CDT # 12 East Glacier MT to Waterton AB Canada THE END!

“Now don’t cha be forgettin’ what your goin’ afta.”                                            Quoted from a childhood story tape from the American south.

We are so keenly aware of coming to the completion of the CDT that our emotions are on alert and jumbled up all at once. But what a way to finish this trail!!

Glacier National Park fulfilled all of our expectations. Weather held nicely, spiced up with some cloud and wind. Trail conditions were some of the best yet. Wildlife viewing/interactions were superb and the scenery contained valley after valley each with its series of rockface mountains so individual in shape, features, and colour that they always amazed.

A side note to this mountainous area is that altitude is not an issue. Despite having a few surviving glaciers, which are shrinking fast, the higher passes on trail range around 7500′ and don’t pose a challenge. Phew!

Shortly into this section we had the most amazing wildlife encounters ever! Let’s start with the moose. Little did we know that the lonely away-from-it-all campsite we chose at Two Medicine Lake was a major site of the moose mating season. As Jobie went to fetch water he frantically began waving and mouthing words I didn’t understand but nevertheless I rushed through the trees to find a female moose comfortably settled in a pond behind our tent while a male moose was sporadically grunting amongst the willows on the far shore. This was Sad Stanley, he was the less than male. Not seeing much mating action, he displayed true melancholy.

We were unsettled during the night to hear continuous nearby grunts outside our tent from a frustrated bull. I envisioned long heavy legs getting entangled with our tent support lines. But fortunately, this did not happen.

Rocky Mountain Sheep grazed near a ranger’s cabin. This was the only time we saw them.

This grizzly was only 1.5 meters off of the trail. He was so engrossed in eating huckleberries and habituated to humans that he had no anxiety about us. We eyed him as he eyed us. We backed up and walked around the area to continue. He was the first of 8 grizzlies we saw in Glacier Park.

Later that same day we came across a Mama grizzly playing in a creek with her 2 cubs. A beautiful scene it was until she came out onto the trail towards us. As we backed up with our bear spray ready I could see into her light brown eyes and could read her body language. I wasn’t over-the-top frightened as she wasn’t showing signs of attack. She left us to return to  playtime with her cubs. We climbed a ridge to avoid further contact. Amazing!

One of several burn areas.

One of many suspension bridges in Glacier. The park actually removes them for the winter season.

Red Eagle Lake

Piegan Pass

Swiftcurrent Lake out front of the vintage Many Glacier Hotel.

Sunrise on our last morning!

Waterton Lake – the american end.

A suspension bridge had been removed for the season and therefore we had to ….

CDT 2024 STATS

In choosing to do a long hike such as this one, we were immersed in what we love: the simplicity of travelling uninterrupted on foot through the land, living outdoors with and in nature, feeling time, being present, and allowing the rhythm of the day with its changing light and scenery to mesh with the steady beat and breath of walking. There is a pulse which moves you forward.

Hiking becomes an exercise in contemplation. You can’t escape yourself as your mind wanders from plans to memories to observations. And so it goes for miles and miles and…

Excited family met us at the trail end to bring us home! What a smooth finish! We are sooo fortunate!