Everything was a little hard to open this morning, starting with the side door. The frost on the seals made it cling to its closed position. There was snow on the ground where it hadn’t been the night before and the pine trees on the hill behind camp were now mostly white instead of black. It was magical and to top it off, there was no rain or snow falling so I could comfortably make breakfast outside.

Mel and Christian were up at a similar time to me so we were all ready to head off about the same time. Before I got my Clipper card out to detach the layer of snow and frost on my windscreen, Christian offered me his ice scraper. Much better than my tool! I may have to invest in one. We gave each other big hugs, we’d had a great couple of days together, I already miss them! They were headed west to Washington state to meet a friend and were very much looking forward to doing laundry and having a shower (oh how I can relate).

I was driving around the park to get to the east side. The Going-to-the-Sun Road which cuts directly across the park with astounding scenery was long since closed after only a 2-3 month summer season, so this was the only way to get across the park. On the way out I stopped in at park headquarters again to see if any road conditions or closures had changed in the last few days. There was one minor update for the road at Two Medicine and I got some new maps to replace my thoroughly wet ones.

It was a long drive around the mountain range, but it was beautiful. The sun was peeking through the clouds making the snow glisten on the trees. Thankfully all of the roads had been recently ploughed so no trouble there. The road around the south end of the park followed a railroad, which I know is busy because I heard multiple train horns from West Glacier camp. It was hard to focus on driving because of the view but I managed.

When I got to Two Medicine, which is where I plan to go exploring tomorrow, the road north was closed. This road wasn’t so recently ploughed so I drove straight past the “road closed” sign because I was unable to stop. Whoops. I reversed back to where I’d come from and considered my options. The lady at the visitor’s centre did say the north east side of the park was open, so I backtracked a few miles, then took a circuitous route one highway across, through Browning. I stopped at Browning to fill up with water and wash my windscreen since it was covered in muddy snow spray and my washer bottle was frozen. This highway wasn’t as scenic, since the mountains were out of view, but the pretty snow fields did their best.

I finally got to the “Many Glacier” park entrance around 11am and took it very slow. There was ice and a thin layer of snow on this road. After passing Apikuni falls, Astro decided she wanted to be a fish and went fishtailing all over the road. Just small swerves as I turned a bend, but enough to make me back off, a lot. There was deep creek either side of the road that I wouldn’t be getting out of if I got into a real slide.

I drove all the way to the end of the road, parked and packed a bag with some snacks and my down jacket. I pondered my shoe options for a while then decided I might as well keep my wet shoes wet and my dry shoes dry. I selected my least-wet pair of dirty merino socks and slid them on, followed by my very wet hiking boots. It wasn’t pleasant, but once I was in the snow I didn’t notice it. I put my Yaktraks on my shoes too for good measure.

Just as I was leaving the car, a gold Rav 4 pulled up. These three guys had been at the West camp last night! They’d stopped briefly and I went over to chat but they didn’t end up staying – it was too cold for them to camp. We all laughed about the coincidence of running into each other again. They were hoping to get some fishing done. This time, the same as the last, they were smoking something. Definitely a boys weekend. I set off toward Redrock Falls, thinking I might run into them again.

It was a beautiful walk through the snow (only ankle deep) and forest. The powder was fresh, me the first to tred on it since it fell, apart from the various wildlife that had taken the easy road. I kept an eye on it, happy to only see what looked like deer prints, so I was just walking alongside Bambi.

Since the day was relatively clear, I could see the mountains all around me and I was in awe. There was a steady drizzle of snow floating down from both the trees and the sky and it was just beautiful. The 2.5 mile walk was pretty flat too, just what I needed after yesterday’s slog. I took my time, passing by two lakes where I threw rocks out onto the frozen surface to see if it would break, which it did. Everything was still very fresh.

The falls were small, but pretty. They are so called because all of the surrounding rock is a deep red-maroon colour, which makes for great effect with the snow. I walked a bit past the falls to look down on them, then turned back. Not far along, I came across the fishing crew. Still with cigarettes hanging out of their mouthes, they asked what was ahead of them. I explained they were nearly there and wished them well in their fishing ambitions. Maybe that will be the last time we meet.

As always, the return trip went quickly, but I enjoyed my surroundings no less. I was hungry by the time I got back to the carpark so was happy to make a hot lunch of ham and cheese toastie. I sat on the floor of the van while I ate, happy to sit down after a couple hours of walking. Feet getting cold, hands getting cold, I was keen to get going again. Pack back on, I started off on the Ptarmigan Falls trail. Another easy-ish hike to a waterfall, I was trying to do all the short, easy stuff.

This one was a little steeper, so it was nice to become more elevated and get above the trees for a better view of the mountains. I’d seen some bigger animal prints in the snow this time and they looked fresh, so I took to yelling out every now and then to deter bears. Just after one of these shoutings, I caught my breath in my mouth when I saw a huge moose ahead of me on the trail. This one was a male with impressive antlers. He stopped me dead in my tracks. My fingers that had been a little cold were now hot, and the rest of my body immediately started running warm. He almost had his back to me but looked straight at me when I approached. My first instinct was to backtrack, which I did, a few paces, then decided to stand and watch a while. Apart from the occasional look back at me between grazing mouthfuls, he didn’t seem too fussed with me. Of course he was right in the middle of the trail so there was no way I was getting past him. I considered myself a safe distance away, so I climbed a few meters up the bank next to the trail so I could get a better view of him. From there, I took a few photos, then just stood, admiring this massive creature.

Moosie turned his head lazily when he heard a noise behind me. Irrationally, I stood dead still because I didn’t want him to think it was me. When he’d turned back to his grazing bush, I turned to see what the noise was. At first I didn’t see anything, but after another look, I saw another set of antlers moving around in the trees. Oh shit! I had one behind me and one in front of me! I was out of here. I got straight down off the bank and back onto the trail. I didn’t run, but walked very briskly back the way I’d come, looking over my shoulder at Moosie #1 and up into the bushes at Moosie #2. If Moosie #1 was huge, Moosie #2 was colossal. I really don’t think I’m exaggerating here. He was above me, so all I could see of him was his antlers and his giant head. His antlers must have been at least five meters wide. He looked straight at me as I walked past him, I was maybe ten meters away, and I looked back, scared shitless. I didn’t want to run, but I kept on walking, constantly looking over my shoulder to make sure nothing was coming hurtling down the trail behind me. I didn’t stop looking until I’d got at least a mile back down the track and even then I kept myself alert. I only started relaxing again when I got back to the trailhead and played around on the shallow ice there to calm my nerves.

Back at the car, I resolved to drive very slowly towards the park exit to avoid any more fishtailing, which I did. I stopped briefly at the Many Glacier Hotel, a huge lodge right on Swiftcurrent Lake. Now that would be a beautiful view to wake up to.

I managed to pull up steadily at the Apikuni Falls trailhead. It was past 4pm so this would be my last hike for the day, but it was only a short one at 1 mile. It started in an open field, then continued in dense forest. I was still very aware, looking around for any company. There was another set of footprints in the snow, backed up by tyre tracks at the trailhead, so that made me confident. It was a short sweet climb and the falls at the end were thin, but stunning. The snow and icicles just makes everything ten times prettier. And to think that hardly anyone sees it like this. I would take the cold, the white wonderland and the isolation any day over the summer craziness.

The light was leaving the sky by the time I got back to the Astro to dry my feet and put some warm boots on. I learnt not to double-knot my shoelaces in the cold because the laces freeze and it’s near impossible to get them untied. I had to use a screwdriver to get out of my left boot.

I drove a short way south to the St Mary park entrance. There was camping here, but it was walk-in, so I figured I’d just park in the carpark and camp. I ended up at the Red Eagle Lake trailhead, which was completely deserted so that was good enough for me. When a truck drove up, headlights blaring a few minutes after I got here I thought that would be the end of this camp, but he just drove on through. I couldn’t tell if it was a ranger, but I was lucky this time. We’ll see if it lasts the night.

I’ve got Big Buddy on, my boots right in front of it and the van is pleasantly warm. There’ll be no shivering for me tonight!