Voice of the Glacier Park Foundation ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ Volume XXXIII, No. 3 HOWE RIDGE For the third time in four years fire forces an evacuation in Glacier

In this issue: • The Spirit of Sperry Chalets • Quiet! Glacier: The Issue of Helicopter Overflights • Hootenannies At • An Uncertain Future for Glacier’s Historic Boats • Refurbishing the Red Bus Fleet • Inside News of Glacier Park in the Summer of 2018 No “Quiet Week in Lake Wobegon” Ah, for a quiet week in Lake Wobe- A less urgent but more complex step up to help. We commend the gon! It surely wasn’t a quiet summer crisis is the increasing traffic in the work of the Glacier National Park in Glacier National Park, literally or Park. The number of visitors in Conservancy in raising private funds figuratively speaking. The summer’s 2017 and 2018 (before the fire) was to supplement the Park’s budget. turbulent events are set out exten- unprecedented. Parking problems, The Conservancy admirably has sively in this issue. pedestrian problems on roadways, raised large sums to help rebuild and crowding on trails was often Most prominent of those events, of of , in addition to its acute. There are no easy answers course, was the . normal fundraising. We urge those to these developments. The Park For the third time in four years, a who can to support the Conservancy Service commendably has managed major forest fire shut down much of and its Sperry Action Fund. them day-to-day without overreact- Going-to-the-Sun Road and forced ing. Hard and creative thinking will On the subject of quiet, the Foun- the evacuation of a lodge. The be called for to address them in the dation’s Board of Directors recently evacuation this year occurred ur- long run. voted to join the Quiet!Glacier Co- gently and had to be made close to alition. This effort seeks to eliminate nightfall. The , The Park Service is handling double commercial helicopter overflights in the lodge concessioner Xanterra, and the visitation it had about a decade Glacier. Twenty years ago, we sup- local fire departments all worked ago with essentially the same re- ported the goal of eliminating over- admirably in this crisis. sources. Glacier’s friends need to flights set out in Glacier’s General Management Plan. That goal has It surely wasn’t a quiet summer in Glacier National been thwarted by a policy deadlock between two federal agencies (dis- Park, literally or figuratively speaking. The summer’s cussed in an article in this issue). turbulent events are set out extensively in this issue. The noise of the overflights is annoy- ing and distracting to Park visitors, and we hope they can be curtailed. Glacier Park Foundation Officers: P.O. Box 15641 John Hagen, President Happy trails! We all cherish Glacier Minneapolis, MN 55415 Carol Dahle, Vice President www.glacierparkfoundation.org Mac Willemssen, Secretary and its robust community of friends [email protected] Tessie Bundick, Historian and supporters. Board of Directors: Jim Lees, Treasurer Joe Blair Laura Chihara, Webmaster The Inside Trail takes its name Mike Buck Rolf Larson, Inside Trail Editor Tessie Bundick from the famous old trail Laura Chihara which connected Glacier Janet Eisner Cornish Park Lodge with the vanished Brian Cross The Glacier Park Foundation was Carol Repulski Dahle formed by Glacier Park employees chalets at , Joyce Daugaard and visitors who have a deep love for Cut Bank, and St. Mary. The Ray Djuff this special place. The Foundation is name thus emphasizes the Emily Trapp Hackethorn commited both to the importance John Hagen of wilderness preservation and to publication’s focus on the the importance of places like Glacier Einar Hanson as classrooms where people can lore and history of Glacier Paul Hoff experience wilderness in intense National Park. We invite Mark Hufstetler meaningful ways, learning not only a submission of historical, Jeff Kuhn love for the land, but also a respect Linda Young Kuhn that nurtures the skills necessary to scientific, or anecdotal ar- Rolf Larson preserve that land. The Foundation ticles, commentary, poetry, Greg Notess has a special interest in Glacier Park’s John Sauer history, traditions and visitor facilities. or artwork for publication in Rick Taylor future issues. Mac Willemssen

2 ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ The Inside Trail HOWE RIDGE FIRE

“It was blazing on “The fire had the west side of ignited two Lake McDonald, days earlier, largely on ground touched off burned fifteen by a lightning years earlier in storm.” the Roberts Fire.”

By John Hagen (Many (Photo courtesy of Eric Glacier 1970-1980) Matt.)

Early on the evening of August 12, well-rehearsed plan to evacuate Lake Marc Ducharme was playing in a rec- cedar trees killed by the Robert Fire, McDonald lodge. reational hockey league in Whitefish, burning underbrush and burning Xanterra has hard-won expertise in . Marc is general manager thick duff on the ground. Those evacuating lodges in Glacier. Three of Xanterra’s Glacier National Park involved in the meeting were con- times in the past four years, a forest Lodges, the concessioner for Glacier cerned, but thought a crisis unlikely fire has compelled it to do so. Park. A few hours earlier, he had met that night. Ordinarily, cooler night- with Park Service officers at West Gla- time temperatures retard the growth In 2015, the Reynolds Creek Fire ex- cier to discuss the Howe Ridge Fire. of a fire. They agreed to reconvene ploded and forced a quick evacuation in the morning. of Rising Sun Motor Inn. In 2017, The fire had ignited one day earlier, Xanterra decided to evacuate Lake touched off by a lightning storm. It Marc felt no hesitancy in going to McDonald Lodge when smoke from was blazing on the west side of Lake play in the hockey game, but he the imperiled people’s McDonald, largely on ground that brought his cell phone and left it health. This summer, the lodge had was burned fifteen years earlier in the at rink side. When the first period to be evacuated again, but far more Robert Fire. It had been attacked ended, he checked it. He found rapidly and complicated by nightfall. with Canadian “super scoopers” – thirteen messages, one of which was fixed-wing aircraft that skimmed the a text from Jean Tabbert of the Park The Destruction of Kelly’s Camp surface of the lake, sucked up water Service Concessions Office: “man- The crisis arose very rapidly on the and dropped it on the fire. Heli- datory evacuation in place for Lake early evening of August 12. A great copters carrying buckets joined the McDonald Lodge.” column of smoke, fueled by the suppression effort. Marc rushed to his vehicle unshow- burning snags, was rising vertically from the fire. Strong west winds Those measures did not stop the fire ered, and drove quickly to Xanterra’s knocked the column down, unleash- from spreading toward the north end red bus garage in Columbia Falls. ing a furious ember storm. of the lake. It was burning the snags His twelve-person emergency team (many of them over 100 feet tall) of was mustering there to pursue a The Inside Trail ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ 3 The fire made a terrific run along the ture. Charles and Justin Bilton, a The lake’s proximity saved the Bil- shores of Lake McDonald, giving father and son, were camped on the tons. The heat at Kelly’s Camp was rise to scenes of high drama. Kelly’s north end of Lake McDonald when fantastic. It melted the wheels and Camp, a spot rich in Glacier’s his- the fire made its run. They drove the exhaust manifold of their car, and tory, was almost all destroyed. away through the flaming forest, it melted the rain gutters of the sole recording the scene through their surviving cabin by which they parked Kelly’s Camp is one of the privately- windshield on video. it. After the fire, visitors found pools owned inholdings on Lake McDon- of melted aluminum on the ground ald. The inholdings were acquired The terrifying sequence, shown on before Glacier Park was created in national television, can be seen on The Wheeler Cabin 1910. Kelly’s Camp was established YouTube. Hellish scenes unfold as Among the structures north of Lake by Frank Kelly, who homesteaded the son exclaims, “Dad, the car is McDonald is the historic Wheeler in the 1890s, ran boats on Lake heating up; we’re going to explode … Cabin. The cabin belonged to Bur- McDonald, and rented guest cabins God help us!” Appallingly, the Bil- ton K. Wheeler, who served in the in the early years of the Park. The tons found the road to safety blocked U.S. Senate for Montana from 1923 camp is well known for the depreda- by a fallen tree. Surrounded by fire, to 1947. Wheeler used the cabin to tions of the Trout Lake Bear, which they desperately backed up into the broker an agreement for intertribal stalked people there before killing inferno of Kelly’s Camp. They parked cooperation among Blackfeet, Flat- Michelle Koons on the Night of the beside the one cabin there which ul- head, and Kootenai-Salish leaders. Grizzlies in 1967. timately did not burn, and scrambled The Wheeler Cabin lay in the path to the shore of Lake McDonald. Kelly’s Camp included the “Big of the fire as it made its eastward House,” owned by the National Park Jess Kimball, a Glacier Park Boat run. The cabin and other nearby Service, and many smaller cabins Company captain, happened to structures were defended by fire with private owners. The occupants be close by. She and a companion departments from communities were ordered to evacuate and got out were in a rental boat, scuba diving outside the Park. They included the just ahead of the fire. All but one of on a day off. They saw the Biltons Flathead County Office of Emergen- the cabins were destroyed. waving frantically, and came to their cy Services and the Columbia Falls, rescue. She recalls: Evergreen, Creston, Martin City, Observers across the lake watched Blankenship, Bad Rock, and South propane tanks explode at Kelly’s “We were pretty close to shore, Kalispell Fire Departments. Camp. Further down the shore, about 100 yards. The fire had they could see the Lake McDonald jumped to the camp and was start- These agencies all sent structural fire- Ranger Station’s boat house burning ing to burn a cabin on the northern fighting teams to the Park’s defense and flames projecting horizontally end of the shore. The trees around when the emergency arose. The Park toward the ranger station itself. the camp were going up in seconds, Service expressed profound gratitude it was very loud and the wind was to them. Glacier has little structural Embers pelted on the ranger station’s incredibly strong, making it hard to firefighting equipment of its own, roof. The building was saved by drive the boat. Not to mention all since it has to concentrate its limited two intrepid Park Service veterans, the burning debris being blown ev- resources on wilderness fires. Jeremy Harker (Glacier’s Assistant erywhere. A burning branch struck Fire Officer) and Kyle Johnson (a The Wheeler Cabin crisis arose in a a bald eagle, that dove into the lake recently retired Wilderness Man- manner uncannily like the crisis the and never came back up. ager, who volunteered to help with previous summer at Sperry Chalets. the crisis). The two men tossed a “It was just light enough to see Jus- Firefighters saw smoke beneath the sprinkler from the station’s grounds tin and his dad clearly. We loaded eaves, obviously from inside the up onto the roof, and it successfully them up, got their gear and headed building. They promptly smashed quenched the fire. south to the foot of the lake. As we windows and found fire smolder- motored back it was tough to see ing overhead at the roofbeam. At A Terrifying Ride Kelly’s Camp, the first place I fell in Sperry, the fire was unquenchable, Meanwhile, two campers had a love with in Glacier, burn down.” but the Wheeler Cabin was saved nightmarish and nearly-fatal adven-

4 ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ The Inside Trail with the quick use of handheld On August 17, Xanterra decided that Lake extinguishers. McDonald Lodge could not be reopened The cabin is salvageable, and the Glacier National Park Conservancy in 2018. Employees from the lodge who hopes to raise private money to wanted work were transferred to Yellowstone, restore it. Senator Wheeler’s historic Swiftcurrent or Glacier Park Lodge. Some library fortunately had been removed before the fire and stored in the Park employees chose to undertake adventures Service archives. elsewhere, and some went home. Evacuation at Lake McDonald up the Lake McDonald staff. Mean- event tent, in which all the employ- The crisis along the lake evolved while, the team set up camp for the ees could gather. Portable toilets rapidly. An order to evacuate Kelly’s evacuees at Xanterra’s bus garage. were set up. Showers were impro- Camp was issued about 7:10 PM. vised in large tents, divided into Around 7:40, a second order was Four team members took the Xan- four by privacy curtains, with water issued to evacuate Lake McDonald terra warehouse truck to Wal Mart brought in through PVC pipes. Lodge, inholdings on the northeast in Kalispell and bought its whole side of the lake, and the Avalanche stock of essential supplies. Wal Mart Marc Ducharme recalls that “the and Sprague Creek campgrounds. employees were agog at the peremp- weather was perfect – not for fight- tory purchase of about 200 sleeping ing fires, but for camping,” and that The order was urgent. Some din- bags, 100 tents, all available cots, the encampment “had the feeling ers in the Lake McDonald dining air beds and air mattresses, and the of a festival, with all the tents and room resisted leaving their meals and store’s entire stock of bottled water. the music.” Some of the employees had to be reasoned with ‘emphati- Two runs with the warehouse truck had instruments (the first thing that cally’. Employees were told to pack were necessary to transport it all. a musician might grab in a fire!). nothing, but to get directly aboard Xanterra provided lots of activities, shuttles. Red buses were mobilized The camp was set up on five acres of including rafting trips on the Flat- to transport employees and guests vacant land beside the bus garage. head River, trips to the water slides who had no cars. Tents were set up for all the evacu- in Columbia Falls, and shuttles to ees. Most of the American employees Scores of vehicles soon were moving the stores in Kalispell. knew the drill, since most had worked southward along Going-to-the-Sun at Lake McDonald in 2017 and had On August 17, Xanterra decided that Road. To the west and north, or- been evacuated then. International Lake McDonald Lodge could not be ange flames dramatically soaring into members of the staff (from Japan, the reopened in 2018. Employees from the inky night and were reflected in Dominican Republic, Taiwan and the lodge who wanted work were the lake. Cars pulled into turnouts Thailand, among other places) mostly transferred to various locations (about to observe the scene, and had to be expressed a preference to sleep in tents 70 went to Yellowstone, and about rousted out by rangers. in the garage instead of outdoors. a dozen went to Swiftcurrent or to Most of the evacuating vehicles Glacier Park Lodge). Some employ- While the camp was being erected, turned west on Highway 2. There, ees chose to undertake adventures Xanterra’s food-and-beverage team by a perverse coincidence, stripes elsewhere, and some went home. went to Domino’s and bought about were being painted on the road. A 50 pizzas. The evacuees were amply Ongoing Battle with the Fire miles-long convoy of vehicles crept fed when they checked in. Further For several weeks, the Howe Ridge along behind the striping equipment. meals were served buffet-style from Fire expanded northeastward and The Refugee Camp banquet tables, with the evacuees also expanded westward, driven by Meanwhile, Marc Ducharme’s organized to help with preparation winds from various quarters. Fire- 12-person emergency team me- and cleanup. fighters labored to contain it. A “Type I” interagency fire team mar- thodically was carrying out their Next morning, more facilities were shaled the Canadian aircraft, Ameri- evacuation plan. Red buses had been added. Xanterra erected a large dispatched within minutes to pick can helicopters, “hotshot” fire crews,

The Inside Trail ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ 5 Park Service and Forest Service per- times the charred tops of these snags had to hike out in the opposite sonnel, and local fire departments. would collapse into the hollowed direction, to the Inside North Fork The cooperative nature of the effort trunks. This could cause the trunks Road. They had left their passports was impressive to all involved. to explode and send big shards of in the car. It was weeks before rang- timber flying out. Working among ers could reach the charred vehicle. On its eastward front, the fire the burned trees was dangerous for Its aluminum wheels had melted in menaced not only Lake McDon- firefighters and sawyers. rivulets that ran down the hill. ald Lodge and other structures, but also some of Glacier’s loveliest In mid-September, rains and cooler The fire burned within a hundred woodland – the 600-year-old cedar- temperatures tamped down the fire. yards of McDonald Creek on the and-hemlock forest that overlooks Park visitors at first were allowed to east. It burned to the Inside North Going-to-the-Sun Road. Sprinkler travel through the McDonald Val- Fork Road in the area of McGee systems were set out along McDon- ley by shuttle bus, but not by private Meadow on the west. It consumed ald Creek and in the Avalanche area, vehicle, because of the priority of fire about 12,500 acres of forest and cost but these measures might have been traffic). By late September, the situa- well over eight million dollars to overwhelmed by the prodigious force tion had stabilized and normal access suppress. of the fire. was restored. A concession employee relates a Scott Burch of the Glacier Park Boat Aftermath wry anecdote. After the evacua- Company transported fire crews up The Park Service and Xanterra had tion, the Camas Road remained the lake and had unparalleled views to deal with complex logistics after open west of Lake McDonald. She of the fire. He describes fantastic the fire. Employees and guests left and some friends took an excursion scenes. Gigantic dead trees from the a great deal of gear behind at Lake there, and found the road beclouded Robert Fire, hollowed out and burn- McDonald Lodge. Their belongings with smoke. They drove through ing, were like big chimneys. Scott had to be retrieved, inventoried and an area which was burned fifteen recalls that at night they “looked like shipped in subsequent weeks. years before in the Robert Fire. The the stacks at a refinery, with flame smoke momentarily parted, reveal- Some French hikers had camped at coming out.” ing an interpretive display about the Arrow Lake on the night that the ecology of forest fire. It was headed, When high winds took those flames, fire exploded, and left their car at “THANK YOU, WILDFIRE!” Scott says that “the crowning was the Lake McDonald trailhead. They mind-boggling.” At one point, 45-knot winds took the fire up Mt. Vaught. The wind and the slope gen- erated “thousand-foot flames,” which burned the peak to its summit. Firefighters slept at the Sprague Creek campground. Across the lake, they could hear reports like gunshots booming across the lake – the sound of massive trees collapsing. This was sobering, since firefighters much more frequently are killed by falling trees than by flames. Trees collapsed when groundfire destroyed their roots. Giant snags killed by the Reynolds Fire, whose roots already were degraded, were especially prone to collapse. Some- (September 9, 2018 looking northeast from Apgar Mountain Webcam.)

6 ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ The Inside Trail INSIDE NEWS of Glacier National Park

Visitation mayhem when the west-side tourists craft took the lead, while the Ameri- Visitation in Glacier reached star- came over” after the evacuation. cans provided more firefighters. The tling levels in 2017. More than agencies issued joint press releases. Long-time rangers also remarked on three million people entered the (A Park Service information officer, the startling numbers of hikers on park, a million in July alone (a having watched the Canadians labor the trails – “solid streams of people” monthly benchmark unprecedented mightily, observed, “I’m thankful going to and from Iceberg Lake and in any western National Park – not that we don’t have to put ours out in . They also noted Yellowstone, not Grand Canyon, not both English and French!”) Yosemite!) Roads, parking lots and trails were overwhelmed. [There was an] increasing percentage of 2018 brought slightly smaller but visitors unfamiliar with the National Parks, comparable visitation figures. More with “leave no trace” ethics and with wildlife. than 900,000 people came to Glacier They found most visitors well-meaning, but in July. Visitation was reduced after August 12, when the Howe Ridge often badly in need of instruction. Fire forced evacuation of the Lake McDonald Valley. (The Sprague Fire the increasing percentage of visitors The Boundary Fire menaced the forced a similar evacuation in 2017, unfamiliar with the National Parks, Waterton Valley for several weeks, but later in the summer. Lake Mc- with “leave no trace” ethics and with tenuously hemmed in by fire crews. Donald Lodge was evacuated last year wildlife. They found most visitors Rain and cooler weather finally qui- on August 29. well-meaning, but often badly in eted it down in mid-September. The need of instruction. fire consumed nearly 3,000 acres in Traffic problems were acute again in the area of Boundary Creek, and cost 2018. At , the parking lot One ranger remembered leading a about a million dollars to suppress. often was filled by 8:00 AM. Since hike to Iceberg Lake and encounter- many vehicles were parked by hikers, ing a grizzly with cubs on the trail. News of the GPI Lodges relatively few spots tended to open About a hundred people had to stop As in recent summers, the “GPI” up for travelers making brief stops at and wait for the bears to move along. lodges (Glacier Park Lodge, St. the pass. Some tourists promptly began to eat Mary Lodge, Prince of Wales, and lunch and fling orange peels into the the West Glacier properties) played In the Swiftcurrent Valley, the park- bushes! When rebuked, they sheep- weekly soccer games on the big lawn ing lots at , at ishly retrieved the peels. The episode at Glacier Park Lodge. Employees Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, and at the epitomized many visitors’ need for still use the “GPI” title in conversa- picnic area were jammed. Scores of the most basic sorts of instruction. tion – short for “Glacier Park, Inc.” vehicles would park on both sides of – although the company now of- the road, and the remaining driv- The Boundary Fire ficially has changed its name to The ing space was often crowded with While the Howe Ridge Fire threat- Glacier Collection by Pursuit. pedestrians. Rangers eventually set ened the McDonald Valley, another hundreds of orange pylons, roped large fire broke out many miles Glacier Park Lodge and Saint Mary together, on the shoulders of the road to the north. The Boundary Fire Lodge, at the eastern gateways of to maintain order. ignited from unknown causes on Glacier Park, were far from the Howe August 23 on the Canadian border, Ridge Fire but felt its effects. The On many days, the traffic problems in west of Waterton Lake. prevailing west wind brought plenty the Swiftcurrent Valley forced tempo- of smoke, and hundreds of west-side rary closures of the road until parking The National Park Service and Parks evacuees sought meals and lodging spaces became available. A veteran Canada, with allied agencies, coordi- on Glacier’s east side. A manager re- ranger recalled “a few days of real nated to fight the fire. Canadian air-

The Inside Trail ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ 7 marked that the weeks of smoke and view of the valley. (You can look oldest operational fleet of buses in the uncertainty were stressful, but that down the shore to where Stephen world. They were built by the White being busy helped to keep the staff’s Mather famously blew up the Many Motor Company between 1936 and morale reasonably high. Glacier sawmill in 1925, and imagine 1939. They were restored by the machinery cartwheeling skyward, to Ford Motor Company with 6 million Employees at all the GPI properties the ire of Louis Hill. dollars of donated work from 2000 to were invited to enter a photography 2002, after serious breakdowns. contest in September. Photos were The double-helix staircase connect- submitted in five categories (People, ing the lobby’s main floor to the St. The Glacier Park concession contract Landscapes, Wildlife, Wildflowers, Moritz Room downstairs is beauti- requires the concessioner to put 2½ and Water). Votes were cast by em- fully crafted. (The original staircase, percent of its revenues into a Red ployees on Facebook and also by the the lodge’s best-known feature, was Bus rehabilitation fund. This fund guests at Glacier Park Lodge, where torn out in 1957 to make way for the (established in 2013) now is very the entries were posted in the lobby. expanded gift shop. It was replicated substantial. Xanterra and the Park Some striking entries included the with great care in the 2016-17 reno- Service are planning the details of lights of the Prince of Wales Hotel vation. The replicators masterfully the renovation work. reflected in Waterton Lake at night- fashioned the stairs and the railings The engines of the Reds will be fall, a red fox sitting by a flag on a in elegant spirals.) replaced, as they have been several green at the Glacier Park Lodge golf The gift shop has been moved down- times in past decades. The proposed course, and a haloed sun burning stairs. Many people expected to find replacement will involve hybrid like a searchlight through the smoke the whole St. Moritz Room crowded engines that run partly on electricity of the Howe Ridge Fire. with T-shirts and postcards. Instead, and partly on fossil fuel. The buses’ Swiftcurrent the St. Moritz is uncluttered and gra- batteries will charge and store electric Here’s a quick story from Swiftcur- ciously carpeted, with the west win- power on downhill runs, which of rent Motor Inn. A visitor arrived dows framing unobstructed views of course are abundant in Glacier. and found the front porch crowded the lake. The gift shop is understated, The buses will be remounted on with people eating off dinner plates. recessed in the north wall (where the new chassis, as they were in the Ford “What’s going on?” she asked. Grill and then the ‘60s and ‘70s snack restoration. The size of the tires will “Someone let off bear spray in the bar used to be). The Heidi’s snack be increased from the present 16” to dining room, and they had to shut it shop and coffee bar is recessed in the 18”. (The Ford restoration reduced down!” was the reply. east wall, around the big fireplace. the tire size from the original 19” – a Renovations at Many Glacier Xanterra graciously has furnished the noticeable change. The proposed The renovated lobby and downstairs lobby with furniture of dark wood and enlargement will enhance the Reds’ area at Many Glacier Hotel contin- brown leather. Lamps and light fix- historic look.) ued to win praise a year after their tures are shaped to resemble the Japa- A recent inspection found rust in the completion. Observers are virtually nese lanterns that adorned the lobby buses’ historic bodies, under their unanimous in complimenting the when it first opened in 1915. Some paint. For that reason, the paint will Park Service on the graciousness, pleasing elements of the 1950a resto- be stripped, the rust will be removed, attractiveness and historical quality ration have been preserved: the Swiss and the bodies will be refinished. of the restorations. The concessioner cross on the doorways and the colorful The new paint faithfully will replicate Xanterra also gets high marks for the Swiss canton shields (blue-and-white the historic “mountain ash” hue from quality and restraint of its operation. Zurich and Lucerne, the black bull’s which the Reds derive their name. head of Uri, red Schwyz and others) Everyone is struck by the expansive- on the second-floor balcony. Six buses will be renovated during ness of the lobby, now that the gift this off-season. Thereafter, the rest shop has been removed. The un- Red Bus Renovation of the fleet will be restored as cash in covering of the south windows that Glacier Park’s historic red bus fleet the fund allows. lay behind the gift shop now admits soon will be given renovations. The much more light and provides a broad thirty-three vehicles likely are the The Park Service is considering an expansion of the fleet to help deal 8 ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ The Inside Trail with increased visitation to Glacier. phases is likely to be 8 to 9 million basic services and operations and (New buses would not replace the dollars, rather than the 12 million reduces their ability to support historic buses, but would supple- dollars first projected. Doug Mitch- maintenance, educational or other ment them.) A major question is ell, the Conservancy’s executive direc- cultural programming investments whether new buses should be mod- tor, observed that Montana contrac- and activities.” The Conservancy eled on the Reds, or whether they tors believe in the project, and haven’t seeks to meet these needs through should have a new look in order to taken advantage. This surprised some philanthropy. keep the historic buses distinctive. cynics who’ve been jaded by cost Doug Mitchell reports that “so far overruns on government projects. A Rebuilding Sperry Chalets we’re on pace to raise the money for ranger praised the work ethic of the As detailed in this issue, a remarkable Sperry, and it hasn’t diminished our builders, saying “I never saw any crew rebuilding effort was carried out this regular funding.” The annual Back- work like they work.” summer at Sperry Chalets. Sperry’s packer’s Ball, held near Glacier in main building (the “dormitory” or The Conservancy’s Commitment August as a Conservancy fundraiser, sleeping quarters) burned in the The Conservancy made a impressive was a success. Sprague Fire in 2017. Extraordinary commitment to support the Sperry Another Conservancy fundraiser work by the National Park Service project. It agreed to raise 2 million will be held on Nov. 8 at the historic and the Glacier National Park Con- dollars for the Sperry Action Fund, in Louis Hill House at 260 Summit servancy has enabled restoration of addition to the 2 million dollars it an- Avenue in St. Paul. (Louis Hill, the the building on an expedited basis. nually seeks to raise for Glacier Park. president of the Great Northern The dormitory’s stone walls survived The Conservancy’s 2018 goals Railway, was responsible for building the fire. The Conservancy (which involve some 55 projects, in addi- Sperry and other lodges in Glacier raises private philanthropic funds to tion to the Sperry Action Fund. The in the 1910s.) The Hill House support the Park) established a Sperry projects are categorized under Trails, event begins at 5:30, and will feature Action Fund. Donations in the first Wildlife, Training Future Leaders remarks by Jeff Mow, the Super- weeks after the fire enabled the Park and Stewards, Habitat and Infra- intendent of Glacier Park, by Nan Service to build an elaborate truss- structure Restoration, Creating a Safe Anderson, the lead architect on the work of wooden beams to support and Enjoyable Park Experience for Sperry project, and by other speakers. the stone walls during the winter. Visitors, and Sustainability. Tickets may be purchased at $50 per person at www.glacier.org/stpaul. The Park Service held open houses A Conservancy cover letter to a and a scoping process which showed booklet listing these projects points Donations to the Conservancy can that the public overwhelmingly out that “the Park is again breaking be made online at www.glacier.org, or favored rebuilding the chalet. An visitation records which force the by mail to P.O. Box 2749, Columbia Environmental Impact Statement was park superintendent and his staff Falls, MT 59912. Donations can be generated very promptly, and it found to allocate more resources towards designated either to the general bud- no impediment to rebuilding. Last get or to the Sperry Action Fund. May, the Park Service released a plan to rebuild the chalet in two phases, in Another Conservancy fundraiser will be held the summers of 2018 and 2019. on Nov. 8 at the historic Louis Hill House at The 2018 work (Phase One) includ- 260 Summit Avenue in St. Paul. The Hill House ed installing a new foundation and first floor, installing interior framing event begins at 5:30, featuring remarks by Jeff (with features to withstand seismic Mow, Superintendent of Glacier Park, by Nan activity) and installing a temporary Anderson, the lead architect on the Sperry roof. Bids were taken, and a contract was awarded to Dick Anderson Con- project. Tickets may be purchased at $50 per struction of Helena. person at www.glacier.org/stpaul. The bids for Phase One were lower than expected. The total cost of both The Inside Trail ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ 9 Glacier’s Historic Boats Face an Uncertain Future

(Photo courtesy of Scott and Barbara Burch.)

The Glacier Park Boat Company operates under a 10-year concession contract which will expire on December 21, 2019. The Park Service soon will issue a prospectus for a new boat concession contract. The future of Glacier’s historic fleet of vessels therefore is uncertain.

By John Hagen firefighters from South Africa who has rested in drydock in a boat- (Many Glacier 1970-80) entertained the crew with singing house on the shore of the lake ev- and dancing). ery winter. Hundreds of thousands During the Howe Ridge Fire, the of visitors have boarded it to enjoy launch DeSmet was an integral These exploits add a new chapter to an interpretive tour. part of the firefighting effort on the 88-year history of the DeSmet the northern shores of Lake Mc- on the waters of Glacier National Captain Billy constructed most of Donald. The launch made dozens Park. Named for Father Pierre De the other boats in Glacier’s historic of trips with firefighters, sawyers Smet, a Jesuit priest who visited fleet. These include theSinopah on and other personnel, shuttling them the Glacier area in 1845, the boat Two Medicine Lake (built in 1926), from camps and staging areas to was launched in 1930. Its builder the Little Chief on St. Mary Lake the fire and back again. It was was the legendary J.W. (“Captain (also built in 1926), the Interna- able to move them more quickly Billy”) Swanson. tional on Waterton Lake (built in than would have been possible by 1927), and the Morning Eagle on The De Smet has plied the big lake Park roads, which sometimes were Lake Josephine (built in 1945). He every summer (except when gas blocked or endangered by the fire. was granted boat concession rights rationing effectively shut the Park At times the launch also carried in Glacier by the National Park down during World War Two). It professional observers (including Service in 1920. He ran boats until

10 ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ The Inside Trail 1938, when he sold them to Art Glacier’s historic fleet of vessels Important values are in tension. Burch, Sr. and a partner, who were therefore is uncertain. On the one hand, competitive bid- businessmen in Kalispell. ding generally serves the public A large corporate enterprise might interest – especially since conces- The Burch family has operated the acquire the contract with a bid sion rights in a National Park are Glacier Park Boat Company for 80 beyond the resources of the fam- a functional monopoly. On the years, through three generations. ily company. A well-financed other hand, Glacier’s boats have Scott and Barb Kaiser Burch are operator might choose to build an real historic value which is similar now the owners of the company. entirely new fleet, displacing the to that of the red bus fleet (and the It owns the boats, but the Park historic vessels. boats are older than the buses). Service acquired the company’s The situation is very unusual, The Park will be diminished if they possessory interest in fixed assets because the historic entities in are displaced. in Glacier (houses, docks, and boat question are privately owned. (By houses) in 2009. The De Smet, the Sinopah, and the contrast, Glacier’s historic red Little Chief all are listed on the Na- The Boat Company operates under buses and lodges all are owned by tional Register of Historic Places. a 10-year concession contract the Park Service. When Xanterra A nomination for the Morning which will expire on December 21, outbid the incumbent concessioner, Eagle is pending. The Winter issue 2019. The Park Service soon will Glacier Park, Inc., in 2013, it of The Inside Trail will include an issue a prospectus for a new boat simply acquired the right to man- article on the history of Captain concession contract. The future of age those assets, which remained in Billy and his boats. Government hands.)

(Photo courtesy of Scott and Barbara Burch.)

The Inside Trail ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ 11 (Photos courtesy of Eric Matt and the National Park Service.)

12 ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ The Inside Trail The Inside Trail ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ 13 A New Age of Music at Many Glacier Hotel

(Photo courtesy of Dalton Bowlin.)

“Bumpy roads, take me home – ” Dalton Bowlin, Alex Hampton, and I left my heart in the mountains This variation on John Denver’s Sophia Welch were regular performers, wherever the winds may blow “Country Roads” was sung at Hoo- and Dalton composed original music. So carry me wherever these crystal rivers tenannies at Many Glacier Hotel in Maxx Bates, a four-year veteran, once flow on. 2015, the hotel’s centennial year. (The again expertly managed the sound Familiar faces move away “Bumpy Roads” theme, of course, was system. To live out their own lives derived from the always-abominable But the memories will never fade away. “Bumpy Roads,” “Hail to Thee, O state of the Many Glacier entrance Many Glacier,” and other old favor- road.) The 2015 Hootenannies were So many changes on the horizon ites were combined with new music of exceptional quality, performed in I know that God he will provide familiar to Millennials. International the St. Moritz Room by a large, very And show me the way I need to go. employees from Japan, Jamaica and talented and versatile group of musi- Ecuador performed (an Ecuadorean cians led by Emily Trapp Hackethorn. I left my heart in the mountains singer was remembered for enlivening wherever the winds may blow For the next two years, the program a Hoot in “a full-on Mariachi outfit, So carry me wherever these crystal rivers faded. In 2016, the lobby and the St. bright red and yellow!”). flow Moritz were closed for renovation. The Alumni from seasons long ago (Carol As I wait for the day I go back home. Hoots were held before small audiences Repulski Dahle, Jacquie Hjelmseth in a corner of the Interlaken Lounge. Fennell, Milt Crotts, and Dan, Mi- This landscape I used to think it was so In 2017, the Hoots were held in the chelle and Stephanie Maturen, among far Lucerne Room late in the evening. At- others) were welcomed as performers. It’s even closer in my heart. tendance was minimal, performers felt Friends of Many Glacier look forward The life it gave no one can ever take discouraged, and the program seemed to more robust Hootenanny programs away from me. in danger of fading away. in the lobby in coming summers! Take me wherever all these crystal rivers This summer the Hootenannies took a flow. “Carry Me” strong step forward. Marc Ducharme by Dalton Bowlin of Xanterra gave permission for lobby I left my heart in the mountains I hear the echoes of the wind performances at 6:30 PM. This venue wherever the winds may blow Breaking through the trees. restored the program’s popularity. So carry me wherever these crystal rivers The subtle touch of cold David Cooper, the assistant Front Of- flow From the cool and gentle breeze. fice Manager, gave the Hoots energetic As I wait for the day I go back home leadership. He got strong support No one can ever take this place I’ve come So many changes just like the colors from Mary Notess, a performer in to know. Where the mountains meet the sky 2015 who now supervises Xanterra’s And I’m afraid to go back home. front offices.

14 ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ The Inside Trail The roughhewn sanctuary in the backcountry of Glacier National Park known as Sperry Chalet is dear to many worldwide. More than a few have intimate personal stories of connection to this place. I am just one among them.

Photos courtesy of Dan and Karen Lennon.) The Spirit of Sperry that brought us from our home on Whidbey Island, Washington back Chalet Endures to this northwest corner of Mon- tana. It was, at any rate, a clear “The Restoration of Something Solid” and definite calling to leave behind my career as a wildlife biologist, natural resource administrator and During the Summer of 2018 educator to again don an apron in the wilderness. For my husband, Dan, it was a calling of By Karen Lennon as a cook, baker and all-around hospital- another kind, as he left behind his work (Sperry and Granite Park Chalets, ity specialist. I would say that anyone as an electrical engineer and took up a 1980-82, 2016-18) who has worked or will work for Belton role as a water operator in backcountry Chalets, Inc., knows these duties well, as The roughhewn sanctuary in the utilities with the National Park Service hospitality is certainly a central feature backcountry of Glacier National Park (NPS). But our roots in Glacier are long of a long legacy for the backcountry known as Sperry Chalet is dear to many and similar. We met in the summer of chalets in Glacier. worldwide. More than a few have inti- 1980 when I worked summers at both mate personal stories of connection to It was an interesting odyssey that Sperry and Granite Park Chalets while I this place. I am just one among them, brought me back to Sperry and Glacier. was an undergraduate at the University but my personal story happens to have There is a strong mix of nostalgia and of Montana. I was so lucky to have had merged in time with the reconstruc- deep yearning for the places that hold the indomitable influence of nature at tion of the dormitory that burned in meaning where one “comes of age”. its finest and the likes of Kay Luding at the 2017 Sprague Fire. I was fortunate Perhaps it was that strong mix that first Sperry Chalet and Kathie Larson Aas- to have been hired again by Belton prompted my husband and me to semi- heim at Granite Park as my guides and Chalets, Inc. to help manage the meal retire from our professions after raising friends in those formative years. service operations during reconstruction our two kids and take seasonal positions The Inside Trail ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ 15 It was Kay who encouraged me to hike tunity to play my small supporting role work just as Dick Anderson’s crews did 37 miles from Sperry at the crack of in bringing Sperry back. I worked on this summer with their timber framer, dawn one morning in 1982 through the Phase One Restoration from June architect, engineer and masonry col- Floral Park to Logan Pass and then on through October 2018. leagues. I also imagine that each meal to Granite Park and down the Loop and snack was served then with the trail and back up from Lake McDonald Sperry’s Spirit and History same spirit of hospitality that is the to Sperry in time to help serve dinner. It strikes me now, having witnessed the hallmark of Sperry today. She was so impressed with the feat that process first-hand, that reconstruction she had the Hungry Horse News write is not a sad chapter to endure but rather The Kitchen Crew an article on it. In Kay’s words, I was very much true to Sperry’s inherent In the kitchen, we bakers and cooks are “twitterpated” with life in Glacier, and spirit and early history. The tent camps casually referred to as “The Cha-ladies,” that zest for Glacier has never left me. of Dick Anderson Construction are laid with sometimes a “Cha-laddie” or two out much the same as were the first tent in the mix depending on the hitch and Dan was a wrangler in Glacier for many camps from 1911 through 1913 (before crew rotation. The stone dining hall years in his early adulthood. He was one of several responsible for lead- ing pack trains that brought supplies, In some ways, Sperry is like a place frozen in propane and mail to the backcountry time. Just as before, supplies to feed the camp chalets. Our connection to each other as well as to the Park and the chalets are still carried in by long pack trains or brought is tied to those early summers steeped in on foot and the stone kitchen and dining hall in wilderness and reliance on our own near the tent camp remains the heart of Sperry personal strengths at a place perfectly matched for our individual identities. Chalet and the gathering spot for all. And then, by some other mystical mix of fate or destiny, we remarkably met and during the construction of the and kitchen have long provided nour- up again years later when I worked and original dormitory that was completed ishment, warmth and community in the studied upper subalpine bird communi- in 1914). wilderness at Sperry. This summer of ties at Mount Rainier National Park and reconstruction was no exception. when Dan had taken his first job as an What remains fundamentally the same electrical engineer in Seattle. from then to now is the kitchen and Since the sleeping accommodations for dining hall building that is the heart of the meal service crew had burned down, After marriage, professions and rais- Sperry Chalets. In some ways, Sperry is a curtain divided the dining room to ing our family, we did not suffer from like a place frozen in time. Just as be- hide four beds arranged in bunks for empty nest syndrome. Rather, Dan and fore, supplies to feed the camp are still sleeping. This arrangement was not I simplified our lives and freed up our carried in by long pack trains or brought ideal, since each day began noisily with summers to return to work together in on foot and the stone kitchen and breakfast preparations at 4:45 a.m. at Sperry in 2016 during the last full dining hall near the tent camp remains and did not end until the last dish was season before the Sprague Fire burned the heart of Sperry Chalet and the gath- washed after 8:00 p.m. the Sperry dormitory. Since then, we ering spot for all. have worked each summer in Glacier Since Louis Hill first opened Sperry with Dan now stationed with NPS at In 1912, a small group of Italian stone Chalets, working there has required Sperry Chalet. It was only natural that masons was hired to build the first long and dedicated hours. By mid- I too would return at this moment in structure at Sperry: a 22’ x 80’ stone summer, it begins to feel more like a life history to serve the construction crews kitchen and dining hall near the tent style than a job. The resulting shift in during Sperry’s reconstruction. I work camp that served as lodging for both perspective, and the community bonds now alongside and for Kay Luding’s visitors and construction workers. This that grow from it, are likely responsible grandsons as they continue to steward past summer, I have often imagined the for the deep and close network among this amazing place. It has been quite a loggers and timber framers of yesterday former chalet staffers. gathered alongside those talented Italian long and interesting odyssey indeed for Phase One reconstruction was done by stone masons to share a meal and the so many connected to the chalets. two crews from Dick Anderson Con- simple and sincere hospitality that is the struction, which rotated weekly. One Since experiencing the incredible grief hallmark of Sperry today. of losing Sperry Chalet last summer to crew, led by Rob Terrio, was from Hel- the Sprague Fire, I jumped at the oppor- I can imagine those long-ago laborers ena, while the other, led by TJ Lashley, talking, joking and strategizing the day’s was from Great Falls. Thus, unlike in 16 ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ The Inside Trail normal seasons, the “guests” we served winter.) But installing a roof was made The crews were well trained. They in the dining hall were with us through- far more challenging by the crumbled adhered not just to high standards of out the summer. They had engaging and masonry. Masonry repair had been safety but also to wilderness ethics and often hilarious personalities. scheduled for Phase Two (in 2019), not principles of wildlife and vegetation included in the Phase One bidding. protection. And this, when mountain The crews became part of the Sperry goats were literally licking every new To support the roof, a temporary skel- family and the changed perspective that stick of lumber and every tool they eton had to be built within the existing forms deep bonds among us all. We could get near! It was hard work to stone ruins. When the needed ma- worked hard side by side. We shared keep the goats at bay while building the sonry work is completed next year, the both the sweet and the difficult aspects forms for the concrete foundation pour, skeleton will be removed. The process, of life in the wilderness, as well as the a long and grueling process. In a sum- again, has a backward appearance, but triumphs and struggles inherent in a mer full of difficult milestones, the push in fact is an creative response to a formi- complex rebuilding process. to get the concrete poured at the begin- dable problem. ning and the push to get the rafters on Challenging Logistics One notable innovation since Louis the roof near the end stand out as the A few things stand out to show the Hill’s time is the use of the helicop- two longest, most time-sensitive and complexities of that process, from the ter. It was as an integral part of Phase arduous projects of the summer. limited but very constant view of the One reconstruction. The pilot, Mike dining hall. From my perspective, the Challenges in the Kitchen Mamuzich, of Minuteman Aviation rebuilding of Sperry was much like For my own crew, the most arduous Inc., showed amazing talent and avia- watching something being built back- tasks involved planning and preparing tion artistry. Without him, it would wards. The building’s familiar stone meals in a primitive kitchen without have been impossible to position the outer structure still existed, but its in- electricity. We also had to coordinate heavy rafters for the roof without the ternal supports did not. It was hard for weekly pack trains, give hospitality to benefit of cranes. everyone involved to comprehend how hikers, maintain propane tanks, take the renovation would be accomplished. While the reconstructed timber framing weekly inventory and order the supplies. will appear to be solid wood logs, each Sometimes there were emergencies to One surprising element was the poor log beam and rafter is actually forti- deal with, as hikers arrived with heat ex- condition of the stone walls. (This was fied with interior steel I-beams. They haustion, near-hypothermia, or injuries. noted right away, when the architects provide extra strength to increase the and structural engineers accessed the site We had to adapt to an ever-changing structural integrity of the dormitory after the long winter.) The tremendous number of diners, in addition to the for the many rough winters and years heat of the fire caused more crumbling scheduled construction crews. In a ahead. Helicopters played a key role of the masonry than had been initially project as complex as this one, the in coordinating the placement of these thought. The interior stones also had roster of construction professionals, reinforced logs and beams with the been altered by heat, so that there was a consultants and other visitors fluctu- construction crews. layer of flaking stone. ated greatly. We needed not just good Helicopters also used regularly carried communication but also last minute Fortunately, those original Italian stone- building materials and supplies from a preparations and creative stretching of masons were extraordinary craftsmen. staging area in Nyack, Montana, just our menu items. The rock infrastructure, while superfi- outside the Park. More building materi- cially damaged, was found to be gener- Another challenge we faced was to als, food, propane, and other supplies ally intact and strong. The contempo- have enough diversity in meals, snacks, arrived weekly by pack train, when the rary architects and engineers showed cookies, desserts and bread to keep our construction crews would switch. Ac- amazing professionalism, quickly adapt- work interesting and to hold the interest cess and egress for horses, mules, and ing to the new complexities. In many of those who we were feeding. It was hikers was carefully coordinated to avoid weeks, however, a very skilled structural the longest season ever experienced by conflict with helicopter operations. engineer had to work very hard on a Sperry crew. It required a fair bit of drafting new plans, in order to stay one Dick Anderson’s crews were amazing in artistry to keep the meal service fun and step ahead of the construction crews. their dedication and ability to meet all delicious throughout. the challenging demands of the project. The original plans for Phase One called For me, as one of two summer-long They fully embraced Sperry, and they for putting a temporary roof on the kitchen crew members, it also was diffi- cared for it conscientiously throughout dormitory. (This is necessary to protect cult to keep up with the training needed the summer, with non-stereotypical the indoor framing and floors from the by others. New crew members brought construction crew manners.

The Inside Trail ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ 17 vastly different skill sets. They rotated Restoring Something Solid construction. The love of those crafts- through the kitchen at short and long The transformation of Sperry’s crum- men is in those stones, and it lives still in intervals throughout the summer. bling stone remains in June to the the care taken to restore this place. realized goal of new floors and framing There were other more comical chal- I also like to think that in the kitchen at under a protective roof in September has lenges. These related to spending Sperry, the care and intent imbues even been nothing short of miraculous. I like inordinate time confined with others, the food with a little of that magic. It to think of those Italian stonemasons day and night, away from loved ones and seems to me that the spirit of Sperry of yesterday. Their intent to construct the amenities of home. On one nasty- has quite a bit to do with fellowship something lasting and the artistry they weathered day, two members of the Hel- and sharing what each of us has to offer, brought to it is worthy. I am a believer ena crew, known to be joined-at-the hip however humble. The wilderness setting in this bit of magic: that strong and right and good-natured, engaged in some un- demands it and we learn to listen there. intentions lead to enduring endeavors. characteristic bickering. We Cha-ladies There are so few places where that type took it upon ourselves to set an intimate At Sperry, you are stripped down. All of awareness is happening. table for two that evening, complete with the trappings of technology and busi- During this summer of reconstruction, solar-battery simulated “candlelight,” so ness fall away. Instead, it is the simple I am proud to report that (although we that they could work it out over dinner. and abiding truths that matter: good were imperfect) we were good to one This naturally drew much laughter and company, wholesome food, reliance on another. There was laughter, camarade- lightened the mood for everyone. The each other and on our abilities to learn rie and some hard times as well. There two crew members did indeed work it how to develop fellowship through our were card tricks, songs and good-na- out in characteristic good humor. shared experience in a place on the edge. tured rough language not often heard in Wilderness can be a harsh place, but it is The challenge that affected the entire previous years in the dining hall. always a place sharply in focus. project in August was the Howe Ridge Our “guests” this year were not as pol- Fire. It flared up from one of those brief The reconstruction of Sperry Chalet is ished as those in a regular season. But and intense lightning storms unaccom- more than a rebuilding of a beloved his- they were loved. And, more than once, panied by rain. It seemed to threaten torical dormitory. It is honoring what the helicopter landed and brought not the ability of the Phase One crews to is simple and abiding that rings true only VIPs. It also brought ice cream or- meet the season’s goals. The smoke was for all who have experienced fellowship dered by our construction comrades as a heavy and dramatic and the mood was in places like this. There are not many surprise for the Cha-ladies because they low. We all struggled to find ways to places like this anywhere. It seems to cared about us. Some of us experienced keep our spirits up. inspire the best in us – the wild and Sperry for the first time and some of us, splendid parts inside of each of us that Going-to-the-Sun Road was closed. It like me, returned again. yearn to endure. was a challenge to coordinate access and A roof was raised at Sperry this summer egress for supplies and crew rotations. It is true that the backcountry chalet ex- on a historic dormitory in the wilderness Very poor work conditions persisted for perience is not a wilderness purist’s ideal. of Glacier National Park. The effort of a few weeks, but gradually the smoke Yet, there remains a special magic worth doing it etched something as solid as subsided. It was often better at our saving at great expense in the stone of stone in all those who have experienced elevation than down below in the Mc- Sperry Chalet – something that has an it. Therein lies the magic of that rough- Donald Valley. From Lincoln Peak, you indelible human footprint. I like to hewn place. Those Italian stonemasons could follow the fire’s growth through think it was imbued there in the artistry of yesterday have passed a very special late September, when its intensity less- and care of those original stonemasons baton to us all. We are doing well to ened considerably. from Italy who were tasked with Sperry’s recognize our turn to carry it.

The reconstruction of Sperry Chalet is more than a rebuilding of a beloved historical dormitory. It is honoring what is simple and abiding that rings true for all who have experienced fellowship in places like this.

18 ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ The Inside Trail A Narrow Escape at Harrison Lake

By Mike Rihner We went to the ranger station, got our the lake. It was a beautiful and serene (Many Glacier, Glacier Park Lodge permit, and prepared for our Harrison Glacier backcountry moment. But it 1993-2018) Lake adventure. We had heard there was as this moment when we both no- were some small fires on the west side ticed a strong, odd smell. SMOKE. During my first three summers in the of the park, but the ranger did not early 1990s working at Many Glacier John and I looked at each other with give us any particular warning about Hotel as the Entertainment Direc- shock. All of a sudden, we both felt a them when we received our permit, tor playing piano for the guests each huge wave of hot air blow over us. We so we did not give them a second evening, I began what would eventu- turned around and looked up to see thought. It seemed there were all sorts ally become virtually a life-long quest a huge flame of fire on the top of the of spotty fires in Glacier Park that to go backcountry camping overnight mountain ridge directly behind us! summer. We woke up the next morn- in as many of the designated campsites ing bright and early and began our “Holy cow! The mountain is on fire!” in Glacier Park as possible. From that Harrison Lake adventure. we both exclaimed almost exactly very first night that I truly overcame together. We felt another rush of fire- my fear of bears by camping out at the Fording the middle fork of the Flat- heat blow down upon us, and then an- head waters of magical Lake Elizabeth head River to get to the trailhead was other. We stared up at the fire on top in the Belly River with 3 other Many a great adventure in itself and it could of the ridge in fear and in shock. “Are Glacier employees, I was immediately warrant an entire extended story of its we going to get burned alive? What hooked on the adventure of backcoun- own. But suffice it to say, we crossed do we do now? Let’s get the hell out try camping in Glacier Park. I started the river, found the trailhead, and be- of here!” planning backcountry adventures as gan our day-long adventure. John and much as possible on my days off for I both like to fish, so we stopped every We were both completely exhausted the next several years. chance we could along the way to fish from our day-long adventure. It was in the stream and along the shore of about to get very dark in a matter of Fast forward to the summer of 2003. Harrison Lake. We stopped often and minutes. We had just set up our tents, By now I had now logged about 40 ventured off-trail to do climbing and and we were standing there with fish- different backcountry camping sites in exploring. We stopped again to fish. ing poles in our hands as another wave Glacier Park: Red Eagle Lake via Triple It was a spectacular day. We took as of intense fire-heat blew down upon Divide Pass, Cosley Lake via Stoney In- much time as possible and made in to us. What were we going to do? dian Pass, Hole-in-the-Wall via Brown Harrison Lake Campground by about Pass, and many other great pristine Of course, our first thought was to 8 p.m. No one else was there. We had adventures. There were still many sites hike back out, but we were completely the whole campground to ourselves. I had not been to, and one in particular exhausted and it was now pitch dark. Solitude at Harrison Lake! We set up was now calling me: Harrison Lake. If we hustled, it would still take us 3 our tents, relaxed for a while, then ate a or 4 hours of hiking in total darkness South of Lake McDonald Lake and late backcountry dinner. to get completely out, as we would just north of the Nyack region, the After dinner, we walked out to the have to ford the stream again in the reclusive Harrison Lake is a large shore of the beautiful lake to do a little pitch black of night. But we knew we lake, but it gets very few backcountry more twilight fishing before dark. could not hustle. We were dead tired. visitors. Just to get to the trail head of We could see the last rays of sunlight The thought of possibly hiking into Harrison Lake requires a challenging glowing and lighting up the very top the fire at some point scared us even ford across the middle fork of the Flat- of beautiful Loneman Mountain across more. We were totally exhausted. head River, or else the much longer West Glacier Trail. Taking the ford seemed like the best adventure. I in- Just as we made that final turn, we look up vited my long-time friend and fellow Glacier Park employee John Collins and saw a giant orange glow directly in front to hike with me, and we both became of us: FIRE! quite excited about the trip.

The Inside Trail ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ 19 were no flames. There was no smoke. nothing I have ever experienced. Run- We chatted nervously about our next Somehow we had survived the night! ning toward the fire went against every move. I noticed a pile of large downed natural instinct in my body. We made logs along the shore of the lake. I said John and I heaved a huge sigh of relief. it to the West Glacier inside trail and to John somewhat jokingly, yet some- The night before had been so scary. literally ran toward the ford. The fire what seriously: “If this fire advances The experience of smelling the smoke, raged directly behind us. We virtually down the mountain, we can tie these feeling the heat, seeing the fire, had jumped into the river and practically logs together and make a raft; we can been intense. Now it was all gone. swam across it, as if by soaking our- float out on the lake to avoid burn- Not a trace. We took out the fishing selves we were insuring that we would ing alive. If we fall in the lake, I think poles. We began to fish. We laughed not get burned alive. We crossed over I’d rather die from hypothermia than about the previous night’s experience. to the other side of the Flathead, and from burning.” We couldn’t believe what we saw and looked back at the smoke and flames. felt. What a contrast! We fished some Did I mention that we were exhaust- We were soaked to the bone, but more. It was a beautiful day at Har- ed? We must have been a little deliri- thankful that we had made it out alive. rison Lake. We did not pack up our ous too, because we actually started to tents and leave until about 2 p.m. When we reached our car that was consider this raft idea as a real pos- parked at the pullout in the road, sibility for our survival. Another wave We took our time hiking out, again there was a large note on the wind- of fire-heat came down upon us. We stopping to fish along the way as much shield: “LAKE McDONALD and stared up at the flames on top of the as possible. We got closer to the end WEST GLACIER EVACUATED mountain behind us. We had decided of the trail, and we were just about to DUE TO FIRE. WEST GLACIER we would not hike out. We were just make the final turn for the last quarter ENTRANCE CLOSED. LEAVE too tired. We figured if we could mile to get to the ford of the river. Just AREA IMMEDIATELY.” somehow get just a little rest, even just as we made that final turn, we look up an hour or two, we would then have and saw a giant orange glow directly in What is now called the Robert Fire enough energy to hike out, perhaps as front of us: FIRE! had burned and spread all through the early as 3 or 4a.m. It was a big dan- night, burning up much of the Lincoln The fire was raging in a giant inferno gerous gamble. Creek valley just north of Harrison directly in front of us and we had to Lake and thousands of acres around Next thing we knew, we were waking keep HIKING TOWARD the flames the Lake McDonald area. What was up to a cool clear mountain morning to get out! We were so close to the thought to be only a small insignificant at Harrison Lake! The sky was clear trail junction leading to the ford, and blue and there was no fire on top of the mountain! There was no smell of smoke! There were no waves of We had miraculously survived the night at intense fire-heat blowing down upon the Harrison Lake campground directly in the us! Was all that a dream? shadow of this potentially deadly, now infamous I cannot overstate the contrast from Robert Fire. the night before compared to the next morning. Indeed, it was like the entire previous night was all a dream. maybe only 400 yards away, but the fire two days earlier when I got my On this morning, it was as beauti- heat and blaze were extremely intense. camping permit had become a mas- ful a day as you could experience in There was no other way out. Bush- sive raging torrent of flames burning the backcountry of Glacier Park. We whacking seemed even more danger- thousands of acres in Glacier National considered that maybe that fire was ous. We didn’t know exactly how far Park. We had miraculously survived not as big as we thought. Perhaps it the fire had spread. John and I were as the night at the Harrison Lake camp- was only a small isolated mountaintop nervous and scared as ever. We knew ground directly in the shadow of this burn that got put out by the intense we had to hurry out as fast as possible, potentially deadly, now infamous moisture during the night. Or maybe but we were now running DIRECTLY Robert Fire. Thank goodness our it had even rained overnight on top of TOWARD THE FLAMES! glacier backcountry guardian angels were watching over us! It was surely a the mountain, just enough to douse The five minutes or so it took for us backcountry adventure like no other. the flames. Whatever, now there to get to the junction seemed like five hours. The intense fire-heat was like

20 ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ The Inside Trail Sperry Camp in the Early Days By Tessie Bundick of 1913, an inventory of materials that sharing and charge 4% of the Glacier (Many Glacier 1972-73, 76-80) Engineer K.J. Zinck needed at the Sperry Park Hotel Company’s (the Great construction site included: 4 kegs of Northern’s) gross income, which would The Great Northern Railway was on a shingles, 2 hot air stoves, paint for the not be acceptable. building spree during the early part of the porch floor, and stain for the windows. 20th Century in Glacier National Park. The permits allowed the Glacier Park Other items listed were lumber nails, 2 Before they erected the great hotels, Hotel Company to graze animals on the sacks of quick lime for the toilets, 1200 3 however, the railway people established sites. Part of the deal was that the Rail- inch water pipe connectors, 2 double bit- several camps throughout this magnifi- way Company had to keep the build- ted axes, 1 pound of borax, 300 pounds cent recreational paradise in Montana to ings it erected “sightly in appearance of blacksmith’s coal, 1 pair of flat jaw attract paying guests. One of these spots and the grounds and structures kept in tongs for forge work, cook house win- was called Sperry Camp, located 4 miles a sanitary condition.” The Secretary dow fastenings and one roll of netting. from the beautiful glacier of the same of the Interior reserved the right to name. The exact determinants of the 4 The lumber needed to erect the Sperry establish prices, schedules and rates of acre tract of high elevation land were: buildings was brought to the Hotel charges made by the Great Northern. Section 21, Township 33, north, Range Glacier (at Lake McDonald) and had to The licensee could not “injure any part 17, west, Montana Meridian. be hauled up to the site at considerable or portion of the park.” effort, as this camp was very high up in Glacier became a national park in 1910, The camps were removed from civiliza- the Rocky Mountains. Other edifices on and by 1911, Great Northern spon- tion, but they tried to cater to the needs the 4 acre lot included toilets, a water sored camps had sprung up, including of the travelling public. By 1915, the tank and a meat house. the Sperry acreage. There were sleep- company was selling items at Sperry ing tents with wooden floors, cots and A pipe was run to a small lake for water such as soft drinks, cigars, tobacco, post mattresses and a tented dining hall and supplies. The president of the Great cards, picture booklets, candies, chew- kitchen. Some of the supplies on hand Northern, Mr. Louis W. Hill, took a ing gum, magazines, newspapers, fishing included heaters, wash tubs, tobacco keen interest in these camps. It was his tackle, toilet articles, curios, various cutters, clothes pins and clothes lines. opinion that a laundry or baths were items of food and clothing and so on. Conditions were rather primitive, but not needed at Sperry – it was just too Conditions were difficult at these far the scenery was spectacular and the difficult to build them. flung locations, but serene and very campsite was very popular with guests The Great Northern had to get permits scenic. Supplies had to hauled up the arriving mostly on horseback. Meals to build in this national park from the steep Sperry trail by pack horses and were regularly served. Assistant Secretary of the Interior. The mules. It is a testament to the determi- In 1911, a Missouri Company (with of- permits had to be drawn and signed by nation of Louis W. Hill and the Great fices in Minneapolis), Peterson and Fell, the Park Superintendent, executed by the Northern Railway that these charming was hired by the Great Northern to run company, approved by the Department and romantic places were established at the Sperry enterprise. Peterson and Fell of the Interior and then returned to the all. The camps were a great way to ex- supplied the cooks, waiters, etc., while Superintendent. Fees due had to be paid perience the park, before the building of the Great Northern furnished the equip- in advance. Mr. Hill thought that the the Going to the Sun Highway, which ment. Tourists were charged 75 cents $100 per site, per season, fee was too opened in the 1930’s, even though they for each meal and each night’s lodging. much considering that the Railway did were certainly considered “roughing it” Coupons could be used for the conve- not charge very much and also consider- in the wilds of the magnificent Rocky nience of the visitors. Communications ing all the improvements that the Great Mountains of the American West. from this very remote area were done by Northern had made in the park. Sadly, on August 31, 2017, the wooden telegraph and the operations extended There was some thought given to es- interior of the dormitory burned during into October. tablishing a profit sharing plan that had the Sprague Creek Fire. The exterior By 1912, work began on a 22 ft. by 80 been put into effect by the Desmond stone wall was not destroyed and was ft. random rubble stone and wood din- Company in Yosemite, which involved a stabilized with money raised by the Gla- ing room/kitchen/storage area. By 1913, sharing of profits by the Department of cier National Park Conservancy. The the building was completed. In 1913, Parks and the concessionaire. It was de- inner portion of the grand little hotel a 32 ft. by 90 ft. dormitory was begun, cided that this was probably not a good is being rebuilt, much to the delight of also made of wood and stone. In August idea because after the second year, the Glacier Park lovers everywhere. government could change from profit The Inside Trail ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ 21 Diane Steele Sine worked at Many Glacier Hotel as a pantry girl and waitress 1980-1983. She has worked for the NPS as a seasonal ranger sinceQUIET!GLACIER 1984 and currently supervises the interpretive division at Many Glacier. The Issue of Helicopter Overflights

On Logan Pass, these scenic helicopters fragment the high country experience every 15 minutes. Noise pollution gnaws at Glacier’s quiet, and it has been increasing for decades.

(Photo courtesy of Mary T. McClelland)

tion gnaws at Glacier’s quiet, and it has been increasing for decades. In the “old days,” privately-owned helicopters were contracted by Park Service for rescue, research, admin- istrative work, and fire-fighting in Glacier. The contractors began to (By Mary T. McClelland) For the most part, fellow hikers are offer scenic flights to tourists to fill there to enjoy these sensations and in their time. The resulting noise There is nothing like an inspiring experiences and are respectful of pollution increasingly degrades the hike to Grinnell Glacier. It includes others sharing the same trail. There’s very resource that visitors come to a restful stop in the shade where the just one problem. experience. mountain water seeps through the rock wall along the trail. One can This beauty, peace and quiet is A scenic helicopter tour is spectacu- take in the spectacular and diverse frequently and abruptly broken lar for a few people in the aircraft, display of alpine flowers, butterflies and chopped into pieces with the but it destroys solitude, shatters con- and birds, looking for moose in the thwacking of the next scenic helicop- templation, and annoys hundreds not so distant marsh. All the senses ter barging into the air space. On of people on the ground. Statistics are filling with natural smells, sights Logan Pass, these scenic helicopters show that far less than one quarter and natural sounds – trickling water, fragment the high country experi- of one percent of visitors to Glacier bird calls, insects, and the rare yet ence every 15 minutes. Noise pollu- take a helicopter ride. Why not unmistakable, overpowering quiet.

22 ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ The Inside Trail offer an Imax movie tour at visitor centers, remove the helicopters, and The tours have increased in intensity and leave the skies quiet for everyone to frequency. The number of tours in 2014 enjoy? was 175% of the number in 2013. The General Management Plan The Park Service is on record as wanting to end commercial over- Congress passed a law called the 175% of the number in 2013. flights. Glacier’s General Manage- National Parks Air Transport Man- Overall numbers of tours decreased ment Plan, in 1998, stated as to agement Act in 2000. It requires the in 2015, 2017 and 2018, when Scenic Air Tours: “The preferred Park Service and the FAA to create commercial flights were grounded alternative is … to prohibit all com- an Air Transport Management Plan because of wildfires. However, mercial sightseeing flights over the (ATMP) for each National Park that overflights remained very frequent in park. … Scenic air tours operating has more than 50 annual overflights. those years before the fires broke out. in backcountry areas where peace By the terms of these ATMPs, the and solitude have high value for visi- agencies can regulate, limit, or pro- Glacier has the fifth-highest number tors diminish the visitor experience.” hibit overflights within specific parks. of scenic tours among National Parks. Because of its very short season The Plan reports that “[o]f the pub- The statute, however, set no deadline (about three months – or two months lic comments received on this issue, for the creation of ATMPs. The during fire years!), the flights are over 90 percent stated concern about Park Service and the FAA have been concentrated intensely. The impact disturbance or the appropriateness of unable to agree on what decibel level on visitors is likely greater in Glacier overflights. Many said that over- constitutes a noise problem and a than in other parks. flights diminished their experience standard for regulation. of the park. … Much of the con- The Quiet!Glacier Coalition Because of this deadlock, overflights cern and comment related to both The Quiet!Glacier Coalition is an have continued year after year. They noise and whether or not such a use effort to inform and mobilize the are authorized under Interim Oper- is appropriate in Glacier, given its public on the issue of overflights. ating Agreement (IOAs) between the purpose and significance.” Some 33 organizations are members, agencies and individual operators. The Plan also notes that a wilderness and more than 33,000 people have study for Glacier in 1974 identi- A lawsuit was filed in 2017 to require signed its petition. It urges the Park fied approximately 95 percent of the FAA to develop ATMPs for seven Service and the FAA to implement the park as suitable for preservation National Parks, including Glacier. ATMPs and to prioritize Glacier. That lawsuit currently is being re- as wilderness. Park Service policy The Coalition invites you to visit viewed by the U.S. Court of Appeals requires that proposed wilderness its website, www.quietglacier.com. for the D.C. Circuit. Oral argument land be managed as wilderness until You are encouraged to sign and share is scheduled for November. Congress either formally designates the group’s petition, make a com- the land as wilderness or rejects the The Status Quo in Glacier ment, and sign up for updates. On designation. Overflights in Glacier are authorized your next visit to Glacier, please Administrative Deadlock under four IOAs. The tours have document your experience with The General Management Plan’s goal increased in intensity and frequency. overflights, send it to the Park Ser- has not been achieved because of The number of tours in 2014 was vice, and ask for a response. deadlock between the park Service and the Federal Aviation Administra- The Coalition invites you to visit its website, tion (FAA). The FAA has authority www.quietglacier.com. You are encouraged to over civilian air travel, and it has been unwilling to authorize a ban. sign and share the group’s petition, make a comment, and sign up for updates.

The Inside Trail ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ 23 Diane Steele Sine worked at Many Glacier Hotel as a pantry girl and waitress 1980-1983. She has worked for the NPS as a seasonal ranger since 1984 and currently supervises the interpretive division at Many Glacier.

After August 12, 2018, the Howe Ridge Fire forced a full evacuation of the Lake McDonald Valley. (Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.)

JOIN THE GLACIER PARK FOUNDATION All friends of Glacier Park are invited to join the Glacier Park Foundation. Membership includes a subscription to The Inside Trail and the right to vote for directors. Please download a membership form from our Web Site (www.glacier- parkfoundation.org) or send your name, address, phone number, and park experience to Glacier Park Foundation, Box 15641, Minneapolis, MN 55415. An annual membership in the Foundation costs $10. A “Friend of the Park” membership costs $25 annually, cumulat- ing to a Lifetime membership in five installments. A Lifetime membership paid in one installment costs $100. The Glacier Park Foundation is a § 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Contributions are tax deductible to the extent per- mitted by law. (Panorama by Christine Baker)

24 ☐ Fall 2018 ☐ The Inside Trail