Backcountry treacherous with snow, water
With the Garden Wall in the background, Jim Foster skis toward Hidden Lake on Sunday. Deeper than normal snowpack in the high country has made for great skiing, but some treacherous travel for hikers trying to walk over mountain passes. Chris Peterson photo
By CHRIS PETERSON / Hungry Horse News
A snowier than usual spring is having some ramifications for summer backcountry travel — some of it good, some of it just downright treacherous.
The good part is skiers have been taking to Logan Pass in Glacier National Park with enthusiasm since the entire length of the Going-to-the-Sun Road has opened.
With the snowcap running about 230 percent of average for this time of year, places that are normally bare ground have several feet of snow still on them — even on July 8. It's not that precipitation is that much above average — it isn't. It's just that snow fell in early June and the spring was cold so winter snows didn't melt. Actual precipitation in the mountains is just slightly above a normal year.
The Park lets folks ski at the Pass until the vegetation starts to creep as the ground goes bare — then it closes down areas to off trail travel to protect the fragile plant life.
All this snow still has some popular trails closed. The Highline Trail probably won't open this week, said west side trail crew foreman Corey Shea.
The problem is there are still big drifts of snow across the trail that simply aren't safe. The Highline is one of the most popular trails in the Park as it follows the Garden Wall to Goat Haunt.
Trail crews will blast out drifts when possible, but it needs to be done in a way that makes them permanently passable. Right now, the drifts are so big, that even if the drifts were shoveled or blasted out, they'd fill in with more snow from above, Shea noted. It's one of the snowiest summers Shea said he can remember, and he's been working in Glacier since 1972.
The snow and runoff has also hampered trail crews in other places in the Park. In some areas, crews have had to turn around because streams were running so high, they couldn't be crossed, Shea said.
In addition, trail crews ran into a massive blowdown in Park Creek at the southern end of Glacier. The trail there had about 2,000 down trees across it — the result of a wind storm from last fall.
The snow and high water also meant some close calls for folks. On Saturday, the ALERT helicopter landed at Big Creek and transported a female to the hospital who'd fallen into the North Fork of the Flathead.
Her name was not immediately available.
In addition, a young boy at Logan Pass fell into a hole between the snow and rocks and fell about 15 feet. He was not seriously injured, but he did have to be rescued from the predicament.
Glacier Park officials warn that drowning and falls are the number one causes of death in the Park.
The snows are also making wilderness travel difficult in some places. The South and Middle Forks can't be forded and the White River, which crosses the main Trail No. 80 in the Bob Marshall is dicey, said the Spotted Bear Ranger Station.
Many high mountain passes in the Park and in the Bob Marshall still have dangerous snow levels, so it's best to contact a ranger station before you embark on a journey.
The high water has also stymied fishing. Area guides said they just started fishing the Flathead River earlier this week.
Runoff has extended about three weeks later than normal, though the fishing is picking up nicely now that the water has cleared.
For backcountry trail conditions in the Bob Marshall, one good resource is the Bob Marshall Foundation Web site, www.thebmwf.org/, or call the Spotted Bear Ranger Station at 758-5376.
Glacier Park's Web site is also useful for current trail conditions. It can be accessed at www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/trailstatusreports.htm or you can stop by a ranger station or call 888-7800.