This is why we came to Montana!

We woke up to blue skies and sunshine and it was forecast to stay that way all day.

There are a ton of great hiking trails in Glacier National Park. We wanted to do one that was away from the crowds and offered spectacular views. Hard to find one like that because the really good hikes are often also very crowded. And some are not even accessible for use yet. Ruth did some research and came across the Scalplock Mountain Lookout Trail.

We drove from West Glacier to the ranger station at the settlement of Essex. There, we found some parking for Sherman, and we set off to climb the mountain.

Driving to the trailhead.

A bit of a late start at about 10:45am. We figured this would be about a six hour hike, so still lots of daylight hours left. It's about 10 miles (16 kms) round trip, with a 3,000' elevation gain. It's a tough hike, which is why not many people do it!

Here we go!

We had to cross a rickety suspension bridge.

I bet that water is cold!

Scenery along the way.

Me!

I didn't get the focus quite right!

Make evening grosbeak.

This is the female version. Not so special.

(Yes, I know... in the human species, it is the female who is special!)

Starting to gain some altitude.

It doesn't take long for the trail to start to climb, and once it starts it does not give you a break. Uphill, one foot in front of the other for about 4.5 miles (7.2 kms). 

Looking down.

Fantastic scenery.

Much of the actual trail is in the forest though, so you really don't have many scenic vistas until you get to the top. The last half hour was really tough. We had already been doing steady uphill for 2 1/2 hours and then the trail got steep! 

It took us 3 hours to do the 5 miles (8 kms) to the top where we had some lunch!

And there to, we met Jake. He lives in the fire lookout tower at the top. I forgot to get a photo of him! Originally, there were 17 manned fire towers in and around Glacier National Park. Now, there are only 4, and Jake runs this one. He lives up here 10 days in a row, then takes 4 days off. And yes, he hikes this trail to work and carries a 50 lb pack with his supplies.

Here are the views he wakes up to every morning...

The scraggy peak is Mt. Saint Nicholas.

You are literally on top of the mountain, with 360 degree views. Fantastic.

Jake says he gets about 6-8 visitors every day during July and August. His girlfriend will hike up here for a couple of nights in early August, and last year his 71 year old father did the trip! His mother, the same age didn't quite make it and had to turn back.

We stayed at the top for about 45 minutes, chatting with Jake and enjoying the views.

Heading back down.

Yes, it was a steep slope!

This is why we came to Montana!

We arrived back at Sherman just before 4:30pm. So about 3 hours to go up, 45 minutes at the top, and then 2 hours to come back down. We saw 9 other people the entire time, including Jake.

We had done 10.1 miles (16.2 kms) with a 3,000' elevation gain. We were beat!

Hmm. From the bottom, it doesn't look so tough!

We drove an hour back to Whitefish and stayed in the Moose Lodge parking lot. Maybe today we will do a bike or kayak ride before leaving here and heading back towards Yellowstone.

Heading into Whitefish, Montana.

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