Yesterday I had the opportunity to fulfill a goal that I have had for several years now. I was able to summit “Great Northern” – one of the more impressive peaks (in my opinion) of the Flathead Valley/Glacier Park region.
The magnificent monolith resides near the eastern shoreline of Hungry Horse Reservoir in the buffer zone that separates the massive reservoir and the rest of the
The trail that leads to the summit is pretty strenuous at times and offers a wide array of varied terrain, but it is also EPIC beyond compare!
Here are a few photos of some friends we met along the way...
The first half of the trail slices its way through fairly dense forest and it feels like you are walking straight up the mountain. There are hardly any switchbacks and the path is steep. But around midpoint along the journey you break out above the tree line and immediately you get your second wind. At this point the
The majority of the second half of the journey is a tight rope walk along the mountain ridgeline. This hike gives new definition to the word “views”. My jaw was dangling for most of the trip and the only words I was able to mutter was … WOW! God… this is Awesome! Incredible! Magnificent! … there weren’t really enough words in my vocabulary to accurately describe my emotions, so I just muttered those over and over again.
The views to the north and north east looking into
The final stretch of the journey is certainly not for the faint of heart. You are basically tiptoeing across a two foot wide ridge that separates a massive shale slide on one side and a 3,000 foot drop off a cliff on the other side. Add to that 30 – 40 mile-per-hour winds that are trying their best to toss you off the mountain and it makes things pretty interesting. One false step and the results could be disastrous… but what a rush! It is quite addicting.
There is a snow field on the northeast side of the mountain that is enormous. It made me wish that I had my snowboard with me, of course if I had, I would probably be dead right now.
From the summit you can see across the border of two states, two countries and too many unforgettable views stretching over hundreds of miles in every direction.
The icing on the cake was that I was able to make the journey with four of my closest friends, all amazing guys and all brothers in faith. What a privilege!
Oh yeah, and one more thing before I close. My buddy Seth and his lovely wife Jill were kind enough to have me over for a delicious BBQ chicken dinner following the hike which was VERY MUCH enjoyed and appreciated! THANKS guys!
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