Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Kootenai Lake
6/15/04
The first day hiking on the Continental Divide Trail was worth the price of admission.
We started out from Waterton Campground in light rain, which continued thoughout the morning, occasionally becoming slushy with snow. Above us and across the lake, snow was falling enough to coat the trees and rocks.
 | Spur, Apple Pie, Cupcake and Gottago just about to head off to the US/Canada border |
Waterton Lake is a long, narrow finger lake, likely created by the same glaciers that created the dramatic peaks which line each side of the N/S lake.
Because of the lack of relationship between natural features and the 49th parallel, a measure in the arbitrary latitude system we have imposed on our planet (and the line that marks the boundary between the US and Canada), Lake Waterton is split between the US and Canada. This feature has had some advantage. Some visionaries created a cross-border Peace Park that recognizes the close relationship between the US and Canada, and that has inspired other Peace Parks around the world. A narrow clear cut from the Atlantic to Pacific marks the boundary regardless of the terrain.
 | The clearcut at the US/Canada border |
As we approached the US ranger station at the south end of the lake, which also serves as port of entry into the US, the rain was letting up. We dried out during a conversation with Kelly, who it was a little hard to talk to because she had two roles in the conversation: an immigration official, and a fellow hiker. I finally realized I had nothing to hide from the first capacity, so I stopped worrying about it.
As we were leaving, we saw an elk. The few miles to Kootenai Lakes went quickly and put us in camp at 3, an unheard of early time for thru-hikers, especially since it's light until 10 PM. Glacier NP has a tedious and possibly beneficial permit system that is complex and inefficient. It restricts backpackers to specific campgrounds on specific days, and the permits can only be obtained for 6 days in advance. Hiking for more than 6 days? Leave the backcountry and apply for (and pay for) another permit, which may or may not let you continue on your planned route. I must note that the park officials have been warm, helpful people with our best interest in mind. So: the system sucks and the people are great.
Our first night, here at Kootenai...Lakes, we are about 13 miles from where we started. We moved from a landscape of RVs and human-banked rivers to a lovely lake with spectacular peaks and spires in many directions. For several hours this afternoon we watched a bull and cow moose eating. Moose stick their heads underwater to eat! Can you tell I'm not familiar with moose, bein' from California?
Then I spotted something swimming toward us, creating a V in the water behind it.
What the hell was it? Not a bird. Not an otter. At first I thought it was some sort of pig-sized critter, especially as it got closer. At its closest, we could see ears, eyes, and the top of the head. We followed it down the lake, but it had already spotted us, so it was veering off. Others lost interest, but Apple Pie and I continued watching. I wanted to know what it was. In the distance on our same shore, we saw it crawl out of the water. I was surprised at its hefty torso, but I still couldn't tell what it was. My curiosity drove me further, but Apple Pie dropped off.
I hiked back on the trail and cut across to a stream feeding the lake. As I emerged from the darkness and cover of the forest into the openness and disorder of the stream bed, I felt vulnerable. Although I was in a national park, I really felt I was in the wild. The reality that animals higher up in the food chain were likely in the neighborhood was palatable. A quick glimpse upstream and into the wall of forest across the stream didn't reveal anything with a beating heart, let alone a carnivore, so I headed downstream toward the lake in hopes of getting a better look at the swimming creature. I pushed through branches blocking an abandoned use trail and was walking back toward camp on a trail paralleling the lake. I was quiet and alert. Before too long, I heard a very nearby splash. I'd scared it back into the water.
From on the higher bank, I could look down into the water, and on to the top of the beaver. It was a huge beaver. It swam across the narrowing end of the lake and disappeared from site. At least my curiosity had been satisfied. I was aware that I probably shouldn't be chasing after animals to get a better look: that leaving nature alone is the best policy. Then I felt resentment for all those who had come before me, especially fur hunters, who gave animals fear of humans and reduced numbers.
Satisfied, I continued along the use trail where I ran into an intentionally blocked off part of the trail. It was an old trail leading away from the food prep and storage part of our campground. In Glacier NP, they divide the campgrounds into areas by use in a way that a house is divided up.
The food prep area is the kitchen. All food is prepped and cooked here. Then there's a food storage area, which in our case was just above the food prep areas: a bar high in the trees where we could hang our food to protect it from the bears and vice versa.
The campground has an outhouse in the part of the facility furthest away from the lake and stream. Then there's a horse hitching area. Next are camping areas. At this lake, there are four sites. Finally, there's the living room, the rest of the National Park. We spend a lot of time in the living room, sitting on the shore of the lake.
 | Apple Pie journaling on the shore of Kootenai Lake |
