Mt Brown Fire Lookout. Revisiting my spirit animal.
Well, only one more day before the mandatory Red Bus Driver training week. At least it’s not three weeks like before that all first-timers go through. But of course, a big part of that is getting their CDL.
First, you pass the written to get the permit, then two weeks of driving to pass the DOL test. Oh, and during that time, you should be boning up on doing commentary. That you will give while driving one of the scariest white-knuckle mountain drives in the lower 48. But clearly, it’s not my worry.
Since I have a week to heal, why not kick out the Mt Brown Fire Lookout? I can see it from my dorm room. No driving. Just walk across the street (Going to the Sun Road). I have a little reserve left in the old body battery from that 16-miler yesterday. Of course, when you look at the graph, it can be a little daunting. After all, 4,300′ up is nearly a mile of vertical.
This is a very long up. And because of the burn from 2017, zero to little shade. I start early enough to take advantage of the excellent 45-degree AM temp. And at least the burn gives you little glimpses of Lake McDonald as it melts away in the distance.
When that ball of fire gets slightly higher in that clear blue sky, there might be some real heat.
The first mile is where the trail splits. It is almost one mile on the nose and exactly 1,000 feet of gain. Ouch. My legs were feeling okay. I could be better. This was going to be an endurance push.
At the trail split, I do not see the signs warning of aggressive mountain goats chasing hikers around for salt. Maybe the NPS took care of those few bad seeds last year. Or do they still need to post for the summer?
Well, clearly, the NPS has yet to be up here. After all, this is mid-May, and generally, the mountain would be snowed in until at least mid-June. Just a couple of blowdowns to cross, right? Wrong. Since I was being ultra-aware from my bear sighting yesterday, there was no music in my ears. Which means I count things.
Like all 97 downed trees, I had to cross. Some were step-overs (AKA testicle tearers). Others were crawl-under (AKA back scratchers as they tear all the skin off your shoulders). And quite a few reroutes (where you fight through the brush to get around them).
But as I climbed, I was rewarded by some lingering snow on the Apgar Mt range way down at the foot of Lake McDonald.
Other than the hurdles mentioned above, the trail was clear and pleasant. And open and getting warm fast. The up was just as relentless as I remembered it from prior trips. But I always need to remember how much more horrible the down is, as it will cost a few toenails.
I could not ask for a better day. It is hard to believe this is mid-May. But don’t be fooled by the open trail and blue skies. Spring has yet to arrive.
Mt Edwards is still holding onto a cloak of white on its north side. Tucked up, there is where the Sperry Chalet sits. So, I don’t look for that to open early this year.
It started to grind into the 6,000′ zone, and snow patches still lingered on the trail.
And with 1k to go, I saw the fire lookout. Ouch. My legs are depleted now. Nothing but willpower and tendons to burn the last hour.
But could you hold on there? What is this? Ah, yes. My Spirit Animal. My friend from another astral plane. My soul mate from another mother. Or something like that.
But he decided I was bugging him too much and wandered off down the mountain.
Mt Stanton and Mt Vaught are still holding snow. But this is half of what was on them in mid-June last summer. The trail starts turning into continuous snow.
Fantastic view of the Garden Wall. I’m still determining if I’ll drive a Red Bus along that mountainside in about six weeks. A lot of change is coming as the mountains start waking up for a hectic summer of visitors.
I was watching Lake McDonald shrink away in the distance. Hard to believe, from this height, that it is almost a ten-mile-long lake. Puts things into perspective. Like why I’m better hiking here than mowing my lawn back home.
At this point, the trail turns to all snow. And with the heat of the late morning sun, I started sinking and potholing. Fortunately, I saw some tracks from a mountain goat that were at least a day old.
The hoof marks were frozen at the bottom, and as long as I stepped in them, I didn’t sink. But my stride is shorter than a goat (which I didn’t know until now), so I got to stretch out and abuse a whole new group of leg muscles.
As all roads lead to Rome, all mountain goats appear to lead you to the Mt Brown fire lookout.
And to prove my point, I found a goat en route. Not the one I saw before, but I could still feel the connection with my mountain friend. And forever will until he tries to kill me. I just wanted to let you know that we will see.
What the hell? I remember the last time up here a couple of years ago, I was hanging my feet off that catwalk, and a goat came up after me. Now, I see that just because a structure is man-made does not always mean it belongs exclusively to man. We are supposed to share with the creatures of the mountains.
Now, it makes sense. I noticed something as I watched this goat walk around this 12×12-foot boarded-up box. The very low guardrail was the perfect height for rubbing off some of that winter fur.
You be the judge.
This goat was not aggressive at all. If anything, he looked tired. I’m tired of walking around in that heavy coat in the warm temps of early spring. They must not be jonesing for a salt lick. At least not at the moment.
Magnificent fellow. Just enjoying the view at 7,500 feet. Kind of like me.
Here is a better backdrop picture. It’s clear why the Great Northern RR chose the mountain goat as its mascot.
He scratched out a soft place to lay in the scree and plopped down like a 350-pound Labrador retriever after a hard day fetching tennis balls.
Better to see him in action.
The views were perfect for this early spring afternoon. Here is the Stanton, Vaught, Heaven’s Peak, and Mt McPartland range of hills.
I was looking back at the distant mountains in the Nyack area of the Park—the most remote and least visited park of Glacier.
With this heat, it will be a little while until the trail is clear of snow.
The actual summit of Mt Brown. Another 1.5 miles and 1500 feet of gain from the actual fire lookout I’m standing on.
Goofy Dave. With a ten-mile-long monster lake over 4,000 feet below.
A winter wonderland. A happy Dave.
But let me give you my first Minute in the Sky for the 2023 season. Live from the Mt Brown Fire Lookout.
It’s nice to know I’m not the only one post-holing in this snow.
Mr. Goat found a better spot on the snow to cool off. I wouldn’t say I like that winter coat.
And is a mountain goat like a cow? Do they regurgitate and chew a cud? Could you tell me?
But boy, does he have a great view.
Lake McD with flowing clouds reflecting.
All in all, it was a long day. About four hours up and three down. I was really spent, but it was worth every calorie burned and muscle twitch throughout the night.
And hey, I’ve got five days of classroom training to recover. It is the perfect way to balance life—yet another First World problem. If so, I’ll gladly take all of them I can get.
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Freaking awesome!!! Damn I envy you! See you soon.
I’ll admit I used my zoom feature for that head-on goat pic. He wasn’t moving too fast, but he sure was big. In a couple more weeks they will be chasing people around for a little lick of salt.