After Highline, I didn’t think any trail was going to blow me away, but Sperry Glacier–words can’t. Pictures don’t even come close. Though it’s twenty miles round trip (22 if you tack on Fish Lake) and 4,900 feet of elevation from Lake MacDonald, it’s worth every step, and would be a lovely trip done after Gunsight Pass and camping or staying at Sperry Chalet.
The day started off perfectly when I hitched from my friend’s place in West Glacier to Lake MacDonald on a motorcycle! I was concerned when my bum knee started hurting on the flat section of road to the trailhead, but as soon as I hit trail around 8:30, it stopped completely. The day was perfectly clear and I was dripping with sweat as I climbed the first seven miles to the junction for Sperry Chalet.
I paused halfway up to the glacier, ate a sandwich, and giggled as I replied to texts–cell phone service is a rarity in Glacier. Once I climbed the final staircase to the actual glacier, fog rolled in and I threw all of my layers back on. The trail wasn’t clear, but there was always a pile of rocks in sight and I couldn’t help but grin as I jumped from cairn to cairn.
Goats are abundant near the top, and I have over 100 photos of them practically posing for me as they blocked the trail and almost brushed by me.
I do try to not post a million photos, but Sperry is just perfect.