My Son and I will be headed to Glacier National Park August 1-9. We will be staying at Brownie's Hostel and day hiking 4 days and whitewater rafting 1 day. We have never been "out west". Also we are in a different troop than the one that is organizing the trip and are "jumping on" to their trip. My first thoughts are taking care of myself and my Son. It sounds selfish and probably is, but I don't know these folks and am not willing to put our safety into their hands. I want the 2 of us to be as prepared as possible for anything that could come up. I want to be self-sufficient. As novice hikers, what do we need to know about hiking in Montana, that is different to tripping in BWCA?

I plan on bringing our CCS tarp, first aid kit, extra clothes, extra food, water filter, fire starter on every hike. What am I missing? What else would you bring on a hike in Montana? What about bear spray?

Don't get me wrong. I'm going to do everything possible to help the group and don't expect any issues, but when "Shit hits the fan," I want to be ready. As the trip gets closer, I'm getting more nervous. Just like our first trip to the BWCA.

Any help/thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks, Freebs

Just one thing comes to mind at this time. Glacier National Park is Grizzly country. So you may want to read up on avoidance tips.

quote inspector13: "
Just one thing comes to mind at this time. Glacier National Park is Grizzly country. So you may want to read up on avoidance tips.

"

Inspector, I have read up. That's where my question about bear spray came up. Black bears-fight like hell. Brown bears-play dead. I feel like I should carry bear spray. If the BSA allowed me to carry my pistol, I would. We still have another planning meeting coming up and I'll ask what others plan on carrying with them. I have no clue, is there one kind/brand that is better than the rest. Worst case is we don't use it and it ends up in the Boundary waters bag.

Snake bite kit might be handy

I don’t know how different brands stack up against each other, but I would definitely get stuff that is labeled specifically for use as bear spray and not just pepper spray.

I thought of a couple other differences: altitude and elevation change, and drinking water availability. Since I have yet to visit Glacier I’m not sure how to address those differences. I have hiked in the Beartooth Mountains though, but only on day hikes so we brought water with us and just took our time when anyone in the group got winded because of the altitude.

most of the trails in glacier have access to water, you may want to treat it. if the streams are coming directly off a snow field we drink the water straight from the stream. still we always carry a supply of water. i think that the bear threat is overblown. if you use smart grizzly country techniques your chances of seeing a bear are very slim. make a lot of noise, especially in thick brush and forest where your vision is limited. pay close attention (I'm sure you will). if you are hiking into the wind be especially noisy, the goal is to let the bears know that you are in the area, bears have no interest in encountering humans. leave your dog at home. if you come upon a dead animal on the trail go way around it or turn back. i have had several trips end when a elk carcass has blocked our route. most important is having a good pair of broken in boots with good socks. sandals are inappropriate, as are tennis shoes, many of the trails cross snow fields, sometimes with quite a bit of exposure. have fun, glacier is a beautiful park. my wife won't hike there, she has let her bear fear get in the way of reason.

Thanks. What about food? I assume we will be carrying snacks and lunch with us. BWCA and BSA tell us that all smellables should be kept in its own bag, separate to the rest of our gear. How does that pertain to backpacking?

will you be backpacking? that's an entirely different situation than day hiking. backcountry camping in grizzly country requires that you keep a remarkably clean camp. cooking is done in an area separate from your tent area. clothes that you wore when cooking should be left at the separate cooking area, food and smelly clothes should be in plastic or bear barrels. the park service will explain all of this. if you are day hiking it is not as big of a concern, it's unlikely that a bear will be attracted to a granola bar in your pack. remember to make noise, something that the scouts should be good at anyways.

my daughter is positioned on the alaskan peninsula right now. she is about 100 miles se of kodiak island. this is huge bear country. she will be living in a tent until october as she conducts a bird count with the fish and wildlife service. she has radio contact with a nearby national park and using that radio she can text us one sentence a week. her last text stated that she watched as two grizzlies fought to the death. my wife is suffering huge bear anxiety right now.

You will definitely need bear spray when hiking in GNP. Preferably one per person but I know that gets expensive. As for your food you can get scent proof zip lock bags of various sizes called OP sacks. They are more compact then bear barrels. Not many backcountry site's there allow fires. Main campgrounds do. If your going to put on a lot of miles on a trekking pole is nice to have and good rain gear a must. It can rain a lot in a hurry in the Mountains. If you have any more questions lmk. We have hike a lot there the past few years.

IRG

Here's a link to a great Glacier Park site. These folks can answer any and all related questions. It's been a valuable resource for us.
IRG

http://glacier.nationalparkschat.com/phpBB3/index.php

Big bull in GNP

Maybe even a fishing pole. Like a UL telescopic setup with a few Mepps. Depending on where your going in GNP, there are some great trout fishing spots everywhere. And fishing in the park is FREE. No license required.
IRG

if bears are a concern i would also recommend you carry bear spray. both you and your son should be carrying and it should be close at hand.

i just received a letter(!!!) from my daughter. i takes three weeks for mail to get to us from her location, two bush plane flights. they are having daily encounters with grizzly bears. their tent is surrounded by electric fence and when they are outside of that fence they are required to carry shotguns. it sounds like they have had several encounters where they had to fire their shotguns to scare the bears off. one of the guns is loaded with a cracker shell, apparently this is latest fish and wildlife service technique to deal with bears that are reluctant to leave an area.

quote jwartman59: " remember to make noise, something that the scouts should be good at anyways."

Daytripping. Yes they are very good at making noise.

quote jwartman59: "my daughter is positioned on the alaskan peninsula right now. she is about 100 miles se of kodiak island. this is huge bear country. she will be living in a tent until october as she conducts a bird count with the fish and wildlife service. she has radio contact with a nearby national park and using that radio she can text us one sentence a week. her last text stated that she watched as two grizzlies fought to the death. my wife is suffering huge bear anxiety right now."

I'm not sure I could handle it unless I'd done it myself.

John, your daughter is a tougher man than I am. Not sure I could sleep hoping an electric fence is all that's keeping me safe. Hats off to her.

We had another practice hike last night and I brought up "bear spray." Most of the other adults where caught off guard. Needless to say, I'm now in charge of researching "bears" for the trip. While I'm excited that this Troop has the ability to organize this trip, I'm not real comfortable with their experience. The Troop has done this trip in the past, but none of the current members have done it.

Thanks for the link. Any other info you can send my way is appreciated. Hopefully all goes well and we can add this trip to our "Adventures."

Thanks, Freebs

IsleRoyalGuy, I should have bought a pocket fisherman!

How are you getting out there? If your flying, you will have to buy your bear spray when you get there. Can't take on plane.
What hikes are you considering?
Brownies is a cool place to stay.

IRG

We are taking the train. Not sure on the day hikes. One of the other leaders is planning that. Recommendations? We're doing 2 day hikes, a day of whitewater rafting, and then 2 more day hikes.

We have taken the train a couple times from St Cloud. Nice relaxing ride but it does get to be long. And notorious for running behind schedule so plan on being at least 2 hrs behind. You will be getting to Brownies late at night. Are you renting a vehicle or using shuttle system? We have relied on shuttles the last few years but it takes extra planning to coordinate everything. The best area for Day hiking is the Many Glacier area. There are many great options there. Grinnell Glacier, Iceberg Lake, Swiftcurrent Pass and closest to East Glacier is Two Medicine Valley, some great hikes there too. Scenic Point is awesome and the Dawson/Pitamakan loop is one of the best but is a 18 mile trip.
When are you going? I might be around there the end of August.
IRG

quote Freebs: "John, your daughter is a tougher man than I am. Not sure I could sleep hoping an electric fence is all that's keeping me safe. Hats off to her.


We had another practice hike last night and I brought up "bear spray." Most of the other adults where caught off guard. Needless to say, I'm now in charge of researching "bears" for the trip. While I'm excited that this Troop has the ability to organize this trip, I'm not real comfortable with their experience. The Troop has done this trip in the past, but none of the current members have done it.


Thanks for the link. Any other info you can send my way is appreciated. Hopefully all goes well and we can add this trip to our "Adventures."


Thanks, Freebs"

the term adventure usually implies that something went wrong. the last thing i want in the wilderness is an adventure. it sounds like the scouts you are heading to glacier with do not have montana experience. that in itself shouldn't be a problem, many people hike in glacier with absolutely no wilderness skills, almost all survive and have a wonderful time.

far scarier than bears is being caught above timberline in a thunderstorm. check the weather forecasts before heading out if you are planning an alpine hike. i can't imagine visiting glacier without getting above timberline.

stay off of the glaciers, that is if there are any left.

some trails have stream crossings. i'd study up on that before heading out.

hike both sides of the divide, the ecosystems are very different, the west facing slopes catch more precipitation and it is obvious by the difference in the forests.

most of all have fun. day hiking is a great way to see this park.

Almost your last chance to post up. I'm sure I'll be checking back up until we leave. I plan on purchasing bear spray. Will we need it? Doubt it. Should we have it? Probably.

Right now, my biggest concern is the other Scouts. Weather is 90/50 degrees on the west side, 80/45 degrees on the east. Hopefully they pack for everything and are willing to carry it.

IMO.
The Many Glacier area has the best options for day hikes, long and short with a good chance to see all kinds wildlife including Griz. Hopefully from safe distance. Bring enough cash. Sometimes wind and weather can knock out credit card service in some areas. In East Glacier check out Glacier Park Lodge and Serranos Mexican restaurant they are both close to Brownies. The Lodge is incredible. Also check our Many Glacier hotel if you get to that area. Another grand Lodge.
Have a great time.

IRG