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Appendix 1. 1971 Ski and hiking trips

With many trail miles covered in 1971, this list does not include all trips. 3 January: Pat, Jane, Terence, and I skied to Fielding Patrol Cabin. The temperature was minus 5° F and the cold snow made for excellent skiing on green wax. Snow depth at the cabin was 36 inches. We noted snowshoe hare, red squirrel, and pine marten tracks on the trail. We found the cabin’s north window wide open. The cabin had been broken into. All of the food in the cupboard was frozen. We closed the window and secured it. 5-6 January: Art Sedlack and 1 skied to Logan Creek Patrol Cabin (overnight), for the purpose of making the Winter Waterfowl Count in Upper McDonald Creek. The temperature was minus 10° F when we left West Glacier. There were spectacular ice formations in the creek, especially at the falls. Four inches of new snow made for good skiing, although there was a breakable crust underneath the new snow. Snow depth at the cabin was 48 inches on the snow stake when we arrived. Six inches of snow fell overnight. During our return trip, we counted an amazing number of dippers (19) along Upper McDonald Creek, also 10 common mergansers, two female goldeneye(Bucephala sp.), and one pygmy owl. We saw fresh tracks of lynx, marten, snowshoe hare, moose, and elk. 14-15 January: Dave Shea and I waded the Middle Fork and skied (carried snowshoes just in case) to Harrison Lake Patrol Cabin; we were breaking two feet of new snow on top of three foot base on the trail to the lake. Skied up the lake—the ice was mushy. The warm daytime temperature made the snow sticky and difficult skiing. We experimented with waxes, but found no good recipe. There were moose tracks on the lake. We spent the night in the cabin. On the morning of the 15th, the temperature outside the cabin was 15° F. 3 February: Dave Shea, Art Sedlack, and I skied the Autumn Creek Loop, starting from Marias Pass. Near the end of the route, the trail crosses the Burlington-Northern Railroad lines. This of course required taking off skis and carrying them across the tracks. On this trip, as we approached the tracks, a freight was in view coming uphill toward the crossing. We all quickly loosened bindings, grabbed our skis and started across, I had trouble with a binding, so I was a bit behind Dave and Art, and started to run across the tracks. I stumbled on the first rail and fell on my face on the second rail, splitting my lip. The train wasn’t THAT close and I had plenty of time to pick myself up and get off the tracks. A trip to Kalispell to have Dr. Gould sew my lip together ended the otherwise great trip in fine sliding snow. 8 February: Dave Shea and I skied to Apgar Lookout. Four to five feet of snow on trail. Quoting from my log book entry: “Fabulous weather—clear and all peaks visible. Windy enough on top to make it chilly. Lots of deer tracks around lookout. Snow a bit sticky but good going. A few elk tracks on trail.” Lake McDonald was entirely frozen over. 9 February: Dave Shea, Art Sedlack, and I skied to Fielding Patrol Cabin on a day trip. Partly cloudy, about 15 ° F, 43 inches snow on the stake. We noted: “Fine day. Snow good, cabin in good order. Fresh coyote and lynx tracks near cabin.” 15 February: Pat, Dave Shea, Roberta Seibel and I skied to Fish Lake south of Lake McDonald, going up the old trail from west of Snyder Creek. Hard-packed snow, but surface soft and traveling good. Climb not bad. Used no climbers on my skis. Pat and Roberta used one climber each; Dave walked. Jackson Creek crossing a bit of trouble. We hacked snow off the log bridge and crossed on it. Sprague Creek was iced- and snowed-over so we could just ski across it. There were moose tracks near Fish Lake: The lake was frozen with only a small amount of open water at outlet end. We had lunch at the lake. Took trail down from Fish Lake to Trail. Snow conditions on that trail were very icy and treacherous. Before reaching the junction, the trail is within dense forest and descends rather abruptly into the drainage of Snyder Creek. We were essentially skiing on ice and it was difficult to control speed, even though we were “riding” our ski poles. Dave lost control and lurched to one side of the trail; his head and shoulder grazed a large tree as he zipped by it; then he crashed in the trail. When I got to him, there was blood streaming down the side of his head. Quoting from my log book: “Dave smashed into a tree about 100 yards above the Snyder Creek crossing. Fie 331 tore ear half off and jammed shoulder.” We stopped the prolific bleeding at Dave’s nearly severed ear with a compress and bandaged his ear to his head. Dave was shaken, seeing double, and having difficulty with balance. Fortunately he was able to walk on top of the icy snow, trying to maintain his balance with his ski poles. We crossed Snyder Creek on a snow- covered log. Dave left his skis at the Mt. Brown Trail Junction. I walked and carried my skis. We made it down to the car, at Lake McDonald Lodge, and headed to Kalispell for another visit with Dr. Gould. Dr. Gould expertly sewed Dave’s ear back together and found that he had only a mild concussion, so we were able to take him . Later in the day I walked back up the trail and retrieved Dave’s skis. The accident occurred on Snyder Ridge, but we now refer to it as the infamous “Ear Ridge.” 26 February: Skied, with son Kerry and his friend Tim Dustin, to Fielding Patrol Cabin, where we spent the night. Both boys were Scouts and needed an outdoors adventure of this type to fulfill their Webelos requirements. The cabin log book entries for that trip: “The snow stake read 43 inches, with 8—10 inches of new powder. Temperature was 25-30° F, under partly sunny skies. Tracks on the trail were snowshoe hare, red squirrel, mouse, and Bigfoot (identified by Kerry and Tim). We re-stacked the woodpile and cleaned the porch. On the 27th, we chopped wood, cut fuzz sticks, and cleaned the cabin. Snow flurries in the morning, but some sun shining through. Zero0 F last night, 18° F at 10:00 A.M. Headed out to Highway 2 at 10:15 A.M.” 9 March: Dave Shea, Art Sedlack, and I skied from Walton to the Park Creek Trail,Vi and 1 miles up that trail. On the way back, we noted lynx tracksVi miles 1 from Walton (one print was on top of the ski track we had left 30 minutes previously). 12 March: Dave Shea and I waded the Middle Fork (an inch to spare on the hip boots) and skied to the Nyack Ranger Station. There was considerable evidence of lion activity around the buildings. We then skied about a mile up the Nyack Creek Trail and a mile up the Three Tops Fire Trail. 15-16 March: Dave Shea and I waded the Middle Fork (6 inches to spare on the hip boots) and then skied to Lower Park Creek Patrol Cabin. We noted elk and moose tracks in the meadow near the cabin and lynx, snowshoe hare, and red squirrel tracks on the trail. Cabin log noted: “About 4 feet of snow on ground, more falling this evening. Temperature 27° F. In the afternoon, we skied two miles above the cabin, then back to the cabin for the night. That night, we spent several hours on a favorite pastime, a map feature identification “contest.” We took turns describing the location of a specific map feature (e.g., a peak, creek, or lake); then the “listener” was expected to provide the name of the feature. We had enjoyed the “game” and it was a good way to learn the names and locations of the terrestrial and aquatic features of the Park. On the ski back to the Middle Fork on the 16th, we noted lynx tracks on top of yesterday’s ski tracks. 18 March: Art Sedlack and I waded the Middle Fork (6 inches to spare on the hip boots) and then skied to Harrison Lake. Snow hard packed but some loose snow on top. Traveling very good. Bear tracks (a few days old) aboutVi mile west of lake, on the trail. We found bear hair which the bear had rubbed off on a tree along the trail. One bull elk at the lake. Lake appeared to be all ice and snow covered, but we went through to shallow water at one point. Lion and coyote tracks on trail. Lynx tracks on top of our ski tracks when we skied back to the Middle Fork. 24-27 March: Dave Shea, Tom Watson, Dave Downey, Loren Kreck and I did a ski patrol to Belly River Ranger Station. We drove to the point where the Alberta oil well road (the well operation was very odoriferous) crosses the Chief Mountain Customs Road. From there we skied. We noted a considerable amount of beaver activity in the first half mile south of the International Boundary. When we left the Canadian Belly River Campground we made a big mistake and got off on an old logging road, rather than the old wagon road (trail). Frequent snow showers produced sticky skiing from time to time. We spent a lot of extra time getting back on the real trail, arriving at the Ranger Station at 6:45 P.M. It had been partly cloudy, with frequent snow showers, sw breeze, and temperature of 30-34° F. On the 25th, it was 332

clear to partly cloudy, with temperature at 12° F in the morning, warming to 28° F. The snow was sticky in the sun. We skied to Dawn Mist Falls and Elizabeth Lake. There were fresh wolverine tracks between the Falls and the lake. We noted tracks of weasel, snowshoe hare, red squirrel, coyote, and one elk. 26 March: There had been 6 inches of new snow during the night. It was 15° F at 8:00 A.M. In the late morning the weather changed to strong sw wind and 37° F. On sticky snow we skied to the Cosley Cave (on the south shore of Cosley Lake). There were marten and woodrat tracks at the entrance. The cave is shallow and extends only 21 feet or so from the mouth, which is wide (23 feet) and only about 4 feet tall. The cave ceiling and floor are farther apart, perhaps 6 feet, making a single “room.” In a recent archeological survey of the cave, the author refers to it as a “rock ” (Reeves 2003:135). Evidence found by Jerry DeSanto over the years has indicated that the cave is often used by animals for protection from weather and for a secluded spot for predators to consume prey. As we stood at the entrance, Dave Shea related the following story that he had heard from Jerry DeSanto: a few years ago, probably the winter of 1967-68, Jerry and Ed Olmstead were at the cave, during a ski patrol. As always, it was difficult to see into the cave, so Ed crouched down and started to lean in. Suddenly a mountain lion leaped out of the cave, over Ed’s head, and swiftly departed. As we stood there, contemplating the possibility of what might be in the cave at this time, it was overcast and snowing, thus rather dark outside making the cave interior impossible to see from outside. Additionally, drifted snow had narrowed the opening. The wind was howling, adding an eerie touch to the scene. As the four of us stood at the cave mouth, peering into the darkness, we all agreed that someone should enter with a small flashlight to see if there were indeed any occupants. Loren volunteered and as he began to crouch down and creep inside, one of the group let out a very good imitation of a mountain lion’s muffled hiss. Loren instantly jumped several feet backward, certain that the lion was about to spring at him. We had a good laugh at Loren’s expense. We found a few bones, but no live creatures in the cave. We skied back to the Ranger Station with a strong wind at our backs. The next morning (27th) at 7:00 A.M. the temperature was 28° F and dropping; the strong sw wind was unabated (in the station log book, we noted that the wind last night had been “terrifically strong.” At 9:00 A.M. we headed out with moderate snow falling on our return to the starling point. Snow conditions for skiing were excellent. 19 April: Snowshoed from the concessioner horse bam to Apgar Lookout. There were bare patches off and on until the meadow at the actual trail head. Snow covered from there to the upper end of the first leg on the side of Apgar Mountain. Several hundred feet of bare trail just below the first switchback. Steep angled snow cover on final two trail sections was hard to negotiate. Bare ground at lookout. Many bear tracks— both grizzly and black— on the trail. From the lookout log book: “Another beautiful day. Light breeze, mild, and cloudless. Much pollution can be seen down in the Flathead Valley. Much elk and deer sign. Lake ice-free now.” 30 April-1 May: Jane, Terence, and I snowshoed to Fielding Patrol Cabin, where we spent the night. Quoting from entry in the cabin log book: “April 30, 1971, measured 25 inches snow on stake. Elk tracks and sign all around cabin. Moose tracks on trail. Grizzly had smashed in north window on cabin. Glass all over inside. He did not get into the cabin, however. Tracks come from Ole Creek direction, then to cabin, to outhouse and east into the woods. Placed an old shutter in window to keep out the wind.” “May 1, Beautiful sunny morning. Hard freeze last night. Up Ole Creek Trail a ways, then out to Rt. 2.” .12 May: Kevin fished Lower McDonald Creek, just below Quarter Circle Bridge. He caught two 11 inch westslope cutthroat. Juneberry was just beginning to bloom along the Creek. 1.0-11 June: Kevin and I hiked to Quartz Lake Patrol Cabin and spent the night. Quoting from the my log book: “June 10. In from Bowman Lake over the high trail. About a mile of snow left on top of the ridge, but fairly firm and not bad walking. Some drifts 4 feet deep. Many 333

lady’s slipper orchids(Cypripedium sp.) blooming along in lower sections of the trail. Deer tracks, but no sign of bear on trail. Showery all afternoon and evening Three loons calling on the lake. A couple of female common mergansers also present. A bear has been around the patrol cabin and done some chewing on signs and logs. Fishing good in the evening. Kevin caught 12 cutthroat averaging about 12 inches. He also caught two bull trout, one 20 inches and 3 pounds, and one 22 inches and 4 lbs. We released all of the fish. Heard an owl calling at night.” “June 11. P.C. occasional showers. Out from Upper Quartz via Quartz Creek Trail. Trail between Upper and Lower Quartz very wet and brushy (supposedly worked by trail crew a week ago), 12 trees still across the trail. Trail from Lower Lake to very brushy and quite wet. Quartz Creek crossing has no bridge. We forded it with difficulty. It was hip deep and fast at the ford, but we finally made it OK, carrying Kevin on my back. A lot of black bear scat from Upper Quartz to North Fork Road, especially at the lower end. Bear had taken a "bite’ out of several trees along trail and stripped bark at Cummings Ranch. There were grizzly diggings in meadows around the ranch. Mosquitoes were abundant.” 15 June: Hiked West Lakes Trail from Anaconda Trail to South Logging Trail. All trail heads shown on trail atlas were found; signs still present, but most were in bad shape: "‘Anaconda Trail difficult to find in spots for first mile— except recent red tags show the way OK. Apparently has been rerouted in the past few years. Two miles prior to West Lakes Trail Junction easy to see [tread]. West Lakes Trail from Anaconda to Logging in good condition, but water running down middle of it and washing rather badly. Bridge over Logging Creek intact. South Logging T rail brushy but not hard to follow. Climbs back up Adair Ridge. It is a bit hard to follow at lower end where it approaches Sullivan Meadow. Saw two moose on Anaconda section. One bull elk and one black bear on South Logging Trail.” 17 June: Dave Shea and I hiked from the Camas Creek Trailhead on the inside North Fork Road, up Camas Drainage to Arrow Lake. At the Camas trailhead, there were 4 men sleeping in the meadow along with their pet duck (really). The trail through the meadows at the beginning of the Camas Trail is not marked and difficult to follow unless you know where it is. The meadows were very wet. Some junk still left at Rogers Ranch; no buildings are standing. Bridge out at creek crossing below Arrow Lake. There were 8 people staying at the Arrow Lake Cabin, which had been advertised as open for public use, as a first come, first served basis since 1949. Prior to that year, it had been a standard patrol cabin since its construction in 1927. I had first stayed in it during a winter ski patrol in January 1967. After we left Arrow Lake and reached Trout Lake, we met two boys who had a dog with them and no camping permit. We made them take the dog back out over Howe Ridge, the same route we were taking to Lake McDonald. 20 June: Noted that cicadas were still “singing” in our yard at Headquarters and they had been all month. 21 June: Ranger Jerry DeSanto (stationed at ) arranged to have Bud Isler drive us to the Park Boundary on the ridge north of Lake Creek. We then hiked to the Lake Creek Patrol Cabin, ruined by the 1964 flood. The flood waters had perched the cabin on the overhanging south bank of Lake Creek. We then went a mile up Lake Creek, back to the cabin, and south on the boundary swath until we hit the old boundary trail at the top of the ridge south of Lake Creek. The Creek was about two feet deep where we waded it. The tread of the old boundary trail south to Two Medicine Entrance was apparent from time to time, but had not been maintained in many years. The last mile of the trail (before reaching Two Medicine Entrance) was well blazed with remnants of red paint in the blazes. 23 June: Jerry DeSanto and I hiked the Firebrand Pass T rail from Lubec to the last bench on the east side of the Pass, then hiked cross-country to Lena Lake, then northeast up talus area to top of ridge east of Bearhead Mountain. We traveled east along the ridge crest to Squaw Mountain (recently renamed Dancing Lady)(I-60). We went down the south slope of the 334

Mountain and around to the Dancing Lady formation. We then headed northeast and came out at the end of the Midvale Fire Trail. The end was marked with two red trail markers about a mile west of the boundary. There was much elk sign in the Fire Trail area. 28 June: Hiked from the Red Eagle Trail Head to the remains of the Red Eagle Patrol Cabin, which had been severely damaged by the 1964 flood. The cabin was now in the middle of Red Eagle Creek, with half of the porch roof missing and several holes in the remaining roof. Bedding, cots, stoves, etc. all were still inside the cabin, in a jumbled mess. After looking over the cabin scene, I continued on to Red Eagle Lake (about one mile from the cabin). 3 July: To Fish Lake, with Pat, Kevin, Kerry, and Terence. Terence caught two cutthroat (13 and 7 inches, probably westslope/Yellowstone hybrids). Kevin hooked a large one that got away. We had to wade in 12 to 18 inches of water to get to where we could fish. 7 July: Hiked the trail to Curley Bear Lookout site with Curt Buchholtz and John Thompson. Curt Buchholtz worked for me on Blister Rust research in summer 1971. His main responsibility was to search for whitebark (Pinuspine albicaulis) that showed resistence to the rust. His assistant was John Thompson, a lanky African-American boy from the eastern U.S. John was rather quiet, unaccustomed to hiking, and experiencing a new world. Curt was an excellent supervisor for him. Curt was sensitive, but demanding of hard work. The trail to Curley Bear Lookout (on Curley Bear Mountain, on the south side of St. Mary Lake), was long-abandoned. It was a spur trail from the Red Eagle Lake Trail. We had difficulty finding the old trail in some places but by following the topographic map we could ascertain the approximate route and had no trouble locating the lookout site. We encountered 150 trees down on the trail between the trail head junction at the Red Eagle Trail and the final steep area, where we left the trail. In my log book I noted that it was a very nice view from the lookout and that the contact showed well from the view from the site. The lookout structure had been built in 1934 and abandoned in about 1959; it was burned by the NPS in 1963. We saw two elk, two mountain goats, and four mountain(Ovis sheep canadensis) (2 ewes with a lamb each) scrambling about on the cliffs above us. Numerous sheep tracks and droppings all around the lookout site. 8 July: Dave Shea and I hiked from Two Medicine Campground to Dawson Pass, then down to Nyack Creek. Early maps show a trail from Dawson Pass down to Nyack Creek and Nyack Lakes, and then connecting to the Surprise Pass Trail; we found some remnants of this long- abandoned trail. We went on to the Upper Nyack Patrol Cabin, where we spent the night. There was deep snow from below No Name Lake to the Pass. Some of the drifts remaining on the trail were very steep. We noted black and grizzly bear sign above Nyack Lakes. 9 July: We hiked from Upper Nyack to Cutbank Pass. I noted that: “the trail near the upper end was very steep. The upper bowl above the steep section was entirely snow covered. The saddle between Mount Morgan and McClintock Peak had a deep comice all the way across it. The comice was overhanging except in two spots. We had to climb up the comice in a rather hazardous place.” Then on to Pitamakin Pass, Old Man Lake, and back to Two Medicine. Jones’ columbine was blooming on Pitamakin Pass. Pitamakin Lake was half covered with ice. Jonah s Bowl (now “Lake of the Seven Winds” on the Park map) had much ice. We noted unusual amounts of snow on all of the passes. L2July: Dave Shea and I hiked from Lake Creek to Cutbank on the old trail. We saw a white-tailed jackrabbit(Lepus townsendi) in the Park. We saw 22 horses on Cutbank Ridge in the Park. Many stock trails and terracing on the Ridge. 1 raveling good high on slope, near base of Mad Wolf, and just above the boundary. 14 July: Fred Goodsell and I hiked from Cameron Lake on the so-called “Mother Duck Trail” then onto the North Boundary Trail to Bertha Bay on Waterton Lake, then on to Goathaunt for the night. There are wonderful views of Lake Nooney and Mt. Custer from the trail, which eventually passes the Boundary Creek Patrol Cabin. 15 July: We headed out at 7:00 A.M. to hike from Goathaunt to Porcupine Lookout. In the Goathaunt Log book, Fred noted: “Much bear sign along trail, but no bears seen. Lookout 335

Trail is in poor shape. The lookout is not in particularly good shape.” Fred returned to Goathaunt and I remained at the lookout overnight. The lookout was built in 1939 and last manned in 1970. There were 9 goats near the lookout. I could see 5 moose at Kootenai Lakes, far below the lookout. I noted: “Can see much ice still on Stoney Indian Lake. High country still loaded with an unusual amount of snow.” 16 July: “Goats and woodrats awfully noisy last night. Jupiter and Mars dominated a beautiful clear sky.” I departed the lookout at 8:30 A.M. and hiked to Goathaunt, then to Olson Falls with Fred, and out to Waterton Townsite by boat. 19 July: Curt Buchholtz, John Thompson, and I hiked the long-abandoned trail to Mount Reynolds Lookout. Fabulous fossil algae formations (on horizontal rock surfaces) in the lookout site. Beautiful view of St. Mary Lake. The lookout had been built in 1932, last manned in 1953, and burned by the NPS in 1962 22 Jul: Dave Shea and I hiked Kennedy Creek to Redgap Pass, and to Belly River Ranger Station overnight. 23 Jul: Belly River to Chief Mountain Road via Lee Ridge Trail. 26 July: Seasonal Naturalist Alan Nelson and I hiked from to , then up the snow chute (wearing crampons) to Grinnell Overlook, to , and to GTS Road via the Loop Trail. That snow chute is now pretty well gone by late summers. 30 July-1 August: We had a major family trip with the Downey family (4 adults, 9 children, and a pack horse). We hiked from to Ptarmigan Lake, through , and to Elizabeth Lake, where we camped for two nights. The boys fished and some beautiful grayling were caught, and released. On 1 August, we hiked to the Belly River Ranger Station and out to Chief Mountain Customs. The weather was ideal, clear skies, perhaps on the hot side, for the entire trip. 5 August: Hiked with Dave Shea from Packer’s Roost to Fifty Mountain via the West Flattop Trail, overnight in the Shelter. On the 6th, we hiked Fifty Mountain to Packer’s Roost via West Flattop and McDonald Creek Trails; the trail was hard to follow. There were just enough old yellow (round) metal markers to keep searching for the next one whenever we lost the trail. Very wild and interesting country. 336

1-60. Ranger Jerry DeSanto viewing “The Dancing Lady” (known as “The Squaw” on early maps) in GNP, 23 June 1970 . 337

11-12 August: Hiked with Curt Buchholtz and John Thompson, from Chief Mountain Customs to Belly River, and on to Mokowanis Lake after checking out the Mokowanis Trail Shelter (1-61). The Shelter was located a short distance beyond the Mokowanis Lake Trail Junction, along the Stoney Indian Pass Trail. We then proceeded to Margaret and Ipasha Lakes, then back to Mokowanis Lake, where we camped overnight. On the 12th, we hiked Mokowanis Lake to Belly River and back to Chief Mountain Customs. 17 August: Hiked Siyeh Bend to Siyeh Pass and cross-country down Boulder Creek, and out at Sherburne, with Curt Buchholtz, John Thompson, and Monte Parratt (a friend of Curt’s). This was the only hike I had an opportunity to do with Monte Parratt (1-62). Monte was an older brother of Smitty Parratt, who was badly injured in a grizzly mauling on the Otokomi Lake Trail in 1963. In that same incident, our friend (seasonal naturalist) Alan Nelson also was badly injured. Monte and Smitty were sons of Lloyd Parratt, a GNP seasonal naturalist in the 1950s and early 1960s. In the Boulder Drainage, severe impacts by stock trespass were evident throughout the valley. There were many head of cattle up to two miles inside the Park boundary. There were several remains of cabins and associated with mining in the early years. One cabin with a sod roof was still standing as was a . Other cabins and sheds were in various stages of collapse. One mine shaft still had an ore cart inside it. 25 August: Hike with Pat, Kevin, and Jane. Drove from West Glacier to Waterton Townsite, then took the International Launch down Waterton Lake to Goathaunt. We then hiked to Lake Frances, where we set up camp for the night. The kids fished and caught a few. 26 August: We hiked Lake Frances to Brown Pass. At the trail junction at Browns Pass, one can continue on to Bowman Lake, or head north to Boulder Pass. We headed north. After the first mile, there are some very abrupt drop offs on the edge of the trail (1-63). Jane was leading, with Kevin immediately behind her, with Pat and 1 following. We soon approached a spot with no rock barrier on the drop-off side of the trail. At that moment, Jane was admiring the distant views of peaks. Just as she reached the chute area, she stepped off the side of the trail and began rapidly sliding down the chute. The chute was very steep, but not quite vertical; its surface was hard packed gravel and soil, so she had no chance of arresting her fall. Pat and I were behind Kevin and were helpless. At the instant that Jane stepped off the trail and began to slide downward, Kevin closed the 3-foot distance that he had been behind her, dropped to his knees, reached down and grabbed Jane (her shoulder or the top of her backpack), and in a rapid motion hoisted her back onto the trail. Kevin had saved her life. We looked down the chute to see that it descended about 20 feet before ending in air, with several hundred feet of free-fall before the rocks below. After a few minutes for recovering, we continued on to the Hole-in-the-Wall Campsite (an open meadow area prior to Boulder Pass), where we stopped for water and a late lunch. The kids and I fell asleep, giving Pat the only close look at a wolverine that came within 20 feet of her. Her effort to awaken us sent it running, but we all saw it climb a nearby cliff. It was early in the afternoon, so we continued on another mile to Boulder Pass. We camped at trail crew camp site, not far west of the Pass. The weather was continuing clear and mild, as it was from the start of our hike. That evening we wandered around admiring the groves of subalpine larch and hiked to where we could see down into Pocket Lake, far below, south of the trail. Pocket Lake drains to Bowman Creek. 22. August: We got packed up early and headed down toward Upper Kintla Lake. At Upper Kintla, Kevin caught a few bull trout while the rest of us relaxed. Then, down to the head of Kintla Lake, where we were met by the Kintla Ranger in the patrol boat. 28. August: We had a rather spooky climb of Clements Mountain., at . Pat and 1 were climbing with Dave and Janet Downey. We took the route that starts from the Hidden Lake Trail, in the vicinity of the Overlook. The route generally follows near the top of the ridge, hiking eastward to the summit. There are a few potential route-finding options along the way. We took a wrong one at one point and found ourselves on an increasingly narrow ledge with a thousand feet drop below, on the north face of the mountain. Pat became low on energy and needed to eat something. She was shaking a bit, because of the energy deficit. The ledge 338 was so narrow we could not get into our packs for an energy bar. We slowly backed out of the predicament to where she could access the energy bar and that was enough to boost her energy and spirits. We retreated and went back to the spot at which we made the wrong choice. The route to the summit was no problem after that. Thunderstorms were moving in from the west, so we didn’t stay long before starting our descent. It was a good climb with good friends. 29 August: Pat and I canoed North Fork of the Flathead from Polebridge to Big Creek. 1 September: Made the following entry in the Lower Park Creek Patrol Cabin log book: “In from Fielding via Soldier Mountain Trail. Trail in good shape, but very brushy and wet on the north side. New snow above 6,000 feet last night. Good huckleberries on Soldier Mountain. Several scats showing that bears are utilizing the huckleberries. A black bear with white front patch is in front of the cabin as I write this. Observed a great homed(Bubo owl virginianus) and a pileated woodpecker. Out to Highway 2 on Park Creek Trail.” 17 September: Waded the Middle Fork with Dave Downey and Loren Kreck and hiked to Lower Nyack Patrol Cabin, then on to Upper Nyack Patrol Cabin, where we spent the night. The Upper Nyack log entry reads: “ Beautiful day with new snow on all the peaks. Fall colors beginning. Bear scat and tracks common between cabins. Saw horse with white blaze on head and brand AJ [rocking] about two miles upstream from the Lower Cabin. Elk (3 bulls) in same area [heard bugling]. Evening temperature 45° F.” 18 September: Clear morning. We hiked Upper Nyack to Surprise Pass, then side trips to Buffalo Woman Lake (where we found a very fresh grizzly scat) and Beaver Woman Lake, both in Martha’s Basin. From the Basin we continued down Coal Creek to Coal Creek Patrol Cabin, where we arrived well after dark and spent the night. Loren was plagued with leg cramps all night. Ten creek crossings on the 18th, all without bridges: Pacific Creek, an unnamed creek, Nyack Creek, Surprise Creek, and 6 of Coal Creek. 19 September: Hiked Coal Creek Patrol Cabin to Middle Fork ford, (note: when we got back to West Glacier, we reported the horse that we had seen. The area ranger tracked down the owner, who then retrieved the horse. The owner had lost the horse from a pack string weeks previously and had not intended to make any further effort to find it.) 6 October: Art Sedlack and I hiked (from Art’s entry in the Walton Log book): “to the top of Double Mountain from Muir Creek on the old trail. Took trail north off Double Mountain to Coal/Fielding junction. Trail in poor shape, but it can be followed. Hiked out on Muir Creek Trail. Trail washed out one mile above Boundary Trail junction.” 9 October: Pat and I and the 5 kids, plus Mark Tyers hiked Bowman Lake to Quartz Lake via upper trail, overnight at the patrol cabin. 7 November: Walked to Johns Lake with Pat and the kids in the afternoon. About 8 inches crusty snow on the trail. Many snowshoe hare and grouse tracks. TheVi iceinches was 1 thick, rough, with one inch snow on top, not bad skating. 21 November: Kevin and I went elk/deer/grouse hunting. Went up ridge on Middle Fork side of Pyramid Peak. Snow only in drifts or deep shade areas. Saw one set of elk and one set deer tracks—that’s all. 28 December: Pat and I, with Dave and Janet Downey, Loren Kreck, Chris Roholt, Carol Nelson, Gene Johnson, and Rev. Tom Best, skied to Fielding Patrol Cabin and then up the open slopes above the Ole Creek Trail. Great downhill runs. 339

1-61. Top:Mokowanis Trail Shelter, 12 by 20 feet, composed of sheet metal (photo from 11 August 1971). B ottom : The nearly identical Fifty Mountain Shelter, based on the same plan: two rooms, with a stove and two cots. Both were completed in August 1959 and dismantled in 1974 (photo from 8 August 1970). 340

*-ryt ’ ;f-

1-62. Monte Parratt (standing) and Curt Buchholtz, on the east side of Siyeh Pass, looking down Boulder Creek before descending, 17 August 1971. 341

1-63. Jane, Kevin, and Pat McClelland heading toward Hole-in-the-Wall, on the Boulder Pass Trail, 26 August 1971. 342

Appendix 2. Late Summer and Fall, 1971 Hiking Trips with Biologist Dave Shea

19 August: Hiked up the Bowman Lake Lakeshore Trail to head, then to long-abandoned Jefferson Patrol Cabin on an abandoned spur trail off the Brown Pass Trail. The cabin was in bad shape, with holes in the roof; however, all wall logs were intact. 1 1 September: Hiked as described by Dave’s entry in the Walton log book: “Checked out Pinchot Creek Trail. Trail in good shape except for brush and downfalls and a large washout opposite Peril Creek. Outstanding views of Stimson, St. Nicholas, etc. from Three Tops Mountain [on old trail], a fine trip. Started at Coal Creek and came out at Boundary Trail. South end of Trail #77 to Nyack Creek very clear, but did not follow it. Trails show correctly on old topo map. Saw a cow moose in marsh at junction of Trails #77 and #262.” 9 September: Hiked from Packer’s Roost to Heavens Peak Lookout via McDonald Creek Trail. Trail tread from McDonald Creek to the saddle below the lookout is still well-defined, but full of alders. Trail from the saddle to the lookout is mostly in talus and very obscure. The lookout is in bad shape—window out of door, floor rotting, and roof leaks. Although there was not a stove in the lookout, most of the living necessities were still there, e.g., cots, pots and pans, etc. The lookout had been built in 1945 by a crew of conscientious objectors (L. Johnson, GNP archeologist, pers. comm.). It was last manned in 1953. From the lookout we headed downslope to the Camas Drainage, arriving at the bottom between Camas Lake and Lake Evangeline. On the way down to the Camas Drainage from the lookout, we saw two mule deer bucks with large antlers. We then went up to Evangeline, then down drainage past Camas Lake, where we could see numerous 15-inch Yellowstone cutthroat(Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri) swimming in shallow water near the shore. The “trail” between Lake Evangeline and Camas Lake appeared to be no more than a wildlife travel route. We continued down drainage (on a regular trail below Camas Lake) to the Arrow Lake Patrol Cabin, where we spent the night. 10 September: Hiked from Arrow Lake to Trout Lake, and over Howe Ridge to Lake McDonald. I noted that the trail between Arrow and Trout Lakes was a “disaster,” with tree and brush cutting up to 12 feet from the trail, (a side note: inculcating landscape sensitivity into trail crews has always been a huge problem. Without good supervision, trail crews tend to do far more tree cutting than is necessary. Some crews develop a “trophy” mentality, desiring to cut the big ones even if they are far outside the standards for a trail corridor in a national park). 20 September: Waded Middle Fork, hiked to Boundary Trail, then up the Muir Creek Trail (we found most sections in the first mile, after which most sections had been washed out) to Muir Creek/ Ole Creek Trail Junction, then to Coal Creek Patrol Cabin and down Coal Creek Trail to Middle Fork. The trail section from Muir Creek to Coal Creek was in good shape, apparently worked on this year. 7 October: Hiked from Bowman Lake to Lower Logging Patrol Cabin via the West Lakes Trail. From the cabin log: “Trail in fair condition except on top of Logging Ridge (many down trees) and south side of same ridge (very brushy). Many round red or yellow markers on the route. Most of trail is in lodgepole pine with beargrass(Xerophyllum tenax) understory—not a scenic trail. Lovely day with no wind or clouds, temperature about 70° F.” We spent the night in the cabin. Heard a barred owl last night. -8-October: In the morning we departed for the Logging Ranger Station via the South Logging Trail [no longer maintained]. Temperature was 34° F and it was foggy. .1.3 October: Hiked from Bowman Lake to Alexander “Scotty” Beaton’s Lookout (Indian Ridge Lookout on Numa Ridge (1-64). Scotty Beaton was an early homesteader in GNP. Trail to old Beaton site leaves the Bowman Lake Trail 0.3 miles (1,560 feet) up-lake from the first small creek crossed a short distance up-lake from the main Bowman Lake Ranger Station. From the point of departure from the Bowman Lake Trail it is roughly two to two and a half miles to the Beaton site. The trail was badly grown over and difficult to follow in some places. At the time of our visit, the lookout was still standing, elevated about 25 feet on poles. It 343 looked very unsafe to try to climb. There was also a small cabin and an outhouse. The lookout had been constructed in about 1923. There wereZ iabout miles of 1 telephone line remaining on the upper portion of the trail. 30 October: Dave Shea and I canoed from the Village Inn, at Lake McDonald, down Lower McDonald Creek, the Middle Fork to Blankenship, then the main stem (Middle and North Forks) to the steel bridge at Columbia Falls. The trip took about 5 hours (one hour from Blankenship to Railroad trestle, then two hours to Columbia Falls steel bridge. Although we canoed as far as Blankenship numerous times, this was the only trip we made all the way to Columbia Falls. There is some very tricky water with numerous rocks about one mile below Blankenship and then several other places above the junction with the South Fork, at Bad Rock Canyon. We managed to get through upright, but broke one paddle in the process (we carried an extra paddle). 344

1-64. Dave Shea at Scotty Beaton’s Lookout and Cabin, on Numa Ridge, 13 October 1971. Beaton retired from GNP in 1949. 345

Appendix 3. 1972, Skis and Hikes in a Year of Chaos and Uncertainty

Although the NPS kept trying to force me to transfer out of GNP in 1972, keeping us on edge and abandoned by most other GNP employees (who were afraid to talk to me), we tried to keep up our outdoor activities and make the most of our time in GNP. 1 January: Pat, Mary T., Kerry, Terence, and I skied to Fielding Patrol Cabin with the Downeys, celebrating the New Year. Temperature was 20° F at the cabin; the snow stake read 38 inches. It snowed hard all day. 3 January: Ranger Ben Ladd and I skied to Logan Creek Patrol Cabin from Lake McDonald Lodge. Entry in the cabin log book: “Left car at 8:15 A.M. arrived Logan Creek about 2:00 P.M. Skiing conditions good—tracks to Avalanche, then breaking 4 to 10 inches fine grained powder on a firm base [48 inches on cabin snow stake]. Mostly low overcast with ice crystals in the air. Temperature minus 12° F at West Glacier this morning, 1° F at Avalanche at 11:00 A.M., and 8° F at Logan at 5:00 P.M. Birds seen today: 5 dippers, 12 pine grosbeaks(Pinicola enucleator), 5 red-breasted nuthatches, and about 30 pine(Carduelis siskins pinus). Saw 3 moose between Avalanche and Logan. Skied about one mile above cabin; there was a small avalanche on the road at that point. Overnight in the cabin; morning of the 4th, departed for McDonald Lodge in light snow, 12° F. 1 February: Pat and I were able to find other supervision for the kids and spend the day on a ski trip, just the two of us. There were 53 inches of snow at West Glacier. It was a clear, blue sky day and it was cold. The morning low had been minus 5° F and it was about 0° F when we left West Glacier and drove up the Middle Fork. The trip required getting across the Middle Fork River. The cold spell had iced-over many stretches of the river and the usual ford seemed to have solid and intact ice. We skied across on the ice and picked up the Harrison Lake Trail at the Boundary Trail junction, skiing past the old Doody Homestead. Skiing was excellent and green wax worked just fine on the cold snow. At the lake, the view was spectacular, with the deep snow and striking blue sky. We skied up the lake a ways and ate our lunch. The temperature was around 10° F, but it seemed warmer in the brilliant sunshine. We spent a little more time than we should have at the lake. The sun was getting low as we started the descent on the trail. In our tracks, we had some nice runs to the bottom. When we reached the river, the sun was gone behind the hills; alpenglow and then darkness were approaching, but we had only a short distance remaining to our vehicle. We were aghast when we saw the river ice where we had crossed in the morning. About 15 feet from the near shore, a long crack had opened up in the ice (parallel to the shore). The crack opening was not wide, perhaps 3 inches, but we could see the river flowing and splashing up in the crack. It was getting both dark and cold (it would be minus 23° F at West Glacier that night). Although the crack in the ice was ominous, the ice on either side appeared to be stable. I was skiingV* onfeet mylong 8 Laplander skis, so I thought they would bridge the crack sufficiently to produce some stability, especially if I went as rapidly as possible. There did not seem to be a good alternative; we were 7 miles from Headquarters on the Boundary Trail. I crossed without a problem and watched with great trepidation as Pat crossed (1-65). It was a very scary moment, one of those times when one takes a chance that could go either way. 2 February: The whole family geared up and went to Big Mountain, where we met Jerry DeSanto (our friend who never abandoned us in all the controversy) for a day of downhill skiing. 9 February: Pat and I skied to Apgar Lookout. “Visibility [at the lookout] 50 feet. Temperature 26° F. Tough going on trail, breaking deep, heavy snow.” At West Glacier the maximum temperature for the day was 34° F and the low had been 22° F. Snow depth at West Glacier was 49 inches. 11 February: Dave Shea and I waded the Middle Fork and skied to the Lower Nyack Patrol Cabin. Log entry: “Skiing very good. About 41 inches of snow, 27° F at 5:30 P.M. We saw one cow elk, lynx and marten sign. WentV2 miles 1 up Nyack Creek past cabin.” We spent the night in the cabin. On the 12th, we recorded: “Cloudy in the morning. Two inches of snow last 346 night. Temperature 27° F at 8:00 A.M. Calm at the cabin, but can hear the wind on the peaks. Heading out for Highway 2.” 14-15 February: I spent time skiing the St. Mary area with District Ranger Bob Frauson. On the 15th, I photographed Bob skiing in a typical east side “whiteout,” with strong wind, heavy snow, and dark, flat light. That’s the kind of winter weather to which east-siders must get accustomed. We had far less wind on the west side. 19-22 March: Dave Downey, Loren Kreck, Dave Shea, Jack Hughes, and I made a ski patrol to Belly River (1-66). Jack was a Ranger in Olympic National Park at that time (having transferred from YNP); he made the trip to West Glacier just for this Belly River trip. On the 19th, we drove to Cardston Customs, then on the oil well road in Alberta to the bridge at the North Fork of Belly River. We skied from that point to the Canadian Belly River Campground, where we were confronted with crossing the Belly River that had some iced-over stretches and places that were totally open. Downey, Kreck, and 1 didn’t trust the ice, so chose to take off our pants and boots and wade. The water was crotch deep and mighty cold. Shea and Hughes made it across on the ice. The meadows and station pasture were snow-free. Temperature on the way in ranged from 35 to 40° F. On the fire guard cabin, the snow drift was higher than the eaves. We spent three nights in the Ranger Station. 20 March: We skied to Dawn Mist Falls and Elizabeth Lake—saw a wolverine just north of the lake. Many large snowdrifts at the foot of the lake and avalanches off of Natoas Peak. 21 March: Skied to Cosley Lake, then part way up to the Bear Mountain Lookout site to where the trail became snow-free (about 1/4 way up from the Cosley Lake/Bear Mountain Lookout junction. Three of us abandoned our skies at that point and hiked up to the lookout site. There were Clark’s nutcrackersNucifraga ( columbiana), Steller’s jays (Cyanocitta stelleri), and gray jays(Perisoreus canadensis) near the lookout site. We noted wolverine tracks in several places. Jack and Loren were attracted to the snow-covered, steep gully just west of the lookout trail; they skied over to it, then up to near the top, and had a good run down. The ice on Cosley Lake did not look safe. It was a beautiful day, mostly sunny with increasing high clouds. Temperature was 28° F in the morning; 42° in late afternoon. 22 March: The morning was clear and beautiful and 22° F. RobinsTurdus ( migratorius) and varied thrushesIxoreus ( naevius) were singing in the horse pasture. Our exit from Belly River that morning was again skiing to the Canadian Campground, then driving to Cardston Customs. 1 can’t imagine the following scenario today, but those were calmer times on the Border. Downey, Kreck, Shea, and I decided to conspire and pull a fast one on Jack. While Jack remained in the car, the rest of us went into the Customs Office to go through the necessary clearance procedures. The Customs Agent that day was a gruff fellow, but he decided that he would (reluctantly) play along with our plan. Unbeknownst to Jack, we had hidden a sack of moose pellets in his backpack. The scheme we worked out with the Agent was that he would come out to the car for an inspection and announce that he had to search packs because there was a big problem with marijuana trafficking across the border. The marijuana was being smuggled in the form of moose droppings. The agent searched through our packs and of course found nothing. When he rifled through Jack’s pack, the Agent discovered the sack of moose droppings and informed Jack that he was caught red-handed, smuggling marijuana disguised as moose droppings. As I recall, the look on Jack’s face was too much for the rest of us, and laughter revealed the subterfuge. Jack thought it was “sort o f’ humorous, but he didn’t muster much of a laugh or a smile. Since then, whenever I have seen moose droppings along a trail, it has brought that episode to mind. I’m working on an embellishment that will make the story even better (Jack’s years of incarceration, etc.). 347

1-65. After crossing the ice-covered Middle Fork ol the Flathead River, on our return from a ski trip to Flarrison Lake, Pat views water welling up through a crack in the river ice. Loneman Mountain is above Pat’s head. 1 February 1972. 348

1-66. Ski trip to Belly River, 19-22 March 1972. Top: Dave Downey wading Belly River in Canada. Bottom: L-R:Downey, Shea, Kreck. and Hughes on Bear Mountain. 349

30-31 May: One of our best family trips was to Belly River over the Memorial Day weekend, 1972. We hiked in from Customs and stayed in the Ranger Station (1-67). There was no ranger on duty and we had the entire valley to ourselves during the entire trip! Each day was sunny and warm. We didn't see another human from the time we left the parking lot until we returned, three days later. It has been many years now since one could visit Belly River in the spring, summer, or fall and not encounter numerous other people. 3 June: Pat and I, with Terence, and Bud, Janet, and Gail Downey hiked to Scalplock Lookout. “Deep snow drifts on trail near top. Glacier lilies and many other flowers in bloom. Warm day—showers moving in from the west.” 9 July: Pat and I hiked with Bob and Laurie Muth to Mt. Brown Lookout. We saw a saw-whet owl (.Aegolius acadius), perched in a tree along the trail. 20 July: Jane and I climbed Mt. Oberlin, at Logan Pass. It was a wonderful hike with my youngest daughter. 29 July: Pat, Terence, Jane, John, Idessa, Mark, and Dan Tyers climbed Mt. Reynolds. 30 July: I waded the Middle Fork and hiked up the Nyack Valley to Upper Nyack Patrol Cabin, where I met Jerry DeSanto, who had hiked in from Triple Divide Pass. I noted that it was a beautiful trip up Nyack Valley, but 1 had seen no animals. Trail very brushy. We overnighted at the patrol cabin. 31 July: We cleaned up and inventoried the Upper Nyack Cabin, then crossed Nyack Creek and hiked up toward Mt. Stimson and to the mouth of Stimson Creek (tough going), then back to cabin for the night. 1 1 August: Jerry and I hiked from Upper Nyack Patrol Cabin to Red Eagle Pass, departing the cabin at 6:45 A.M. Once we left the Nyack Trail junction on the old Red Eagle Pass Trail, it was rough going. The trail had not been maintained for many years. We had to crawl under extensive blowdown shortly after leaving Nyack Trail. A year or so later, Jerry put up a sign at the junction, for those headed to Red Eagle Pass; the sign read: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” In the early days of the Park, this was a major trail route for park visitors on horseback. As we climbed toward the Pass, in the final quarter mile there was an abundance of goat hair on the stunted trees along the trail. When we reached Red Eagle Meadows, walking was easy and we could locate traces of the trail. The meadows were full of flowers such as glacier lilies and paintbrush. I was conscientiously taking pictures only to learn, after the trip, that the slide film had not advanced in my camera. After crossing the Meadows, we had to search for the spot at which the trail dropped off the east edge, which was mostly a very steep rocky cliff. We did find a cairn where the trail had been built and was still discemable in its descent toward Red Eagle Valley. Once we hit the heavily forested valley bottom, the trail became difficult to follow because of downfall. We reached a place where the trail crossed Red Eagle Creek. However, the creek was deep (clearly over our heads) wherever we checked, so we bushwhacked down valley until we reached the Triple Divide Pass Trail, above Red Eagle Lake. From there to the trail head we were on maintained trail. We reached our vehicle at 8:00 P.M. Jerry wrote in his log book: “Didn’t ford Red Eagle Creek, had an awful time, arrived at truck wet and cold.” 5 August: Our family (Pat and I and the 5 kids) along with John, Idessa, Mark, and Dan Tyers hiked the Carthew Pass Trail, in WLNP. 8 August: A group of us climbed Chief Mountain, from Slide Lake Road. The group consisted of Pat, Mary T., Kerry, Terence, Mark Tyers, Dave and Janet Downey, Gail Downey, two or three Downey boys, Shannon and George Ostrom (Ostrom invited himself along when speaking to Downey a week before the trip). It was a perfect day for climbing: mild, high overcast, nearly calm, and with good distant visibility. However, it was not pleasant having George Ostrom along. He was always a braggart, self-centered to the extreme. He had a weekly column in the local newspapers and broadcast the “news” on a local radio station for many years. He was not concerned about truth in his media presentations and often presented accounts that were full of errors. For example, in a recent article for the Bigfork 350 newspaper, in which he supposedly was recounting the 1967 death caused by a grizzly at Granite Park, he identified Joan Devereaux Watson as the girl that had been killed. In reality, Joan was the seasonal naturalist that was at the Chalet with a group of people she had led there on an overnight naturalist trip. Joan in fact played a major role in the search and rescue effort for the victims of the mauling. That type of error was typical of the "‘reporting” of Ostrom through the years. Getting back to the Chief Mountain Climb, Pat and 1 tried to keep our distance and avoid having to listen to Ostrom’s continuous drivel. We generally succeeded, had a good climb, and took many photos. 10 August: Family hike (except Kerry), from Lake McDonald to Lake Ellen Wilson (camped two nights), with Dave, Janet, and Gail Downey. Downeys used a parachute for a . Pat and Dave Downey started a climb of Mt. Jackson on the second day, but had to abort due to stormy weather and poor visibility. I hiked in on the second day and joined them all at Lake Ellen Wilson. On the third day, T., Jane, Terence, Gail Downey and I hiked out via Gunsight Pass. The rest of the group hiked the Sperry Trail down to Lake McDonald and then drove across Logan Pass to pick up the other folks at the Gunsight Trailhead. 1 September: Dave Shea and I waded the Middle Fork, from Highway 2, then hiked up the Coal Creek Trail, then up the Pinchot Creek (Trail #77) (bad washout at mouth of Peril Creek), continued on #77 (Three Tops Mountain Fire frail), past #262 junction, and on Boundary Trail back to the Middle Fork Ford. 23 September: Dave Shea and I waded the Middle Fork, to old Nyack Ranger Station, on trail #262 (Nyack Spur), then north on #77 (Three Tops Trail), through Nyack Meadows, down Nyack Trail to old Ranger Station, and out to the Middle Fork ford. Dave’s entry in the Walton log book: “Trail in fair shape, many downfalls, 200 yards bad section at Nyack Creek crossing. There are two trail markers at SE end of flood damage at Nyack Meadows and two signs and markers at the NW end for Trails #71 and #72.” 24 September: Dave and I canoed Lake McDonald outlet to Blankenship Bridge. We made this float dozens of times without incident. On this occasion, we took a bad angle into the confluence of McDonald Creek and the Middle Fork and quickly capsized. It was well below freezing and the water was probably in the 30° Fs. We of course had lifejackets on, so were in no danger of drowning, but I remember being unable to breathe for a few seconds as the cold water penetrated through my clothing. We were able to keep hold of the canoe and get it and ourselves to shore. We were on the weekly bald eagle count, so we decided that we should get the water out of the canoe, relaunch, and complete the remainingVz mile float 4 to Blankenship. Our count total was one adult bald eagle. We were met by an NPS pickup at Blankenship, but had to ride in the open bed of the pickup because three people had made the ride to pick us up. By the time we got back to Headquarters, we were very cold. 351

1-67. Family hike to Belly River. 30-31 May 1972. Gable Mountain is behind the Ranger Station. 352

7 October: Dave Shea, Terence, and I canoed across the Middle Fork, then hiked to Harrison Lake and Harrison Lake Patrol Cabin, where we spent the night. Our entry in the cabin log book read: “Beautiful fall day— sunny, windless, warm, and in addition— perfect. Many cutthroat seen along the shore. Party of 4 encountered near cabin. They had their limit of 12 cutthroat. One person with a handgun— informed them of the regulations. Fishing fair to good at inlet. 8 October: 33° F at 8:00 A.M. After cabin cleanup, we departed for Middle Fork at 11:00 A.M. 14-15 October: Kevin, Jane, Terence, and I hiked from Bowman Lake to Quartz Lake Patrol Cabin, where we spent the night. 12 November: Pat and I, with son Kerry and Jim Beck, hiked to Apgar Lookout. “Sunny day, temperature about 35° F, 3 inches of crusty snow on the upper mile of trail. Deer, elk, and coyote tracks.” 13 November: Dave Shea and I hiked to Mt. Brown Lookout; 15 inches of snow at the lookout. Clear, beautiful day. 17 December: Skied to Fielding Patrol Cabin, with Pat, Art, Fdaine, and John Sedlack; Bob and Laurie Muth; and Cal Tassineri. 28 December: Loren Kreck, Alan Reynolds, Dick Ranney and I waded the Middle Fork and then skied to Lower Nyack Patrol Cabin, where we spent the night. Cabin log: “Temperature in the low 30° Fs. Only 8 inches of snow in the vicinity of the cabin. Elk and deer tracks occasional on trail. East wind, colder, and snow at 5:00 P.M.” 29 December: Morning log entry: “Clear and cold last night. Will ski up the valley a short ways, then back out to Highway 2. About an inch of new snow on top of the hard pack. A beautiful morning in the Nyack Valley.” 353

Appendix 4. 1973, Ski and Hiking Trips in the Year of Transition from Glacier to the University of

The year began with a persistent state of confusion regarding our fate in the NPS. We tried to continue skiing and enjoying our outdoor life as much as possible. 7 January: Loren Kreck, Laurie Muth, and I skied to Trout Lake, over Howe Ridge, from Lake McDonald. It was a beautiful, sunny day, but bitterly cold. The minimum temperature at West Glacier that morning had been minus 17° F and it got no warmer than 5° F in the afternoon. When we got to Trout Lake, we skied across the ice to the north shore. Laurie was concerned that she had frostbitten toes, so we built a small fire and warmed her up and she was able to ski back over the Ridge without great difficulty. Her toes had indeed been frostbitten and she had circulation problems with them from that time on. 10 January: Dave Shea, Benjamin Ladd, and I skied up the GTS Road to Logan Creek Patrol Cabin for the winter waterfowl count along Upper McDonald Creek. It was minus 22° F when we left West Glacier and minus 13° F when we arrived at Logan Creek. Weather clear and beautiful. Snow stake at the cabin read 20 inches. Saw only one dipper and 5 black-capped chickadees(Poecile atricapilla) on the way in. In the late afternoon Dave and I skied to the Loop; we saw 3 mountain goats and tracks of wolverine, moose, marten, and weasel. Beautiful view from the Loop—blue sky and no wind. About 24 inches of snow at the Loop. Then skied back to the cabin, where we spent the night. It was minus 10° F at 5:30 P.M. 11 January: At the Logan Creek Cabin it had clouded over and was snowing lightly; temperature had risen to 4° F at 8:30 A.M. There was a female hairy woodpecker(Picoides villosus) near the cabin. Cleaned up cabin and skied toward home at 8:45 A.M. 27 January: Pat, Bob and Laurie Muth, and I skied to Apgar Lookout. “Partly sunny, high clouds, 15° F. About 12 inches snow at trailhead and 36 inches at the lookout. Skiing excellent near the top and poor on lower switchback. Lynx, coyote, moose, elk, deer, and snowshoe hare tracks. Lake McDonald all frozen.” 4 February: Pat and I, and Cal Tassineri, Loren Kreck, Dave Downey, and Bob and Laurie Muth skied the Autumn Creek Loop, from Marias Pass. The trail first crosses the wooden and earth dam that forms Three Bears Lake, then swings west across mostly open and windswept terrain with large drifts and excellent views of Elk Mountain. The trail then curls south and crosses the wide avalanche run out from the east side of Elk Mountain. After passing through the avalanche area, the trail descends rather steeply into forest, eventually crosses the railroad tracks, and comes out at Highway 2, about 5 miles west of Marias Pass. This is a ski trip that we took frequently with various friends, always a fine ski although sometimes the snow conditions were less than ideal (occasionally very icy). 18 February: Pat and I, and Janet and Dave Downey waded the Middle Fork and skied to the Coal Creek Patrol Cabin, where we spent the night. On the 19th, we skied up-valley to the first crossing of Coal Creek; a good snow bridge made crossing no problem. Continued skiing up the trail a short ways then returned to the cabin for lunch and cabin cleanup, then skied back out to the Middle Fork. Good skiing snow. Nice trip with nice people. Ski to first creek crossing above cabin, crossed on ice bridge, then return back down to Middle Fork. 21 February: Jerry DeSanto and I skied Firebrand Pass, from the trailhead on Highway 2. It was one of those few and far between, lovely winter days, with little wind even at the Pass. Looking back on the trip, we took a great risk of triggering an avalanche. When we reached the base of the east side of the Pass, we attached climbers to our skis. This enabled us to go nearly straight up the steep slope toward the cornice that hung over the east side of the Pass. When we reached the comice, we found it composed mainly of soft snow with no ice cementing it. The overhang was about four feet of the drift. We dug a passage through the comice and climbed through the passage onto the windblown and nearly snow-free Pass summit. It was a risky route. Em sure that under some conditions the entire comice would release with the kind of disturbance to which we subjected it. If the comice broke, it would surely start an avalanche down the east side of the Pass. We weren’t smart that day, but we 354 were lucky. 18 March: Pat and I and a group of friends (Loren Kreck, Laurie Muth, Cal Tassineri, and Oysten Boveng) spent a beautiful sunny day skiing to Apgar Lookout, then cross-country north along Apgar Ridge (1-68). Our entry in Apgar Lookout log: “Partly cloudy, about 25° F, light wind. Plan to go north on ridge then down to Fern Creek Trail.” There was good powder snow (about 12 inches) until we started the steep climb to the summit south of Fern Creek. T hat section was windblown, icy, and hard to negotiate (the icy surface allowed no “bite” by the skis). From the summit we skied down the steep descending ridge edge into the Fern Creek Drainage until we intercepted the Fern Creek frail. We followed the trail out to the Camas Road. By the time we reached the road, the full moon was illuminating what would have been a dark landscape. Under the full moon, we skied down the Camas Road to the barricade. Temperatures recorded at West Glacier that day were: maximum 42° F and minimum 23° F. 26-29 March: Jerry DeSanto, Dave Shea, and I enjoyed the most spectacular ski patrol I had the privilege of making in GNP, with my two best friends. On the 26th, we drove from West Glacier to the Waterton Townsite, in Canada. From the Townsite (north end of Waterton Lake) we skied down the lakeshore trail to Goathaunt (south end of Waterton Lake, in the U.S.). From the Townsite to Bertha Bay, the lake was not frozen; from Bertha Bay to Goathaunt it was ice covered. T here were 12 to 15 inches of new snow on the trail. The temperature was near 32°F, so the snow was tacky at times, making skiing difficult and requiring experimenting with various waxes. We observed wolverine, marten, and moose tracks in the fresh snow. We arrived at 7:30 P.M. and spent the night in one of the NPS apartment units at Goathaunt. The next morning (27th), as the sky cleared we skied to Kootenai Lakes, where we saw 14 moose, a beaver, mallards, and goldeneyes. We then continued south on the Waterton Valley Trail, on by Pass Creek Patrol Cabin, then off the Fifty Mountain Trail on the spur that leads to the Kootenai Patrol Cabin. Skiing conditions were fair to good. We noted more fresh wolverine and marten tracks. The weather was clear and cool, 26° F when we arrived at the cabin; snow depth at the cabin was about 7 feet. Jerry and Dave then did some prospecting for a starting route for the next day’s route toward Fifty Mountain. It would be ofl trail until we reached Fifty Mountain. While they “prospected,” 1 got a fire going in the wood stove, took the shutters off, and made other preparations for our night in the cabin. On the morning of the 28th, we left the Kootenai Patrol Cabin at 7:30 A.M., strapped climbers on our skis, and skied east, southeast, up the steep ridge just south of the unnamed westerly flowing creek which is crossed just before reaching the Fifty Mountain Shelter. Snow conditions were good; we were breaking 8-12 inches of powder snow, temperature was in the single digits and teens, no wind, and clear blue sky. By 10:30 A.M. we had reached the comparatively level landscape of the Fifty Mountain Meadows, which were covered by 9 feet of snow (1-69). We skied across the west side of the meadow area, to the Fifty Mountain Shelter (I-70)(about 2,000 feet elevation above the Kootenai Cabin), near the south end ol the Meadows. We dug into the nearly buried Shelter with Jerry’s avalanche shovel. Temperature at the Shelter was 14°F. T he Shelter was a small two-room tin “cabin,” with small wood heating stoves. 355

1-68. Apgar Mountains ski trip, 18 March 1973, with Lake McDonald below. L-R: Loren Kreck, Oysten Boveng, Pat McClelland, and Laurie Muth. 356

1-69. Ranger Jerry DeSanto in the Fifty Mountain Meadows area, on a ski patrol from Waterton Townsite to Packer’s Roost, 26-29 March 1973. 357 HOI HOI m lxfi

1-70. Fifty Mountain Shelter, 28 March 1973. Top: Dave Shea at the Shelter, on a ski patrol from Waterton Townsite to Packer’s Roost; Vulture Peak is beyond Shea. Bottom: Inside the west half o f the Shelter. 358

We spent the remainder of the afternoon skiing in on the knobs east of the Shelter, then collected some dead branches for a fire in the wood stove. Visibility was excellent. There were no clouds on the peaks. Vulture Peak, to the west, was a striking image, clad in snow. We could see distant Logan Pass. We noted marten tracks and two Clark’s nutcrackers near the Shelter. We spent a cozy night in the Shelter. We departed the Shelter, on skis, at 7:10 A.M., on the 29th, under clear sky and a temperature of 8°F. Initially, it was not a problem finding the West Flattop Trail and we followed it for about 4 miles, noting wolverine, marten, and lynx tracks. The trail gradually descends into the Flattop Creek Drainage, then abruptly enters the Flattop Creek Canyon. At the head (north end) of the Canyon, the trail is near the top of the Canyon “wall,” on the west side of the creek. Soon after entering the Canyon segment of the trail, we encountered a very steep and narrow erosion gully, full of ice, and extending from above the trail across the trail, and directly down to the creek, a few hundred feet below. Although the crossing was short (about 4 feet), it was too wide to jump. A slip on the ice would mean a certain rapid descent to the creek and rocks below. Jerry got out his ice axe and cut a step in the middle of the ice that crossed the trail. Carrying our skies, we each made it across with the one step onto Jerry’s chiseled step. It was a bit unnerving looking down at the long drop to the rocks as each person crossed. After that crossing the trail was no problem for the next half mile or so. The trail then descends quickly onto the south, steep heavily forested lower slope of Flattop Mountain. Continually paralleling the creek, but at an increasing distance from it. We soon lost the trail on this steep, forested slope. By this time, the sky had become overcast and the temperature had wanned to about 32°F; the snow was becoming soft and wet. We began to become concerned about triggering an avalanche because the slope was so steep. After some searching, we abandoned any prospect of relocating the trail. We knew that we would have to cross the combined Flattop Creek and Mineral Creek eventually, so we decided to drop into the Flattop Creek Canyon below us and cross it there. We descended initially by half side slipping down, on our skis. When the canyon became too steep and rocky to ski, we carried our skis and slid down on our seats. The Creek was not wide and so we had no difficulty crossing it. It was a short distance to Mineral Creek and we used the same combination of skiing and seat sliding to get past it. Then it was a straight seat slide down to the base of the slope, putting skis back on, and shortly intersecting the McDonald Creek Trail, which took us to Packer’s Roost, then the GTS Road, and a vehicle that had been left near Logan Creek Patrol Cabin (arriving at 4:45 P.M.). Spring road plowing had proceeded past the Packer’s Roost Junction, so it was a walk, carrying skis from that junction to Logan Creek. 11 April: I hiked up the east ridge to Apgar Lookout, looking for the old trail. I intercepted it where it crosses the ridge from the north, after it has ascended more than half of the elevation gain from the original trail at the top of the “Horse Loops,” accessed from the Camas Road gate near Apgar. There is some elaborate rock work supporting the trail shortly after it crosses the east ridge. I was able to follow the old trail most of the rest of the way to the lookout (several switchbacks). “Three to four feet of snow in the trees the last 1/4 of the old trail. Lake McDonald still frozen. Varied thrushes were singing.” 6 May: Pat and I hiked to the top of the Belton Hills with Bob and Laurie Muth. We started at Park Headquarters and hiked up the old water line, then cross-country to the high point on the Belton Hills, then three miles south along the crest. We saw two grizzly bears (one large, light brown and the other smaller and dark brown, both with humps that were very evident, on a snowfield, about 500 feet away, but they disappeared after one minute and we saw nothing further of them. We then made our way down the Hills until we reached the Boundary Trail, our route of about four miles back to Headquarters. 19—20 May: We made a family hike from Chief Mountain Customs to Belly River and spent the night in the Ranger Station (no one assigned there yet for the summer). This was our last Belly River trip in which Pat and I and all five children participated. We saw no other people during the two days. We hiked in from Chief Mountain Customs. The trail was dry most of 359 the way, very little snow left on the steep hill below Customs. Many pasque flowers in bloom in the meadows. There were 8 elk in the horse pasture when we arrived. After our arrival, we went to Dawn Mist Falls in the afternoon. Only a few small patches of snow on that trail; bear tracks a day or two old, near the Falls. There were 21 elk (3 with neck bands) including two bulls in the horse pasture at 8:00 P.M. It had been a partly cloudy, windy and warm day (62° F at 5:00 P.M.). It remained very windy during the night. On the 20th , it was partly cloudy and 46° F in the morning. We hiked the 6 miles back to our car at Chief Mountain Customs. 5-6 June: Terence and I hiked to Quartz Lake, via the upper Quartz Ridge Trail from Bowman Lake. In the first two miles from Bowman, we counted 500 fairy slipper orchid (Calypso bulbosa) blossoms. As we were nearing the top of the ridge, on our way up from Bowman, Terence was behind me for a brief period as I wandered around looking for more orchids. 1 turned around and a cow moose with a very small calf came onto the trail between us. They clearly wanted to go down the trail, in the direction of Terence. Following is his recollection of the event: “I was on the side of the trail, a pretty steep cut in the ridge, creating a place to sit above the trail. I heard clip, clop, clippity, floppity, click, coming down the trail from above. I thought it was two horses and remembered that for safety, get below the trail when the horse or pack team passes. I was moving to get below the trail and got caught right in the middle of it as the animals rounded the corner. A cow moose and her calf skidded to a stop two arms length from me. The calf was under its mom; it reached out and smelled me. We were curious and not a foot from each other. Only 10-20 seconds had elapsed since I first heard the animals coming. The cow moose snorted in my face, bumping the calf in the right direction, and leaped about ten feet off and below the trail, crashing through the brush with her calf following. Dad was on up the trail, looking for more orchids. He hollered: ‘ Terence, are you OK!?’ 1 promptly ran up the trail to join him.”

We continued on to the cabin. Terence Fished in the afternoon and evening. We spent the night in the Quartz Lake Patrol Cabin. On the morning of the 6th, we fished, then hiked back to Bowman Lake over the upper trail (no further sign of the moose!).

August: The month brought a few nocturnal lightning storms that produced photographic opportunities. One of our 1973 photos, of a lightning strike in the Apgar Mountains, subsequently was published as a fulle frondspag piece in the National Geographic Society’s “Powers of Nature” (1978). We had the good fortune to view and photograph (from the North Fork Road) a nocturnal lightning storm that occurred near Vulture Peak (1-71). 360

1-71. Lightning striking in the Vulture Peak complex. The actual peak is above and beyond the large snowfield and is not visible. The dark mountain outline in the left foreground is Logging Mountain. 361 jL 9 September: A wonderful hike with friends Dave Downey and Loren Kreck We started the hike on the Gunsight Pass Trail, at the Jackson Glacier Overlook on the GTS Road (east of Logan Pass). We then took the Jackson Glacier Spur Trail, from the Gunsight Trail The spur peters out long before actually reaching the Glacier. We continued south, cross-country crossing the runoff from Jackson Glacier not far below the ice, in rocky, steep terrain Then on to Blackfoot Glacier, where we traversed around the bottom of the Glacier, at the edge of numerous huge blocks of ice and snow (many larger than trucks) that had avalanched down some days previously. We continued on to near the base of Mt. Logan, and Almost-a-Dog Pass, where we picked out a level spot for our three small . The night was clear and cold. 1 he only problem of the night was the horrendous snoring of both Dave and Loren with Loren winning the highest decibel record. I hollered at Loren a couple of times, to no’avail. When 1 told him that I was going to crawl over and cover his mouth and nose with duct tape his volume decreased, but only briefly. On the next morning, we walked over to Almost-a-Dog Pass and looked down on the beautiful and expansive Red Eagle Meadows, and the Red Eagle Glacier (1-72). The east and south periphery of the meadows were occupied by interesting ribbon forests.” We then trekked back to the Jackson Glacier Trail by essentially the reverse ot the route that we had taken the previous day. However, we crossed the runoff streams from Jackson Glacier much farther below the Glacier, where the terrain was nearly flat and easier to negotiate than our higher crossing had been 362

1-72. Loren Kreck viewing Logan Glacier (nearest, at the base of Mt. Logan), from Almost-a-Dog Pass on 9 September 1973. Red Eagle Glacier is in the distance, at the base of an unnamed peak. Red Eagle Meadows are mainly out of view, below and to the left. 363

Appendix 5. 1974-1990, Special Hikes, Events, and Trips

1974 27 December: Our friend, Ranger Art Sedlack became involved in a bizarre law enforcement case. Art literally shot (with a .38 caliber pistol) a snowmobile in the engine, to disable it. The Missoulian story follows (D-136): 1975

Missoulian Friday, January 10, 1975 9-Day Suspension Glacier Park Ranger

WEST GLACIER - The has suspended, for nine days without pay, a Glacier Park ranger who was accused of shooting a snowmobile. Arthur Sedlack, a ranger technician at the Walton Station near Essex, was suspended after halting a snowmobile's operation near U.S. 2 about 11:30 p.m. Dec. 27. Sedlack fired a .38 caliber pistol into the motor of the snowmobile, owned by Ed Peterson of Great Falls. Lynn Thompson, the regional director for the Park Service in Denver, made the suspension ruling, saying that the decision was based on testimony taken during a hearing on the incident before several Glacier Park officials. Peterson and Jimmy VanDerViet, also of Great Falls, each forfeited $25 on charges of illegal operation of snowmobiles within the park. They were charged in connection with operating snowmobiles on U.S. 2, which is against state and federal regulations. It also is illegal to operate a snowmobile on any plowed road in the state unless there is a special provision made, such as is done in Yellowstone National Park. During the hearing, Glacier Park officials said they felt Sedlack had not identified himself as a park employee and did not ask the men to shut off the machines, take their keys, get their decal numbers or properly use his firearm. The board also suggested Sedlack be suspended for a two-week period and not be given law enforcement duties until further training is completed. Sedlack has been assigned to attend a law enforcement school in Washington, D.C., for six weeks.

D-136. Missoulian article on Sedlack vs snowmachine, 10 January 1975.

16 July: Curt and Marcy Buchholtz, who were in park housing (Curt was working for the Park, in fire management), invited us over to spend the evening with author Ed Abbey. Ed was the Numa Ridge Lookout that summer. We were sharing bear stories that evening; I told the one from YNP (July 1964), when a grizzly treed Bryan Flarry, Bob Spring, and me. While we were all up in trees, the grizzly walked over to my new Kelty pack, sniffed at it (there was an empty sardine can inside), left my pack intact, then went over to Bryan’s old Trapper-Nelson pack, tore it up and extracted an old pair of tennis shoes, which he chewed on. This story wound up in a later book by Ed Abbey (“The Journey Home,” published by Plume [1977], see the Chapter on Numa Ridge Lookout). 1-3 August: Pat, Kerry, Terence, Larry and Becky Williams, and I hiked Chief Mountain Customs to Belly River, where we spent nights at the Ranger Station with the Sheas. On 3 August, all but Terence hiked Belly River back to Customs; Terence remained with the Sheas until 7 August. 364

14 August: Jerry DeSanto and I got a patrol boat ride part way up Bowman Lake, then climbed up to the saddle between Rainbow Peak and Square Mountain. It had been partly cloudy and warm, with light showers. We carried a tent and sleeping bags and spent the night in the saddle. A woodrat cut the guy lines on the tent and it collapsed in the middle of the night. We also heard goats around the tent during the night. On the morning of the 15th, we left camp at 7:40 A.M. and climbed Rainbow, reaching the summit at 0925. It was partly cloudy and warm, very pleasant. There were grizzly scats near the summit. This is a common observation on the high peaks of both GNP and YNP. The bears are attracted to ladybird beetles (Coccinella sp.)(Amo 1968) and army cutworm moths(Fuxoa auxiliaris)(Chapman et al. 1955; White et al. 1999) on which the bears feed. We saw rosy finches and 5 mountain goats. We looked over at Mount Carter, with the possibility of continuing on to climb it, but it seemed too far. We descended to Bowman Take and were picked up by the patrol boat. 25-26 August: Mary T. and Jane had a hike they will never forget. On the 25th, I drove them to Chief Mountain Customs, where they began their hike. Following are some of the details Mary T. and Jane related to me: The weather was clear and warm, so they wore cutoffs and light shirts. They hiked to the Belly River Ranger Station and on to Elizabeth Lake, where they camped (at the foot of the lake) for the night. The weather on the following morning started with a clear blue sky and mare’s tails clouds; the girls packed up. wearing the same light clothes, and headed for Ptarmigan Tunnel. They waded across Belly River (no bridge) without removing their hiking boots. The weather changed as they began the climb toward the Tunnel. A strong wind came on rapidly, then clouds and rain before they had gone far. The rain turned to sleet and the strong wind made it sting on their bare skin. They were soaked by the time that they put on ponchos. The weather plus the girls’ poor management of clothing rapidly created a high risk of hypothermia. According to Jane, by the time they reached the steep open slope that the trail ascends, they were proceeding like the tortoise and the hare. Mary T., with bursts of determination, would pass Jane, then sit down and wait for her to catch up. Jane was steadily plodding along. When Jane reached T., Jane coaxed her to get up and keep going. T. would again get up, charge ahead, then again sit down to wait for Jane. T. kept telling Jane that she (Tee) had to sit down and that Jane could go ahead and T. would catch her after a rest. When they were about a quarter mile from the Tunnel, Jane’s coaxing no longer motivated T. By this time T. was delirious. Jane resorted to prodding and threatening and this worked a few times. Through all this Jane says that T. remained pleasant and cheerful. Somehow they made it to within about 300 feet of the Tunnel, but at that point T. sat down and would not budge. Recognizing the seriousness of their predicament, Jane burst into tears. Unbeknownst to the girls, a Park Service trail crew had taken shelter in the Tunnel. One of the trail crewmen, Randy Elliot, apparently had seen the girls struggling up the trail toward the Tunnel. When the girls stopped moving, Randy walked down to their location. The new, stem voice motivated T. sufficiently to get her to the Tunnel. The crew then built a warming fire inside the Tunnel. That may have saved their lives, or at least the need for a full scale rescue, T. said: “Along with the fire bringing life back into us, we had only tuna fish, hard-boiled eggs, and bread left in our food stash. That combination tasted horrible and excellent at the same time. I’ve always wondered if that is when I lost my taste for fish as I never really was able to eat it again.”

The trail crew offered to bring out the girls’ packs on their mule and the girls quickly accepted. After they felt warmed by the fire, they continued on downhill from the "funnel, heading toward Many Glacier, with rain still heavy and the temperature dropping. Pat and I planned to pick up the girls at Many Glacier and we were very concerned about the weather and their potential inability to deal with it. We left West Glacier and drove to Many Glacier. It was raining and cold when we arrived at the trailhead. I hiked up the trail from Many Glacier to meet them. After covering less than a mile, I saw them coming down the trail, still in continuous rain. They were a bedraggled pair, stumbling along; both seemed 365 hypothermic. After we got to the car, Pat and I put our coats on them and then took a photo for the record (1-73). We drove to the Many Glacier cabin of our friends the Casteels (Dave was an NPS naturalist). They provided a warm shower for the girls. Being young, they recovered rapidly, but it may have been a different story if they had not encountered the trail crew at the Tunnel. 7 September: Pat and I, along with Loren Kreck, Janet Downey, Bob Siebert, Cathy Keller, and Gary Kohler, climbed Great Northern Mountain from Hungry Horse from the Hungry Horse Reservoir side. There were abundant huckleberries below tree line 1976 In February, we skied the Autumn Creek Trail with friends, including Jim and Alex Lowe (1-74). Little did we know at the time how famous Alex would become. The following information(D-137) is excerpted from:Everestnews.com.:

“Stuart Alexander Lowe was bom December 24, 1958 in Frederick, MD. He died October 5, 1999, in an avalanche on the slopes of Shishapangma, in Tibet. Prior to his death Alex Lowe was considered by many to be the world’s best climber(Outside Magazine, March, 1999). Alex’s climbing resume includes many first ascents, such as Great Trango Tower in Pakistan and Rakekniven in Antarctica - as well as new routes in far-flung places such as Baffin Islands, Kyrgyzstan and Nepal. Lowe reached the summit of Mt. Everest twice: in 1990 and 1993. Closer to home, Alex enjoyed climbing in all seasons in the Tetons as well as scaling difficult ice features in the Hyalite Canyon of the Gallatin National Forest. According to Outside Magazine (December 1999), ‘No matter how jaw dropping his routes, Lowe’s real genius grew out of the way he combined physical accomplishments with an indomitable spirit. A peak has been named for Alex: Alex Lowe Peak: Located in Gallatin National Forest in southwest Montana. Elevation 10,031. South/Southwest of Mt. Blackmore at the head of South Cottonwood Creek.” ______D-137. Biography for Alex Lowe, who died in an avalanche on 5 October 1999.

Superintendent Phillip Iversen changed the course of winter use in GNP by banning snowmobiles within the Park; the ban took effect on 3 May 1976 (Yokums 2003). Prior to that time, snowmobile use was ongoing and increasing in GNP, having been promoted by Superintendent William Briggle during his tenure (1969—74). At least in winter, when weather often grounds the helicopter overflights, GNP often returns to a wilderness park, thanks to Iversen. Iversen had the support of conservation groups (locally more vocal then than now) and took the bold step of administratively banning snowmachines in GNP. He deserves sainthood for that decision. 1977 During 1977—78 there was an extensive outbreak of mountain pine beetle in GNP (1-75). 23 July: With Dave and Janet Downey, Pat and I climbed Piegan Mt. from east of Logan Pass, then to the summit of Pollock Mountain and down to Logan Pass 1978 23-25 May: Drove to Corps of Engineer Dams on the Columbia River, in Washington with Les Pengelly, on a mitigation study regarding the Snake River Dams (Pengellv and McClelland 1978). J 12 July: Fellow UM faculty member Sid F'rissell and I flew from Missoula to an 366 ornithological meeting in Nacogdoches, Texas. We took time to do some bird watching and were able to observe a red-cockaded woodpecker(Picoides borealis). Sid flew back to Missoula and I flew to Denver on the 16th. I visited my folks and on the 17th started the drive back to Missoula in my Uncle Jim’s Chevrolet Impala. Uncle Jim, my beloved fishing buddy, had died on 31 March 1978. I drove to Moose, Wyoming, where I spent the night with Tom and Sharlene Milligan. On the 18th, I drove from Moose to Tower Falls, YNP, and spent the night with Bill, Lorraine, Jane, and Vaughn Baker. On the 19th, I completed the trip, driving to Missoula, where the vehicle was given to son Kevin. Kevin was working in Missoula that summer; in the fall he drove to Phoenix in the Impala. 1 1 August: Pat and I did a memorable hike to Ouzel Peak from the Hungry Horse Reservoir side, and down to the Middle Fork of the Flathead. Our companions were Mary T. and her husband to be. Joe Beeson; Jane Kapler and husband to be Garon Smith; and Janet Panebaker, wife of GNP ranger David Panebaker. We looked over the remains of the old Ouzel Peak Lookout, that had been burned down by the Forest Service in 1957. While on top, we were treated to a splendid full rainbow in a shower in the Middle Fork valley below us. 6-8 August: Pat and I took a most wonderful hike with Jerry DeSanto and Cindy Mish, Jerry arranged for the Kintla Ranger to take us to the head of Kintla Lake by boat on 6 August. With heavy packs, prepared for two nights out, we headed up the trail to Upper Kintla Lake. At a drainage north of the trail and about halfway up Upper Kintla, we left the trail and bushwhacked uphill north, into the Boundary Mountains (Jerry had used this route previously). Initially, it was a steep and shrubby climb. Eventually, the terrain became less steep, with fewer shrubs, scattered trees and forbs. We selected a spot to camp (7,200 feet elevation), set up our tents, hung packs in nearby trees, and headed for a site where we could get a good look at the Nunatak, north of the International Border, in British Columbia. On the 7th we hiked to the “Ball Park,” a large, nearly treeless area; we spent the day wandering around, photographing flowers. We searched for and found International Boundary Marker #270 (about 1 Vi miles east of Long Knife Peak). In mid-afternoon we headed back to our campsite. The weather remained clear and we had magnificent views of Kinnerly and Kintla Peaks, and Kintla Glacier from our campsite. On the 8th, our plan was to climb Long Knife Peak, a mile or more from our camp, a 2,500 foot climb, and about 500 feet south of the Canadian border. As we made the approach, Pat and Cindy decided to remain at a smaller peak that we passed when nearing the start of the ascent of Long Knife. They climbed to the summit of this first peak and when Jerry and I reached the first summit of Long Knife, we photographed Pat and Cindy on top, from our higher vantage point (1-76). Long Knife has twin peaks in the summit area, with a saddle between them. The first (east) summit, is lower by about 150 feet. The higher (west) summit is 9,784 elevation. From our position on the east summit, we were confronted by a steep icy glacier/snowfield in the saddle between the two summits. The snow and ice left no rock exposed at the top of the saddle, so we would have been on very steep snow even at the very crest in the process of crossing to the exposed rock on the flank of the Peak. It seemed too treacherous to risk crossing, so we turned around there. Jerry had encountered this same dilemma in the previous summer. We both took many slides, then descended, joined Pat and Cindy, and returned to camp. It was mid-afternoon and we were expected back that night, so wc packed up and headed back down to the Kintla Valley. It was very warm, in the 80° Fs. We reached the head of Kintla Lake at 7:30 P.M.; Jerry radioed for the Kintla Ranger to pick us up in the patrol boat. 11 August: I drove to Chief Mountain Customs and hiked to Belly River. There was a new (not present last year) mountain pine beetle attack in a stand of lodgepole pine about 1/4 mile from the trail head. I spent the night in the Ranger Station with the Sheas. On the 12th, Dave and I hiked to Cosley Lake. I noted that we: “Found several areas of new mountain pine beetle attack along the trail to Cosley. Islands of attack appear to be quite small and isolated to date. Evidence of woodpecker work in some attack areas.” Hiked back to Customs in afternoon. 2 September: Pat, Terence, and I canoed across the Middle Fork and then hiked to Harrison Lake. We saw a black bear swim across the lake, north to south. Terence caught four trout. 367

16 November: While observing from the Lower McDonald Creek Oxbow Blind, at one point in the morning we counted 37 bald eagles in the Oxbow Spruce (on an island in the creek, directly in front of the Blind). This was the highest number we recorded in a single tree. 29 December: The Audubon Christmas Bird Count was held at West Glacier. Ranger Dan Taylor and I volunteered to do the Lower McDonald Creek count section by canoe. At 8:00 A.M. the temperature was minus 28° F; we departed for the float about an hour later. It was the most difficult float I have ever experienced on the creek. All slow sections were mostly ice-covered. We managed to get through a narrow corridor in most sections, dragging the canoe on the snow on shore to get past the iced over pools. The final 500 feet of slow water before the Quarter Circle Bridge was solidly ice covered and we dragged the canoe on the ice, near the bank. We saw 25 bald eagles, 10 adults and 15 subadults. 30 December: Dan Taylor, Don Marble, and I decided to ski to Apgar Lookout, in spite of the bitter cold (it was minus 32° F that morning). At the first switchback, Don felt sure that his toes were becoming frostbitten, so he wisely turned back. My log entry reads: “It was very cold but didn’t freeze anything completely. The view from the lookout was ice fog thick in every direction.” Dan Taylor recorded minus 4° F, at the lookout. 1979 10 June: Our eldest daughter, Mary Teresa, graduated from UM. 17 August: Jane Kapler, Garon Smith, Pat, and I climbed Mt. Gould. 21-23 September: I hiked with Jim Lowe (forest entomologist at UM), Amy Lester (my graduate student), and Betsy Spettigue (NPS employee), to Belly River via Lee Ridge, overnighted at Belly River Ranger Station and then the Bear Mountain Lookout site (Amy Lester and 1 climbed Bear Mountain from the lookout site; Jim and Betsy remained at the lookout). The purpose of the trip was to document status of the native mountain pine beetle epidemic. From the Bear Mountain Lookout site, I was able to take some dramatic photos of beetle outbreak “islands.” On the 23rd, we hiked out the trail to Chief Mountain Customs 1980 1 January: Dave Downey, Bob Muth, Cal Tassinari, Pat, and I waded Middle Fork and skied to Coal Creek Patrol Cabin and back. 27 July: Hiked with Pat and her mother, Peg (Peg was 74 yrs old) to Granite Park Chalet via the Highline Trail from Logan Pass. I hiked out and they stayed two nights. 29 July: Back to Granite Park via the Loop Trail; accompanied Pat and Peg out on the Loop. 9-11 September: Daughter Jane and I hiked with Jim and Ted Lowe, to Belly River via Customs Trail (2 overnights), then out via Lee Ridge Trail. 1981 .1.4-17 May: Pat and I went to Snake River Birds of Prey Natural Area, near Boise, ID, to observe field work on long-eared owls(Asio otus) being conducted by my graduate student Jeff Marks. We stayed with Jeff and wife Vicki.

1982 22-24 July: Pat and I hiked from Chief Mountain Customs to Belly River on the 22nd and stayed in the Ranger Station with the Sheas. On the 23rd, we hiked Belly River to Bear Mountain Lookout and back to the Station for the night. On the 24th, we hiked Belly .River to Customs via Lee Ridge Trail. 1983 3 September: Pat and I found stone knife artifacts on a “practice” fire line recently dug by an NPS forest fire crew, in the vicinity of Quarter Circle Bridge. Pat and I turned the knives in to Elaine Seeley, GNP’s Museum Curator at that time. We took her to the site and also gave her photographs of the site where the artifacts were found. We had heard about the site from all the talk going on regarding the fire crew finding "neat" artifacts in the practice fire line they were digging. We decided to check it out. We found the two knives (1-77) within the fire line, one on top of freshly turned dirt and the other barely sticking out of the ground. Some shed 368 leaves from adjacent shrubs partially obscured the artifacts. We thought that the risk of leaving the artifacts in place until a "qualified" person could examine them in situ would simply invite their disappearance— based on the bragging being done about what had already been found and removed by fire personnel. Therefore, we photographed them, removed them, and turned them in. Sometime within the following year we heard that a Regional Archeologist had visited the site and proclaimed it unremarkable and not worth intensive study. It is strange that GNP's Curator or the Regional Archeologist apparently never recorded the details as to specific location. By the time Archeologist Barney Reeves looked at the site (1995), it's no wonder that there was nothing left. As far as I know, none of the other artifacts collected at the site by the fire crew or other individuals was ever turned in to the Park. In the process of writing these memoirs, I asked GNP’s Cultural Resource Specialist Lon Johnson what information was available from an archeological evaluation of the stone knives. On 20 June 2008, Johnson replied, quoting from Archeologist Dr. Barney Reeves report to the NPS. The artifacts are: .. basalt bifaces now in the Glacier National Park Museum, found during a fire scarification program. The artifact styles suggest an age of ca. 9500-10,000 years ago and an association with early western archeological complexes. This area was also re-examined in 1995. No additional materials were found during this site revisit.” In another description Reeves states: “The earliest defined occupation in Waterton-Glacier National Park is that of the Lake Linnet Complex (10,000-9,500 years ago), the local representative of the western Windust and Early Cascade phases of the Intermountain West. Lake Linnet sites include a group of rhyodacite points/knives from a high outwash terrace ... [the two knives Pat and I found], and three sites on the Eastern Slopes represented by lanceolate and stemmed points.” Johnson wrote: “As you can see, these are rare and extremely important artifacts.” We showed Lon Johnson the precise location where we had found the artifacts. 24—25 September: We took many wonderful hikes with Larry and Becky Williams. One of the best was the 1983 hike to Belly River via Slide Lake and Gable Pass. We had been invited in to Belly River by Dave (Belly River Ranger) and V. V. Shea, to celebrate their wedding, which had occurred several days previously. From the Gable Pass area, looking down the nearly treeless Lee Ridge there were spectacular views of patterned ground, produced by freeze/thaw and wind. Stayed overnight, hiked out to Chief Mountain Customs next morning. 30-31 December: Pat, T., Joe, and I skied to Apgar Lookout, where we spent the night. We had not planned to stay overnight, but the snow conditions made skiing very laborious and we were exhausted, so we opted to spend the night in the lookout. 1984 February: Author and friend Michael Frome visited us in Missoula, Winter Quarter, 1984. He presented a UM lecture and spoke to my Park Management class. Michael visited us again in August and we hiked to the top of Glacier View Mountain. 9 August: Hiked, with dogs Tundra and Tuffy, to the old Demers Lookout site (the Lookout had been burned down by the USFS in 1957). Trees tall enough to obscure any view from the ground level. A very good crop of huckleberries from the Glacier View Mountain/Demers Lookout Trail Junction to the lookout site. 22-24 August: Pat and I hiked from Chief Mountain Customs to Belly River Ranger Station with Dave and V.V. Shea on the 22nd. We spent the night in the Station. On the 23rd, we made the following entry in the Pass Creek Patrol Cabin log book: “McClellands and Sheas in from Belly River via Stoney Indian Pass. Saw elk, white-tailed and mule deer, grizzly (swimming across Cosley Lake), and mountain goats. Fine Day. Thunderstorms, 60° F at 8:30 P.M.” We spent the night in the cabin. On the 24th, at 7:00 A.M. it was 48° F. We departed the cabin, headed for Goathaunt, and then out to Waterton Townsite by boat. 369

1985 1 April: Author Ed Abbey was invited to give a speech at UM. The event was a celebration of “Free Speech” on the Campus. His talk was entitled: “A Cowboy and His Cow.” The talk was given at the UM Ballroom to about 500 people. It was a rather profane ramble, not uncharacteristic of Ed. Some reviewers characterized it as “rambunctious.” His talk was printed in Northern Lights and later that year in Harpers Magazine (a somewhat abridged version of the speech), as “Even the Bad Guys Wear White Hats: Cowboys, Ranchers, and the Ruin of the West” (January 1986). I had corresponded with Ed before this talk date and asked him if he would talk to my class (Managing the Recreation Resource). He kindly did talk with the class, mostly answering questions. He behaved himself (avoided crude language) in the class and it was a worthwhile and memorable experience for the students. Abbey was, after all, a real icon for students of the time. 1986 4 January: Robert Haraden retired from the NPS and GNP’s Super intendency on 1986. Alan O’Neill was Acting Superintendent 5 January 1986 to 29 March 1986. Gilbert Lusk became Superintendent on 30 March 1986 and served until 1994. 1987 Late June: Author Michael Frome again visited us in GNP. We hiked to Skiumah Lake in the Flathead National Forest and to Hidden Lake Overlook, in the Park. 1989 As a volunteer for the USFS, 1985-1989,1 spent hundreds of hours maintaining the Glacier View Mountain Trail in the Whitefish Range. Trees down across the trail all were removed with a bow saw. A hand pruner was used to trim shrubs encroaching onto the trail. In these memoirs I have recorded only one (1984) of the 146 hikes (by 2013) I made to the top of Glacier View. The top provides a majestic view of the Livingston Range in GNP. 6 August: Hiked to Cyclone Lookout to monitor bald eagle activity at Cyclone Lake. 1990 30 November: I “retired” from the NPS. There simply was insufficient time allotted (by my supervisors) to complete professional manuscript reporting our research results. “Retirement” was necessary so that I could complete submissions covering our eagle studies and cavity-nesting bird research. Final papers were published as follows: cavity-nesting birds, 2000; golden eagles, 2001; bald eagles, 2006. 1991 23 November: Pat, Becky W., and 1 observed a least (Mustelaweasel nivalis) in the snow, near the Apgar Horse Loops Trail. This is the smallest carnivore in the world, sometimes called the “mouse-weasel” (Foresman 2012). It had a few black hairs on a very short tail, otherwise white. This was the first observation of the species for each of us.” 1993 15 May: Retired from the University of Montana, to devote time to manuscript preparation. I began writing memoirs in 1995; hopefully they will be finished by 2014. 370

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1-73. Jane(L) and Mary Teresa approaching Many Glacier from Elizabeth Lake via Ptarmigan Tunnel. They were subjected to cold rain and wind during the hike (thereafter known as the “hypothermia hike'’), on 26 August 1975. Both girls indeed were hypothermic when I met them on the trail. In the photo they are wearing coats I carried up the trail. 371

1-74. Ski trip at Autumn Creek. GNP, in March 1976. L-R: Jim Lowe, Pat McClelland, Cathy Ream, Terence McClelland, and Mindy, Bob, and Bobby Muth, and Alex Lowe 372

1-75. Mixed coniferous forest dominated by lodgepole pine, North Fork of the Flathead drainage, GNP. Most of the oldest lodgepole pine are dead (reddish foliage), killed by an outbreak of the native mountain pine beetle, summer 1978. 373

1-76. Pat McClelland and Cindy Mish atop an unnamed peak, photographed to the northeast from the northeast ridge of Long Knife Peak, near the Canadian border, 8 August 1978. 374

1-77. Stone knives, found by Pat and Riley, near Lower McDonald Creek, on 3 September 1983. Archeologist Barney Reeves described the knives as basalt bifaces, about 9,500 to 10,000 yrs old.