Page 20 - Flathead Beacon // 6.3.15

20 / SUMMER 2015 JUNE 3, 2015 / FLATHEADBEACON.COM
The remains of Lupfer Glacier are visible to the right as hikers approach Dawson Pass in Glacier
National Park.
BEACON FILE PHOTO
DOUBLE DOWN
How to get the most out of your summer, one weekend at a time
BFY TRISTAN SCOTT OF THE BEACON
OR US WORKING STIFFS, THE
allure of the snooze button and a kiss from the cool side of the pillow are the first fatal steps
toward frittering away an entire Satur- day.
Sure, there’s always Sunday and a last-ditch opportunity for redemp- tion, but the grass needs cutting and the garden needs gardening and, before you know it, the workaday world has pounced like a panther and all you’ve got to show from a precious pair of days off is a soggy bowl of Cheerios and a freshly washed car.
But if we’re to enjoy our fleeting Montana summers to the fullest, it’s necessary to rise and shine, brew up some strong java and brace oneself for a weekend crammed full of outdoor ac- tivities.
Here are a few weekend pairings to sate your sense of adventure and guar- antee that you’ll be blissfully exhausted when the alarm goes off Monday morn- ing.
BAD MOON RISING
Cycling Glacier National Park’s icon- ic Going-to-the-Sun Road is the most memorable way to experience the area’s sweeping panoramas, but doing it under the lambent glow of a full moon provides a unique twist.
And to make this even more interest-
ing, we pair the bike with a hike – thus, the hike and bike, an action-packed amalgam of our favorite moonlit ride with a hike of your choice
Referred to by locals as the Park Side of the Moon, these rides to Logan Pass have been a popular way to experience the park in the dark since the 1970s, with the peak-studded mountain-scape cast against the moonlit mantel in ghost-like silhouettes.
The National Park Service requires nightriders to equip their whips with front and rear lights and wear helmets. A jacket and dry clothes are necessary gear for the chilly ride down.
And while the quad-burning ascent to Logan Pass is ambitious on its own, your weekend achievements climb to new heights if you first hike the Highline Trail from Logan Pass to The Loop.
Park at The Loop, the road’s hair- pin turn, and catch a shuttle about eight miles to the top of Logan Pass, which at 6,646 feet straddles the Continental Di- vide.
Walk the Highline Trail 7.6 miles to Granite Park Chalet and buy a Coke to sip while you scan the valley floor for grizzlies before descending 4.2 miles back to The Loop and your vehicle.
Begin your ride either from Ava- lanche Creek, or truncate the ride by starting at The Loop. This summer, there are full moons Thursday, July 2; Friday, July 31; and Saturday, Aug. 29.
TOUR DE KOOCANUSA AND STONE HILL CLIMB
This 83-mile bike ride starts at the Da- vid Thompson Bridge located directly in front of the Libby Dam in Libby. The ride tracks along gorgeous Lake Kooca- nusa, heading north on paved Forest Service Road 228 before crossing over Lake Koocanusa on the Rexford Bridge. The ride then continues to follow Lake Koocanusa by heading south on Hwy 37, finishing on the David Thompson Bridge directly in front of the Libby Dam, com- pleting the circumnavigation with a large clockwise circle around the lake.
Although moderate, the course has a fair amount of undulation. It has a start elevation of 2,146 feet, a maximum ele- vation of 3,140 feet and an approximate total gain of 5,500 feet. There is one ma- jor uphill on the course, beginning 1.3 miles after the start of the ride. The total length of the hill is about 1.5 miles and it climbs a total of 500 feet.
Find a place to camp along Lake Koocanusa and, provided you brought your climbing gear, enjoy some first-rate sport climbing at Stone Hill.
Ratings range from 5.7 to 5.13d and guidebooks are available at Rocky Mountain Outfitter in Kalispell. The rock is an extremely hard quartzite de- rivative, and is characterized by sharp edges, vanishing cracks, steep slabs and small horizontal roofs.
While there are many campgrounds located along the Kootenai Reservoir,
Camp 32 is located 8 miles north of the area, and provides a non-fee experience.
DAWSON-PITAMAKAN
The hike to Pitamakan Pass in Glacier National Park begins from the North Shore Trailhead, located in the camp- ground at Two Medicine. To reach the trailhead from Two Medicine Road, turn into the campground and drive a half-mile along the main road. The park- ing area for the trail will be on your left. If the lot is full there’s another small parking area located a short distance be- fore reaching the main lot.
From the trailhead hikers will imme- diately cross a footbridge, and then pro- ceed another tenth-of-a-mile to reach a trail junction. The path to the left leads to Dawson Pass, while the Pitamakan Pass Trail leads to the right. After pass- ing around Pray Lake and the Two Med- icine Campground, the Pitamakan Pass Trail begins to skirt around the eastern slopes of Rising Wolf Mountain.
Continue the hike to Dawson Pass, and then travel down to Two Medicine Lake to create an epic 14.8-mile loop (provided you catch the shuttle boat) or 17.6-mile trek. From the pass you can see the trail as it continues along the north- ern slopes of Mt. Morgan. From there it climbs over the Continental Divide and circles around Mt. Morgan, and then proceeds along the west slopes of Flinsch Peak before reaching Dawson Pass. •