June 19, 2013

Day 2 - and so it begins...

Cosley Lake CG to Many Glacier CG

~23 miles

Woke up at 6am to the sound of rain falling on my tent. It was pleasantly warm for that time of day, yet the thought of leaving my dry shelter to go out into the rain was anything but. 

 Within the first mile of the day I saw two young bucks, this was to set a precedent for an array of wildlife to come. In addition to the deer I also saw mountain goats, a moose, a black bear, and a grizzly cub. The closest encounter was between myself and the moose. As I came around the corner the moose was standing in a ditch, in two feet of water doing whatever it is that moose do, I suppose. Upon seeing/hearing me, the moose took off in the other direction before I had time to react. Definitely got my heart beating. 

The scenery today was breathtaking as expected, even with the majority of mountains being cloaked in clouds. Redgap pass was particularly amazing. We even got in a little boot skiing on the way down! As the day was nearing its end mother nature decided to throw a twist into the day and let loose a deluge from the sky, including wind-driven rain and hail. Of course this also meant the trail became a giant mud puddle and my already we feet were almost constantly submerged in the brown water. In addition there was some significant lightning and thunder, in one instance only one second between the flash of light and bone-shaking rumble. This happened just as Sparrow and I were coming into Many Glacier and we ended up seeking refuge in the first building we saw. Fortunately for us, James opened the door and let us come in to dry off and warm up. We even ended up getting a delicious meal out of the encounter, in exchange for doing the dishes! Eventually we had to head back out to the campground where I am currently camped. 

Overall it has been an action packed couple of days and I can't begin to imagine what will happen next. I am definitely still getting my trail legs under me and hiking in the rain leaves something to be desired, but I'm hopeful the weather will make a change for the better soon. At least I have a dry tent and warm sleeping bag to crawl into at night. 

It's well past hiker midnight and I'm bushed. Night. 

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