British Columbia, Eh?

A hermitage in British Columbia. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

The view from the outhouse is off a cliff. Hee hee

Hmm it’s been a little while… internet (and phone service) have been hard to come by lately. But that’s okay, life goes on without either, and perhaps in a more urgent and vital way – I think so little about what’s happening elsewhere, what’s going to happen tomorrow… just what’s happening in front of my face. Anyway, my communication-deprived locale is Camp Squeah (pronounced squee- ahh) near Hope, British Columbia (the pictures above are not of the camp proper, just some places on nearby hikes). I’m halfway through two weeks of volunteer work for the maintenance dept. here, in return receiving room and board. The hospitality has been exceptional – I’m living in a very comfortable dorm-type building with the spring staff, a bunch of other young folk who are fun. I also get fed really well in the dining hall, or at a staffer’s house – there have been a few dinner gatherings so far, which I have been kindly invited to. Mennonite hospitality, what else can I say? The camp’s location is beautiful as well – we are getting close to the coast here, so it’s basically a rainforest. HUGE hemlocks, ferns… it’s warm during the day, cool at night, and it rains a lot. When the weather’s clear, you can see the snow-dusted peaks that ring the valley we are in. It’s very refreshing to be settled in one place and not constantly traveling – after a week here, I’m much better rested. It’s also giving me time to digest all that I’ve been seeing and get my palate ready for more. And there’s an Aussie who works here - it’s nice to hear that accent and sensibility again and be reminded of my time in that country.

Squeah and BC pics.

(More) bears interrupting my baths, etc. aka Glacier Park

I liked this signpost.

So yeah, the park… I suppose the pictures say it all. Sharp mountains and long, turqoise lakes, all sculpted by glaciers back in the day. Huge cedars and hemlocks in lush, wet valleys, and wildfire-ravaged slopes of higher, dryer forests. I took various shorter day hikes around the park for 2 days. The only road that actually crosses the park (which is basically split by the mountain range) was still closed for snow removal and repairs, but I wasn’t too bummed after getting so lucky on beartooth pass. On the second day, I took a trail that ran along the coast of a large lake in a pretty isolated area of the park. I was hoping to find some sort of beachhead along the trail where I could sit, read, swim, etc., but the trail ran higher up the bank, and the edge of the lake was just dense forest. So, I bushwhacked down to the water and invented a new form of recreation- you walk in a lake in thigh-deep water, allowing you to take in the sights, and I found a couple of big fallen trees in the water that served as an improvised beach. I had been sitting and reading for awhile there and was just getting ready to swim and wash up a bit (it was ice cold so it took some mental prep) when I hear a large animal working its way down through the bush towards the lakeshore… and me. I kept peering into the trees thinking, please just be a deer and I can get on with my bath. But no, of course it was a bear, who had no idea I was there, which is not ideal. So I gathered my things and took my leave via wading downshore. Pesky bears. I’ve seen several black bears now, which is nothing new to me, but no grizzlys so far – I’m pretty ok with that.

After seeing Glacier, I struck out for Washington state. I spent the night in NE Washington, and finally saw great stars for the first time this trip. Finding camping spots after a long, late drive can be a little trying, but it always works out if I’m patient and logical about it. Another thing I’ve noticed about life on the road is that people can be a little unsure of travelers (understandably so). I think part of it is that I’m a guy traveling alone. Most tourists are couples, or families with kids – when you see a guy living out of his car, then it doesn’t really fit that comfortable mold so much. I also have some pretty scraggly facial hair which doesn’t help, haha.

The next day I crossed the border into Canada (no issues) and drove a good long way to Camp Squeah. Lots of orchards, some wineries, and green green mountains along the way.

So I talked for a bit to the guy driving the Caddy that you see with the canoe in this picture. Interesting guy. He saw my plate and says, ‘Where in PA you from? ...no way. I used to dive with the Telford Diving Unit. They still around?’ Well, I didn’t know – all I know about them is they have a sign or two on Sumneytown Pike. Small world.

Can't stop taking pictures of them snowcapped mountains.

Glacier National Park 1

Niiice.

There are Loons out west, too.

Wintermelt waterfalls coming down from a glacier that unfortunately is mostly washed-out with the clouds in the background. But it's up there.

Bonus pictures, Montana edition

An abandoned mineshaft housing, maybe?

While hiking this rather steep service road/trail you see in the background to the "Hellroaring Plateau", I was passed by a couple working their way up on heavy-duty dirtbikes, complete with lots of panniers and boxes for gear and a sidecar for their dog. I later saw another couple driving up a truck, but no other hikers. This seems to be pretty normal for travelers in this part of the country; gas-powered everything for recreation. Case in point - these people asked if I had broke down as I was hiking out - what a crazy idea, only driving your car to the trailhead and then hiking!

Beartooth Plateau.

To backtrack a bit… here’s a few more pics from my time at Custer NF/beartooth pass. I spent some more time in Missoula, MT since my last post and take back what I said before – once I found my way downtown, there were some cool sights and a festival happening in a waterfront park. It has a similar feel to the other liberal/progressive northern college towns that I’ve seen on my way (Madison, Ann Arbor) but with a gritty Western aspect tossed in. Think cowboy + hippie, if that’s possible.

Custer National Forest

Getting a bit artsy during my day hikes recently. Anyway, I'm posting this now in a bookstore in Missoula, MT. I was told that it's a cool town and worth seeing, but that has yet to be supported, haha. After this I'm going to walk around downtown a bit, then drive towards Glacier NP in north MT to make camp for the night and explore the park the next 2 days. Too bad about the flyers, but hey what a postseason. One of these days, somehow, I'm going to find a Phils game on TV.

Beartooth Pass

Jessica, on top of the world.

Beartooth pass is crossed by US highway 212 as it goes from Red Lodge, MT to one of the Yellowstone entrances. This part of the road is high in the rockies, and part of Custer national forest, I think. It zigzags back and forth across the WY/MT border a bit. The pass tops out at almost 11,000 feet- I think it's the highest public road in the US. This area first caught my attention in a snowboard video a few years ago, and I really wanted to drive across it and snowboard on the roadside slopes as part of my trip. Well, I got really lucky with the weather, the road was open and the sun was out! It was amazing. I parked near the top of the pass, where the snow was still deep, and hiked and rode down a smaller roadside slope. It was going well, and there were lots of people driving through also, so I hitched rides up around a couple of switchbacks, snowboarded down to where I started, and hitched another ride up and did it again.

Victory.

The lower-elevation switchbacks of US 212, as seen from a hike I took across the valley the next day.

Custer national forest, where I then camped. I found a great site next to a stream in a nice forest and stayed there for two nights after driving across beartooth. I took a few shorter hikes, read a lot, and relaxed.

Yellowstone continued

Of all the gratuitously oversized RVs I saw in and around Yellowstone, this one takes the cake.

Aaron and I took a hike in the park and walked up on to some type of higher-elevation plain with great views. You can see in the picture above where the trees are ending and the open space begins. Just walking a few miles off of a road in the park (as we did), you immediately leave behind 95% of the people, and it is a much more rewarding experience.

Aaron

More Yellowstone

Bison stopping traffic - common in Yellowstone.

Funky hot springs.

Lake Yellowstone - this particular bay was still covered in icy slush.

More bison. They are everywhere in the park. Traveling in the park is a bit weird, and a little frustrating. First of all, it's enormous. It takes hours to drive from one corner to the other, even without any holdups. But there's heavy tourist traffic and frequent delays, so getting somewhere takes awhile. But because the park is so big, it's not really accessible any other way than driving. I enjoyed some day hikes in the park, seeing geysers, etc., but usually had to drive a few hours to do so, then park in some huge lot with hundreds of other tourists. With all the traffic and the highly tame wildlife walking right next to the roads, it felt a little to me like one of those drive-through safari amusement parks. But it was certainly worth seeing.

Hiking Mt. Washburn (more Yellowstone)

I believe this lovely guy is a Mountain Bluebird.

Snow removal on the service road/trail to the top of the mountain, which had a weather station/fire watchtower. This made my descent much easier!

There's a Pika in this photo (similar to a squirrel), if you can find it.

The view from the top. The grand canyon of Yellowstone in the foreground, and yellowstone lake in the distance.

So yesterday I hiked Mt. Washburn. It was about 3.5 mi to the top and a gain of at least 2000 ft. in elevation. The lower slopes were mostly melted out, but near the top the snowpack covered all but the most exposed slopes. I talked awhile to a few people who caught up to me at the summit, which was nice. It was a really rewarding hike, and I've been at high elevations for several days now, so thin air wasn't much of a problem. Alrighty, that's alot for now. Time to go see some geysers.

First days in Yellowstone

So I drove in to Yellowstone two days ago, spent a night camping in the park, and then drove across to the town of West Yellowstone to meet up with Aaron. Since he just moved out here recently, and I had almost no cell service the last few days, I wasn't sure until an hour before seeing him if we would be camping together, or if he had found a place to live (he had - nice!). Also due to my isolation, I had no idea the Flyers had won the last two games and tied up the series - sweeeet. We will hopefully be watching game five in town tonight. So anyway, I stayed with Aaron last night, and I am now writing this from a deli with internet in West Yellowstone. I'll spend the next few days making day- or overnight trips into the park before heading north and west through Montana and towards British Columbia.

Consider yourself warned.

...and, that didn't take long. My camera only has 3x zoom, so yeah, this guy was close. However, that is more a testament to how tame and adapted to people these bears are than anything else.

Fellow photographers. As you are driving through the park, it is common for a bison to block the road, or a bear or other animal may wander close enough to a road for tourists to take notice, stop their cars where they are, and take lots of pictures. The rangers and locals apparently call this a "bear jam."

waterfalls from snowmelt runoff