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Route I hiked this day

After three nights of little sleep, I slept hard and late, desperately needing the shuteye. My days through Glacier were short, so my start time did not matter anyway. I hiked towards Stoney Indian Pass, skipping part of the Highline Trail since Granite Peak campsite was full. I seriously considered squatting there anyway but thought rangers might be around with the chalet and all. Anyway, my assigned route took me directly through Ptarmigan Tunnel and avoided a long day trip from Many Glacier I had originally planned to see the passageway.

I climbed past Stoney Indian Lake towards the similarly named pass on a cool, cloudy, and windy morning. After crossing the pass the mountains were incredible, with massive large vertical rock faces and gorgeous valleys. They were vastly different than those in the Sierras and west coast along the PCT and completely captivated me. Towards the end the PCT I was ready for my hike to be over, but just a few days later I was instantly revitalized by the grandness of the Rockies, and had the weather window been open (and I had not already purchased some airline tickets), I may have kept hiking all the way to Mexico. Today was such a wonderful day backpacking.

Since my hike was “only” fifteen miles my late start did not matter, and even after a relaxed paced day I still stopped to camp earlier than I ever did on the PCT. The evening was windy, with small whitecaps on Cosley Lake, but the well sheltered campsites provided protection. The wind eventually died down overnight anyway.