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The main goal of this hike is to explore Sperry Glacier. It's probably the most easily accessible large glacier in the park and I've never hiked to it so I want to spend a lot of time exploring that area. I will park my car at Lake McDonald and take the shuttle to where the hike will start, at the Jackson Glacier overlook on the Going to the Sun Road. The trail follows the St. Mary River towards Gunsight Lake, and I will camp off of a spur trail as close to Jackson Glacier as I can get (green flag) to try for a sunrise photo of that glacier. The next day I'll head over Gunsight Pass and past Lake Ellen Wilson and climb up to Lincoln Pass. Lincoln Peak is easily accessible from there and I will camp near there (blue flag) to get a good sunset/sunrise view of Mt. Jackson. From there the hike heads to Sperry Glacier where I will spend a lot of time exploring (red flag), and then head down to Lake McDonald to finish the hike.
Wow, this hike turned into quite a journey because I hiked about five extra miles off trail to explore around Jackson Glacier and Mt. Jackson. The schedule of the hike was off a little because I saw some people I know at Gunsight Lake and ended up staying there, then going on to Jackson Glacier in the morning. Exploring around Jackson Glacier was a lot of fun, but getting close to it wasn't easy because there are several rushing torrents coming down the steep rock slab from the glacier that are tough to cross safely. I spent most of the day around that area, then hiked up to Gunsight Pass at the end of the day. There was a curious mountain goat hanging around up there, which gave me a chance to try out some flash exposures of the goat looking out from the pass at sunset. In the morning the St. Mary valley was completely filled with low clouds, but it began breaking apart and clearing away once the sun came up. I then headed over Lincoln Pass to Sperry Chalet and at that point a low snow cloud came in and covered everything up and started dumping big snow flakes. I kept going hoping it would clear out, but up at the end of the Sperry Glacier access trail the visibility was probably 50 feet, just enough to see the next cairn. It was still socked in the next morning, so I hiked out to Lake McDonald in the rain and that was the end of that!
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- Waterfall Below Jackson Glacier, Glacier NP -
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- Wildflowers Growing on a Rock Slab
Below Jackson Glacier, Glacier NP -
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- Jackson Glacier, Glacier NP -
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- Ptarmigan, Glacier NP -
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- Ptarmigan, Glacier NP -
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- Mountain Goat Perched Above
Lake Ellen Wilson at Sunset, Glacier NP -
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- Gunsight Lake and a Cloud Filled Valley
Seen From Gunsight Pass at Sunrise, Glacier NP -
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- St. Mary Valley Filled with Low Clouds at Sunrise, Glacier NP -
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