#gallery-0-7 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-7 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-7 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-7 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */
There is no longer question in my mind that Glacier National Park is the land of abundance. Especially not after the fishing backcountry trip I just emerged from this past weekend to Elizabeth Lake, in the Belly River Trail/ Region of this great National Park. The 11.1 mile hike to the head of the lake along the Belly River Trail was lined with a dense underbrush of thimbleberry bushes on which tall, well spaced (worth noticing ) pine and spruce nested. Seemingly brave Ptarmigan, crisscrossed the trail indifferent to our heavy feet as we rushed to set up camp and cast our lines before nightfall. Huckleberry-rich bear scat punctuated the trail every half mile or so as the river coursed, crossed and hugged the trail every mile or so. The vista’s abundance in sheer beauty could only be tainted by the lingering smoke that ghosted the entire valley as it did in most of the Montana. If your spirit is attuned to Nature’s gifts, there is so much for you in Glacier National Park.
It didn’t take much convincing when Steven called a few months back and asked whether I wanted to join him on a backcountry fishing trip to Glacier National Park. To be fair, he would actually have said, ‘put some hurting on a lake’. Steven and I met about five years ago slinging plates at a restaurant in Denver. Slinging plates eventually led to one of the most epic camping backcountry pilgrimages of my life which culminated in a bear incident in the Canadian rockies of Banff National Park. Steven is a soft spoken, even toned, fearless, outdoors man. And he is damn good angler. It was on this said epic trip that I cast my very first line into the glacial waters of Berg Lake. That wasn’t great fishing, we could only come up with hand sized brook trout which we shamefully kept and cooked trader joe’s dehydrated curry food bags. It was messy, but it was memorable. Fast forward and Steven has since moved to Michigan but our brotherhood has prevailed against time and distance.
Perhaps this trip was a do over. If Berk Lake in Banff was bad fishing. Then there are no words for our fortune at Elizabeth lake. After 11.1 miles of arduous hiking , we dropped our bags, set up camp, hooked our lures and whipped our rods into the lake. Sure enough, within the first couple of casts, Adam, Sam, Steven and I, attracted some aggressive nibbles. Within the first ten minutes we had caught a couple of pan sized rainbow trout. Exhaustion had gotten the better of us and all five of us retired into the night. Excited and spent!
The next morning was an Angler’s dream. We rose early with the sun. The eerily still water was blanketed with dense mist and fog. But you could still see your lure flatter through the water as you reeled it in from a distant cast. One after the other we pulled fish out. Mostly rainbow trout, but also arctic grayling in the ration of 5:1. Osprey and bald eagles that coasted the air above us were not left behind either. One after the other they dove into the water and emerged with talons full of fish. Abundance.
#gallery-0-8 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-8 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-8 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-8 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */
“Hey Steven, how many bears are out here? ”
The awareness of the abundance of bears in Glacier hit home at snack time as Steven disemboweled a rainbow trout and we were faced with the conundrum of how we were to transport the bear bait back to the cooking station at camp. As the thought of bears sat with us, the more terrified we became, the more cognizant we were of the fact that were practically fish at that point. 100 fish and counting, the whole process of catching and releasing ensured that we were doused in all kinds fish juices. I thought of my hammock – ‘bear burrito’ – and let out a nervous laughter. Fuck! Eventually we mustered some collective courage, chopped up the fish, buttered, salted and peppered the fish and cooked them with delicious precision. Nothing ever tasted better. Abundance.
Preparing rainbow trout on the shores of Lake Elizabeth
The night seemed to have countless hours. I cradled the bear spray and re-read the instructions over and over again for understanding. In my hammock, I peaked through my sleeping bag at the stars that filled the sky and tried my best to ignore the approaching shuffling and grunting in the woods coupled with howling from a distant. The only saving grace of being in that hammock was that I was perched right above the thickest thimbleberry bush that was fruity. The berries were so juicy they would crumble if not handled delicately. So in my terrified state, I would ever so often reach out and gently retreat my fishy hand full of treats into my mouth.
The night eventually turned into day. It was abundant. Our intent to ‘put some hurting on the lake’ drove us back to the shoreline. We fished and recounted our individual terrors from the day before. We delighted in the fact that we all peaked from the Magic Mushrooms we had consumed the day before at the same time. We thought that was magical. We shared our perceptions of the majestic forest, mountains and lake that were the canvases of our ‘trip’.
We were thankful for Glacier for providing abundantly.
Abundance in Glacier National Park There is no longer question in my mind that Glacier National Park is the land of abundance.