Whenever I look at a map of Glacier National Park, my sense of adventure is ignited as I study the list of hiking trails meandering through B.C.’s Columbia Mountains.
Built to access summits and glaciers, many of the trails involve substantial elevation gain and are rated as moderate or difficult. If you want to hike in this park, you better be prepared to sweat, but sweaty hikes often have the best views.
But steep hikes aren’t what attracted me to the park I’ve driven past several times when travelling through B.C. The park is home to more than 400 glaciers covering one-tenth of the total area, which I find exciting since I’m obsessed with glaciers. It’s also home to a healthy population of grizzly bears and black bears, which I find less exciting and more terrifying.
On a beautiful sunny day in late August, I was presented with a rare opportunity to spend a day exploring Glacier National Park for the first time. The only problem was that I was alone in a place with lots of grizzlies and I have a fear of bears.
I arrived at the park’s visitor centre and peppered the friendly Parks Canada lady with questions about recent bear sightings in the area. My plan was to pick the trail that had the least amount of bears and great views of one of the many glaciers.
“I go hiking by myself a lot. It’s very empowering!” she says, noting grizzlies have been spotted on a lot of the trails recently. She recommends the Abbott Ridge Trail – a 12 km hike with an elevation gain of 1,029 metres and one of the best day hikes in the park.
Still feeling uneasy, I drive to the Illecillewaet Campground where many of the trails start. I’m relieved to find the parking lot has plenty of vehicles and a few people getting ready to hike. But there’s also signs posted warning hikers about bears in the area and to never hike alone. Eventually I find the courage to lace up my boots and hit the trail. I did not want to spend my first visit to Glacier National Park exploring the parking lot.
Almost immediately I run into another Parks Canada employee, who warns me about the grizzly bear and cub in the area, then shows me a photo of the bruins she saw a two days ago.
“It was magical,” she says with a dreamy look in her eyes. “I hope I see them again.”
Magical is not the word I would use to describe how I felt seeing the photo of the large bear. Nonetheless, I start heading up the endless switchbacks through the forest to Marion Lake, firmly gripping my bear spray with my right hand.
Even though I know the chances of having an encounter with an aggressive bear are low, I was terrified about the possibility of running into a grizzly on the trail. I sang songs, blurted out “woop” and clapped my hands to alert any bears lurking around the corner. The fear was so intense that I almost bear sprayed a log and thought about turning around several times until I ran into the family with a young boy that I had seen in the parking lot earlier. Knowing they were behind me helped put my mind somewhat at ease to continue up the trail.
I was still tense when I arrived at Marion Lake an hour later, but I knew I would soon be out of the trees and on Abbott Ridge, where I’d be rewarded with views of the famous Illecillewaet Glacier. The glacier, which can partially be seen from Highway 1, became a world-famous landmark in 1887 when the Canadian Pacific Railway build the Glacier House hotel just 3 km away from its looming ice terminus, fostering the birth of sport mountaineering in North America.
Once above the treeline, I was rewarded with my first view of the glacier, sending waves of excitement rippling through my body. My fear of encountering a grizzly faded the further I ventured up the ridge and into a sprawling meadow displaying endless views of jagged peaks with glaciers of all shapes and sizes tucked in between.
I spent an hour enjoying the spectacular views along with the huge sense of accomplishment for overcoming my fear. I wouldn’t recommend hiking alone in grizzly bear country, but sometimes that’s just what you have to do if you’re suddenly presented with an opportunity to explore a place that ignites your sense of adventure just by looking at the map.