Otokomi. A Japanese Lake In Glacier National Park? When It’s Good To Know Blackfeet Name Origins.

Original Post 7/06/21

Ah, my fourth day of consecutive hiking. I told myself if I could hike hard for four days it would be the same as any week-long backpack. That’s how long it takes the body to just give up on healing and accept the new Hell you are putting it thru. Kind of like a metamorphosis without the cocoon. Today was my day off, so I could strike out a little farther from my home base at the RV park and check out the East side of the park. First I had to drive across Logan Pass, which is always good for pictures on a blue sky day.

The hike was Lake Otokomi outside of the Rising Sun Campground and Cabins. It’s Blackfoot that translates to Yellowfish, who was an early guide and hunting partner of George Grinnell in the late 1890’s. The other words in the post title are just random Japanese cities that all start with and O. Gotcha.

I have never done this hike and have ignored it on purpose many times over the years. I’ve always assumed that this one and only hike out of Rising Sun had to suck. Not sure why, but that has been my mindset for the last couple of decades. Today I found out otherwise. It was really an awesome east side hike without having to go all the way to Many Glacier area. Plenty of fauna, flora, colorful rock formations, waterfalls, wonderful melting snowfields everywhere. I was messing around at the pass and got there later than I wanted to so was hiking in the heat of the day once again.

The water drops 2k in just five miles – there are waterfalls everywhere and the pools you find out at Redrock Falls at Swiftcurrent. A nice gem little traveled because it is an in and out. And the fact it’s a real hike with the mileage and gain, so you can’t pose it with an pair of jeans and an 16 oz bottle of water.

Lake Otokomi. 5.2 one was with 1900 gain. There were almost magical transitions from the new grasses/lodgepoles/berries from the recent forest fire of a few years back, to the cool moss and fern filled shade along the Rose Creek drainage. Then the final approach turns into open scree fields with azure skies all the way back into this deep dog leg valley.

This was a great taste of the East side, which will be unobtainable for most this year trying to assess thru Two Medicine or Many Glacier. Those roads commonly have the gates closed by noon to new traffic almost everyday because all the parking is full. Meanwhile on this trail I only met about four people the entire day. Funny how parts of the park are wide open while others are overused and abused, providing a most frustrating national park experience.

Naturally I had to take in some of the views of the St Mary valley on the return trip. It will take a while to hike out the West side this summer, and not looking forward to having 100 mile round trips cutting into my hiking time.

Tomorrow is a rest day. I am planning on going up to the pass early with a camp chair and take it easy. Maybe hike Hidden Lake. Maybe one of the half dozen peaks you can access from the parking lot. Might pull out the charcuterie board that I prepared tonight so everyone up there can see how good I’m doing with my life. Then walk around with my headphones in so they think I can’t hear them and then judgmentally mock strangers just for fun. Just another day in the life.