September 4, 2017
Things have not gotten any better around Glacier since the night that Sperry was destroyed. The fire that attacked Sperry is still growing, and is now threatening Lake McDonald Lodge, another of the park's historic landmarks and the place where I spent six of my best summers. Farther north, another fire is within striking distance of the old Kishenehn Ranger Station, another place that I know and dearly love. Just to my south, the fires in the Bob Marshall Wilderness are growing at a frantic pace, sparked by strong, shifting winds and low humidity. Jumbo Lookout was evacuated last night, its occupant directed to hike miles in the dark to a spot of relative safety.
And the weather forecast? Hot and dry for the foreseeable future.
When I spent my first summer working in Glacier Park back in college, I discovered and grew to know any number of wonderful places, that together cemented Glacier's status as the most remarkable area on earth for me. Perhaps the very coolest of them all was a remote little backcountry hotel called Sperry Chalet, an ancient, beautifully crafted stone hostelry perched on the edge of a high, spectacular cirque, miles from the nearest road. With no electricity, and with the supplies hauled in by pack mules, the chalet offered wonderfully home-cooked meals, warm beds, fine camaraderie, and one of the most amazing views on earth.
At my urging, my family spent a night at the chalet back then, and it was a fond memory for my parents. I managed a couple more overnight stays there in the years since, and a long series of day visits, lured by both the camaraderie and the homemade pie. A couple weeks ago, I started talking with a friend about the possibility of going back there next summer.
Here's a shot of the main chalet building that I took on my last trip up there, five years ago:
At my urging, my family spent a night at the chalet back then, and it was a fond memory for my parents. I managed a couple more overnight stays there in the years since, and a long series of day visits, lured by both the camaraderie and the homemade pie. A couple weeks ago, I started talking with a friend about the possibility of going back there next summer.
Here's a shot of the main chalet building that I took on my last trip up there, five years ago:
Last week, a forest fire that that had been burning in Glacier since August 10th made a run toward the chalet, and the park's efforts did nothing to slow the fire's progress ... or ultimately, to save the hotel building. It was engulfed before the fire crews even realized it.
At Baptiste, I spent that evening looking for news, calling friends, and listening intently to the two-way radio, as a little fleet of helicopters shuttled back and forth with futile, too-late water drops. I was completely heartbroken, and I still am ... Sperry was the most wonderful place to stay in the entire national park system, and one of the most historic buildings in any of the parks, and now it's gone.
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Things have not gotten any better around Glacier since the night that Sperry was destroyed. The fire that attacked Sperry is still growing, and is now threatening Lake McDonald Lodge, another of the park's historic landmarks and the place where I spent six of my best summers. Farther north, another fire is within striking distance of the old Kishenehn Ranger Station, another place that I know and dearly love. Just to my south, the fires in the Bob Marshall Wilderness are growing at a frantic pace, sparked by strong, shifting winds and low humidity. Jumbo Lookout was evacuated last night, its occupant directed to hike miles in the dark to a spot of relative safety.
And the weather forecast? Hot and dry for the foreseeable future.