Two Medicine

Glacier National Park, June 2021

We had no intention of coming to this less-visited, remote southeast corner of Glacier NP. But there were 45 minute delays each way on the Many Glacier road for road construction, and all the alpine hikes in that area were still impassable due to snow.

We set out to see Two Medicine, with no real expectations. Even the park literature is taciturn when it comes to points of interest here. But it turned out to contain what will be my favorite hike this trip. When we set out at 8am on a Saturday to hike the unimaginatively named “Scenic Point hike,” there were only 2 other cars at the trailhead. The day was overcast, and a rainbow could be seen arching over Two Medicine Lake. As we climbed the first of about 16 switchbacks, we ran headlong into some bighorn sheep headed down the trail in the opposite direction.

The views kept getting better and better, and pretty soon, we were above the tree line, and buffeted by winds over the exposed landscape. About 3.3 miles into the hike, we came across a large patch of snow that covered the trail at a sharp turn, such that we couldn’t see the other side, with a steep drop-off down the mountainside. Not having an ice pick or other mountaineering equipment, we found a path that went up and over this protruding rock, and continued on our trail. Most hikers were turned back at this junction. A few other intrepid people made it to the panoramic Scenic Point (elevation 7500 ft) for which the hike was named. Photos just don’t do it justice.

Huddled together just off the trail in a sheltered curve of land, we ate a hurried lunch. The alpine tundra stretched out around us, and the wind froze our fingers and toes. It didn’t seem that any reasonable mammals would venture up above the tree line, except humans, and we had long since stopped making noise and being vigilant for grizzlies. A lone female hiker passed us on the trail, giving us a cursory nod, soon followed by a young couple. When we stood up a few minutes later after finishing lunch, we saw all 3 people coming together back up the trail, wide eyed and shouting words we couldn’t yet hear over the wind. Finally, I could make out, “do you have bear spray?!” Turns out, the lone female hiker had rounded a bend, just at the patch of snow blocking the trail, to come face to face with a grizzly bear on the same trail. She slowly retreated, bear spray in hand, until she joined forces with the young couple, who amazingly did not have any bear spray. Between the 5 of us, we had 3 cans of spray, which we cocked warily as we watched not one, but two, large grizzlies appear over a crest on the trail. The magnificent creatures left the trail about 75 yards from us, and continued up the ridge. They seemed unhurried and unperturbed, almost as if they were out on a day hike for sightseeing too.

Won eventually felt comfortable enough to take a few photos, bear spray still in the other hand. The iPhone camera is a technological amazement, but photos just can’t capture the closeness and grandeur of this moment. In these pictures, you can barely see the grizzlies, and they seem like 2 brown dots far away. Yet on the barren ridge, I could see the movement of the bear ears (perky and wary, not flat against the head), and we were very aware that these powerful animals could cross the distance in a heartbeat if they wanted to charge.

As the grizzlies disappeared over the ridge, we sheathed our bear sprays, and began to breathe again. Together, we continued back down the trail, this time shouting “hello bear” every few seconds. I don’t think my heart rate resumed its normal rate until we made it to the Revel at the trail head 3 miles later. Nature is pretty incredible, and it’s profoundly awe-inspiring to be able to experience it.

June 15, 2021