Trip to Bowman Lake at Glacier National Park

Like my Yellowstone backcountry experience, Glacier offers advanced reservations, if you want to make plans ahead of time. You may, however, go to the Backcountry Office in Apgar Village at the West Glacier Entrance and sign up for "first-come" permits 24 hours in advance. For $20 you may also reserve a backcountry camping site a few days ahead of time. The problem of dropping in and taking what is available is that it is almost impossible to plan a loop hike or even a sequential hike to the next logical stay. I had called ahead and found that the Bowman Campground at Bowman Lake rarely fills up, they had a corral for my donkey, and there was a good chance of getting a backcountry campsite at Lower Quartz Lake. Oh, the questions I should have asked while I had that park person on the phone.

Bowman Lake is reached following the North Fork Road out of Columbia Falls. The road is paved to the Camas Creek Entrance. From Camas Creek to the next park entrance, Polebridge, is approximately 35 miles of potholes and washboard. Most of the land adjacent to the North Fork of the Flathead is posted so wade fishers must be content with bridge crossings and the occasional national forest access. Since I am pulling an old 4-horse trailer that I converted into an RV Donkey Trailer, I am more sensitive to rough roads, as I am sure Buddy is as well as he sucked in the dust and braced himself at each jarring hole. When I pulled into Polebridge, one country store, I stopped to ask for directions. When I got out, the trailer was draining 20 gallons of water out the door. My 20-gallon water tank had shifted, snapping a plastic pipe. To add to the problem, I had part of Buddy’s packsaddle on the counter top, and all the jostling had flicked the pump switch. Needless to say, I immediately thought of the reminders for braces that I had made to myself, as I was installing the tank. Alas, haste makes waste!

The road from Polebridge to Bowman Lake Campground is a 6 mile, winding, narrow and bumpy road. Later I would learn that the literature describes the road as primitive. The park goal is to maintain a backcountry campground limited to small trailers and tents. The real reason, one of the volunteer park rangers surmised, was budget restrictions. If you are pulling a trailer, plan on a 30-minute drive. The road from Polebridge to Kintla Lake is 15 miles, and it is also rough, particularly the last two miles, although the driving time is only 45 minutes. The view makes it all worthwhile, however.

When I met the Bowman Lake Ranger, she walked me down to the corrals and told me I could camp at the corrals with Buddy, if I thought I could make the turns. Looking down at this cute, 23 year-old ranger with her blonde braids dangling down from her Smokey-the-Bear hat, I said, "No problem, Little Lady," in my best John Wayne drawl. "Why there’s no trail or road that I can’t maneuver this rig."

Sacrificing two little Christmas trees, the first two sharp turns down the rutted and over-grown road were less than perfect. When I got to the corrals, I knew I was in trouble. The corrals were straight ahead. To the left a few feet away was the outlet creek. The turn-around had a stock ramp to the right. It was not a place for a 21-foot trailer. How could I have miscalculated? Backing out through two turns was a nightmare. Later, the lingering, pungent smell of a burned clutch stayed with me as I crawled into my bed exhausted.

The next day Buddy and I headed up the trail to Lower Quartz Lake. The loop to all three lakes covers 12.7 miles. The trailhead begins just east of the picnic site on Bowman Lake. Looking up the lake at the imposing Numa Peak to the west and Rainbow Peak to the east, Cerulean Ridge appears much less intimidating to hike. Crossing over the outlet creek bridge, the trail passes a ranger cabin about a half-mile from the campground. Shortly after the cabin the trail forks. The trail to the right leads to Lower Quartz Lake, a distance of 3.6 miles. Taking the left fork leads the hiker up Cerulean Ridge through a heavily forested trail towards the crest. From the crest hikers may observe the natural reforestation after the 1988 Red Bench Fire. From the fork to Quartz Lake covers a distance of 6.6 miles, as well as offering the most spectacular views. The campground offers glacial beauty and a small beach. From Quartz Lake Campground to Lower Quartz Campground is approximately 3 miles.

Taking the right fork to Lower Quartz Lake, a popular day hike, the trail climbs steadily up through many switchbacks until reaching Quartz Ridge, where you can see Quartz Lake, nestled at the base of Vulture Peak and Square Peak. The trail is quite steep but shaded almost the entire length. Huffing and puffing up the mountainside, I was forced to take a breather when Buddy’s pack slowly worked itself off to the side and then plopped on the ground. While I was struggling to readjust everything once again, I heard the rhythmic synchronization of two hikers in locomotion. "Hey, bear!" the engineer shouted out. "Hey, Bear the fireman repeated three steps later. Two college girls steamed up the switchbacks with full packs, while Buddy and I marveled at their progress. When they reached two switchbacks below me, I yelled out, "Just give me a second and I’ll get out of your way. I’m almost finished, " I said, as I adjusted the sleeping bag riding on top of the sawbuck.

Not a wheel slipped in this locomotive, nor was there the slightest pause as the engineer’s forearms shot out in a piston-like motion as the train steamed up the trail from one switchback to another. "Hey, Bear," said the Engineer, and exactly three paces later the fireman answered, "Hey, bear!" If someone above us looked down through the gap between Buddy’s ears, they could mark the locomotive's accent. Rounding the switchback near us, the engineer frowned as she broke her cadence.

"Does he kick?" yelled out the engineer. "No," I replied, and before I knew it, they had passed, forfeiting any opportunity to say hello or where are you heading. "Hey, Bear!" shouted the engineer as they disappeared around the bend. Buddy’s ears were still pointed up the mountainside long after I heard the last, "Hey, bear!" I took hold of the lead rope, clicked my tongue as a command for go, looked at the switchbacks in front of me, and said, "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can."

If you bring in stock, be sure to pack in your animal’s food, as there are no spots to graze. The area is thick with underbrush and trees right down to the water’s edge. All of the backcountry sites have a hanging pole and an outhouse. Lower Quartz provided a three-week old sport section and the classifieds of the Missoulian for those whose daily constitution requires a more sedate regimen.

I first fished the outlet creek, which flushes a surprising volume of water from the lake down to the North Fork. Every fly fisher regales with nostalgia those stories of fish caught on every cast. I have added another such story to my 45 years of trout fishing. Unfortunately, nary a single fish measured over 5 inches! I fished 300 yards in beautiful water. If I didn’t catch a fish on each cast, I flipped one across the riffle or missed one, sometimes two. It reminded me of my personal best day with a client, Sam Laurence the founder of Budget Rental Cars. Sam caught 97 trout in one day floating the Bitterroot River. In those days my outfitter required his guides to keep a mechanical counter. Of the 97 trout Sam caught that day, not one exceeded nine inches and most were five to seven inches. Guinness should have a record for most dinks in a day. That evening, however, I caught a number of fat cutthroats wading out in the lake. Although none of them were big, a number of them were around 12 inches.

After sipping hot chocolate the next morning, and watching the steam slowly rise and dissipate above the emerald reflection of Quartz Ridge, I re-adjusted my attitude after a night of painfully swollen knees and the subsequent decision to bag this silly notion that I could hike the backcountry. A day later I have resolved to take some serious pain medication next time. Buddy minded his manners and proudly crossed the outlet with nary a prodding, swearing or cajoling. He packs like a veteran.