Page 61 - Flathead Beacon // 8.13.14

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OUTDOORS
Both chalets were temporarily closed in the 1990s because of inadequate wastewater facilities. In 1996, fol- lowing an extensive renovation, Granite Park reopened as a hiker shelter that can host 35 visitors a night. Guests to Granite Park have to bring their own supplies and food, whereas visitors to Sperry only have to bring a toothbrush.
Larson Aasheim came to the chalet in 1975 and has been the concessioner at Granite Park since 2004, when she first sent her son, Lars Phillips, to work at the remote outpost. At first, the 15-year-old high school student was hesitant to spend a summer working in a chalet so far removed from the conveniences of modern life, but those concerns didn’t last long.
“Once you spend a summer up here, it’s easy to come back,” Phillips said. “It gets in your blood.”
Phillips is now the manager of the chalet and he and three others help run the facility from June until August, when another group comes up for the final few weeks.
Luke Caddell, 26, has been managing the kitchen for three seasons. Although they don’t offer meals at Granite Park, Caddell said making sure the kitchen space is clean for visitors and hikers who stay overnight is a fulltime job.
Caddell’s day usually starts at 6 a.m. when he cleans up the space from the night before and boils water for the morn- ing coffee. He also helps lead tours and presents educational talks at night. The crew at the chalet also helps respond to nearby emergencies. While the job keeps him busy, Caddell said there is still plenty of time to enjoy it.
“You really get to shed a lot of your extraneous distrac- tions,” he said. “You do what you need to do to live and then you have a good time in the moment.”
Even though 100 years have passed since the chalets were first built, Larson Aasheim said little has changed since and that with continued work, these shelters in the wilderness can withstand the test of time.
“I want Lars’ children’s children to be able to come here to Granite Park Chalet and to do that we need to be good
AUGUST 13, 2014 | 61 PLAN YOUR VISIT
Both Granite Park and Sperry chalets are open from late June or early July until Sep- tember and reservations should be made the previous fall. The overnight rate at Granite Park is $97 for the first person and $78 for each additional person in the same room. At Sperry it’s $201 a night and $141 for each ad- ditional person in the room. To make reserva- tions, visit www.graniteparkchalet.com and www.sperrychalet.com.
HOW TO GET THERE: The most popular route to Granite Park is the Highline Trail, a 7.6- mile hike from Logan Pass. The chalet is also accessible via the Loop Trail, a strenuous 4-mile hike from the Loop, along the Going- to-the-Sun Road. From the east side, take the 12.1-mile long Swiftcurrent Trail. To get to Sperry, hike the Sperry Trail 6.7 miles from the Lake McDonald Lodge.
THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION: A celebra- tion of both the Granite Park and Sperry chalets will take place at the Glacier Outdoor Center in West Glacier on Aug. 20, from 2
to 4:30 p.m. The event will include a talk by interpretive ranger Diane Sine, book signings by Brett Bouda and Beth Dunagen, a concert with Blackfeet singer Jack Gladstone and conclude with a fireside chat with Ray Djuff, author of “View With A Room.”
Kathie Larson Aasheim, left, concessioner of Granite Park Chalet, and her son Lars Phillips, current manager of the chalet, discuss changes over the 100-year history of the building.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
the following year. It took the entire summer just to build the first, one-story, six-room dorm before construction could begin on the second, larger building. The chalet’s remoteness hindered construction and it took 47 days just to haul all of the supplies in, including a large cook stove that had to be brought over the 17 switchbacks of Swiftcurrent Pass. The main building opened in 1915.
All of the chalets offered luxurious accommodations in a remote location; however, most of them closed by the middle part of the 20th Century. Only Granite Park and Sperry, located about seven miles east of the Lake McDonald Lodge, survived and were eventually sold to the National Park Service. In 1955, Ross and Kathleen Luding’s Belton Chalets, Inc. were awarded the concession contract for both locations.
stewards of this place,” she said.
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