride

It was a trip of a lifetime for sure. This was the trip that made me fall in love with National parks of Western United States. I took a road trip to Yellowstone National park in 2006 with a group of friends. I'm sure it will be lot of fun backpacking there as well. Of course there are mighty Colorado,  Glacier, Badlands, Yosemite & Zion national parks. Hoping to experience some of these parks as time & resources permit.

Club running & Marathons.. Life is Good

Joining Raritan Valley Road Runners club in January was indeed the best decision of the year. All I was trying to find was a group of people with interests similar to mine. What I actually found was a bunch of motivated, high endorphin souls who are dedicated and involved with the sport of running a million times more than I am.  Watching some of these runners just stroll around the park itself is very inspiring.  It is a peaceful sight that can crush your ego and pride and tell you to just shut up complaining and run. I’m thankful for these running acquaintances that can race and crush their PRs week after week and at the same time can remain incredibly humble and helpful to any new building runner. Few of these wonderful friends stuck with me on all those long Saturday runs and tolerated my yapping most of the time.

Speaking of Marathons, my first one last November at Philly was quite a disaster. 2 weeks before the race Hurricane Sandy hit our area. I was hit with Flu and Bronchitis around the same time. Missed most of taper runs. High on antibiotics. Couldn't eat properly on days leading to the race. On race day itself I had bad pacing from the start, not enough nutrition, bonked after 17 miles. You name the mistake. I can assure you I managed to do it. But I did finish in 5 hr 9 minutes.

I took few weeks off from running.  Went to India for a vacation that included two weeks of intense Yoga training. Returned home by Christmas and felt ready to start some serious running. I signed up for New Jersey Marathon and trained for it starting January.  I was bothered with Achilles Tendinitis & a left ITB issues for first couple of months. I cut down on swimming and Yoga and instead took up Physical Therapy to treat these issues.  It worked great and I was able to wrap up my training and get in all the runs prescribed by Hal Higdon.  I was pleasantly surprised at how calm I was on the days leading up to the race. Carpooled to Long Branch with a fellow runner from my club. Reached the race location pretty early and met up with few more club members who were running the race as well.  Headed to the start line & it was chilly & cloudy around 48 degrees when the race started. Sun was out within an hour into the race and it warmed up to 65 degrees with a cool refreshing breeze throughout. It was the perfect running weather one could have hoped for.

My only strategy was

a) Run comfortably to the next water station

b) Stop & Drink water/Gatorade / Gel as needed

c) Resume running focusing to the next water station.

I maintained this strategy throughout the race. I was really calm and surprised that none of my body parts were bothering me as I was rushing to the finish line.  I saw few super fast club friends cheering for me at the finish. My official finish time was 4:43:20.  Nothing stellar but a satisfying one for my level of conditioning and training.This was an improvement by 26 minutes over my Philly Marathon time. My time during the 20-mile training run was around 3:28:00 and I was hoping to finish the race around 4:40.  To be able to execute the race so close to my target and finish with no cramps or aches felt very sweet. I was constantly reminded of that cute 8-year-old boy who died during Boston bombings last month and the images of legs and arms flying in the air during that horrific act. My mother slipped and fell down few years ago in her bathroom and broke her hip. Since that hip replacement surgery she is pretty much bed ridden. This happened to her just a year after my dad passed away. They were together for 55 years. My uncle got his left leg amputated due to an infectious tumor a week ago. I think remembering these incidents made me realize how fortunate I am and felt very calm / thankful for what I can do and not fuss about pace and finish times.

Collected the finisher medal and took some pictures with the members of my running club. We gathered for a post race eat out at a near by restaurant. Some of those runners in the 50s had clocked 3:40, 3:35 times and missed Boston Qualification by few minutes. I was so impressed at what these athletes were capable of doing. I can only dream to be in their shoes one day.  It was awesome to see many friends break their marathon and half marathon barriers. I only wish them the best on bigger and better racing future. Overall it was a perfect evening and reached home feeling great. Spoke to my Mom this morning and she sounded very happy to hear at my race results. It was one of the best conversations I had with her that I’m going to remember for a long time.Few days after the race I still feel good. I managed to do few slow 2-mile walks, Yoga & few swim laps. I expected the delayed onset muscle soreness to kick in by 2^nd day. Some how it spared me this time.

Life is really good. Can’t complain!! .