I ain’t wading that
Early-season conditions can be frustrating sometimes. After a day lost waking up to a steady drizzle, I hoped to traverse a ridge of peaks northwest of Lake McDonald, from Stanton to Heavens. The park had opened more of the Going-to-the-Sun road, allowing me to drive to Avalanche Creek, only a couple of miles short of the direct route to Heavens. I lucked out in choosing to start at the north end, because it turns out I would have been trapped on the wrong side of McDonald Creek if I had ened there instead, facing a long, nasty bushwhack either way to reach a crossing. The trip reports I found suggested either fording the creek or crossing on logs, but there were no suitable logs, and the “creek” was a raging river that I did not feel comfortable trying to ford.
Stanton and Vaught from bridgeAfter that disappointment, I drove to the other end of the ridge, then hiked over a mile of gated-off side road to the trailhead. It was late morning by now, and punishingly hot, so I didn’t feel particularly ambitious. I followed the trail through an old burn to the saddle between McDonald and Camas Creeks, ducking a number of blowdowns, then took off on a game/use trail toward Stanton, at the southern end of the ridge. The mosquitoes were out in force between 5500 and 6500 feet, above which there was enough of a breeze to keep them grounded. I found bits of trail here and there along the ridge, which could have been made by either humans or goats.
Lake McDonaldI should have continued to the higher Mount Vaught, but doing so would require re-climbing Stanton on the return, and I was feeling lazy. After some time a safe distance from the disgustingly ladybug-infested summit, where I unsurprisingly found a tick on my pant leg, I returned partway along the ridge, then dropped straight to the head of a slide path. The consolidated snow made for decent boot-skiing that eased the descent to the trail, with only minimal bushwhacking lower down. I should have run the trail, but simply fast-walked in the mid-afternoon heat, in no hurry to return to my car.
I ain’t wading that
Stanton and Vaught from bridge
Stanton Falls
“Scenic” “trail”…
Vaught and Stanton from ridge
Trout Lake and Camas Creek
Lake McDonald
Badass peak in SW Glacier (Mount Saint Nicholas, rated 5.7)