General Delivery, 

Waterton National Park, AB T0K 2M0

Canada

CDT through hiker

Estimated Completion Date 9/28/2002

Subject: 9/19, day 146, 22 mi., 6100'
After a lumberjack breakfast (eggs, pancakes, bacon, juice) Ken called and got a Glacier permit and camping assignments. One hitch: today's trail is closed due to bears so we had a road walk - kind of a final insult. Our camp is in a closed car camp where all food is to be store in the car. There are no bear boxes or poles, but our food is safely stored in a bear proof garbage can (it was cleaned for end-of-season). We haven't seen anybody except people in cars on the road, and we are now on a closed road. The ranger who gave us our camping permit said that no one else would be in any of our campsites. I feel like Glacier NP is empty except for us and the bears.

The views today were exceptional with rugged carved mountains that rise so steeply. At one point we looked down onto a mixed forest of pine and aspen and could see the very gusty winds rippling the trees in waves. Those same gusts were strong enough to cause us to stop walking and grab each other for support. We picked up our trekking poles in E Glacier and will use them tomorrow.

We started almost 3 hours late and still hiked 22 miles today. Dinner was over 2 hours early and we're in our tent with only our sleeping bags and thermals. We feel like we were sent to our rooms early with no toys. Ken has already asked for a cookie.

Looking forward to hiking tomorrow, only 15 miles but packed with photo ops.

... Gottawalk

Subject: 9/20, day 147, 15 mi., 7400'
The wind died down after we camped at Cut Bank CG but around midnight we heard new sounds. Rain.

A Ranger truck with horses arrived at 7 am and we scrambled out of sleeping bags into clothes, unzipped the tent and were surprised to see snow. The rangers set off up the trail on horseback and we soon followed up Cut Bank Creek (Atlantic drainage) to Triple Divide Pass. Each mtn is more rugged and fantastically carved than the last, several green lakes are below and the falls must be in the record books for heights. Every view is superlative and we are just ambling along slowly so we can take it all in. We also have a short day. But then all the days in Glacier will be short except one.

... Gottawalk

Subject: 9/22, day 149, 15 mi, 7320'
We got up this morning and hiked up Piegan Pass. We gained 3000' by noon. Piegan Pass overlooks Going-to-the-Sun highway on the east side if the divide.

We ate lunch huddled under a ledge out of the wind. It had one of the best views in Glacier. We could see several miles of the Garden Wall. The Garden Wall is an arête formed by 2 glaciers carving opposite sides of a mountain. We were seeing a 2500' vertical drop with conifers and other plants hanging on it. There were also several waterfalls. A couple dropped 1500-2000 feet in cascades.

We hiked down to the base of the wall for closer looks of the falls. Then we started toward Many Glacier campground. A few miles before the camp we scared up 3 moose. Shortly we started to see day hikers and knew we were getting close.

The temperature at Many Glacier was freezing. We hurriedly set up camp, cooked, and went to bed.

... Gottawalk

Subject: 9/23, day 150, 20 mi, 7420'
We hiked over the Continental Divide twice today. Both times were set in spectacular glacial carved passes. The last is just above our campsite. The view west from here includes many carved peaks, hence the name Fifty Mountain Camp. Other hikers told us to leave the door of the privy open. The view is great! We got several good sunset pictures.

Marcia met a herd of 7 mountain sheep at a blind corner. She took one picture and was out of film. Being a good Boy Scout I was prepared with a fresh roll of film. The sheep just grazed along the trail while we reloaded. Then we got several good shots!

There is a deer running around the campsite making a nuisance of himself. I wonder if he knows about hunting season. He is safe within the park.

We met 2 day hikers while eating lunch. One was very familiar with the CDT. She spent a week as trail crew this summer down by Dillon. We knew the section of trail and told her it was one of our favorite trail sections. We were both excited to have met the other.

... Gottawalk

Subject: 9/24, day 151, 19 mi, 6700'
After we went to bed last night we heard a rock fall from Cathedral Peak above us. It wasn't enough to scare away the pesky deer.

This morning we got up to freezing fog being blown by a strong wind. We decided to skip heating water for breakfast and hit the trail. The plants along the trail were dripping wet from the fog.

We dropped from 6700' to 4500' in just a few miles. Then it was rolling up and down through the forest to Goat Haunt ranger station at the end of Waterton Lake. We ate lunch there. The ranger said it was going to snow tonight. They were closing the ranger station for the season.

Then it was more rolling trail to the border - another 4.4 miles. After the customary pictures we headed toward Waterton. It was 4.2 miles ahead and the weather was getting worse. We got into town in the drippy fog and headed for a cafe.

... Gottawalk

Subject: CDT finished!

Crossed the border into Canada at 2:17 today.

It's the journey, not the destination that counts.

Snowstorm forecast for tonight.

Thanks for your support.

... Gottawalk