It is cooler than forecast and greyer than forecast but we are going anyway.  Tomorrow is rainy all day so this is our last day to get some more Glacier hiking in.

We are on the trail about 8:45. Even this late, we start out in fleece, gloves and wool hats.  Today we headed out on a 3.6 mile out and back with 1950 ft elevation gain.  It is rated as difficult, it is.  Mile 1 is pretty flat.  The next 1 ½ noticeably steeper.  We peel off all the warm clothes.  The last mile is loooong, steep switchbacks.  We nearly give up several times but a “one more turn” mantra keeps us moving.  A couple we meet at about 3 miles in brags on the views from the top and grouse on the trail.  Ok, we can do it.  We trudge on and are very pleased when we catch sight of the lookout tower at the top.  We made it.  We can see to the mountain ridge that is the continental divide along Going to the Sun and, with a little off trail maneuvering, Lake McDonald nestled in the valley below. We settle on the lookout walkway to lunch and wait for brighter skies.  That doesn’t happen.  It actually gets darker and cooler and weather radar confirms there is rain around us.  It is much too cool to get wet this far from the truck.  Time to head down.

We take a few knee and ankle breaks; still, the return 3.6 miles goes more quickly than our outbound and we make it back down without even a sprinkle of rain.   We are not sorry we made the trek; but we agree a hike this difficult ought to end at a more spectacular view!  Maybe we just needed a brighter, clearer day to bring out the colors and provide a crisper view of the distant mountains. We will sleep well tonight.