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Nick and Jesse told me the day after I posted the last entry that Jesse had a stress fracture in his foot. Hiking was out of the question completely. The boys were anxious to get home after this turn of events. They found a flight that brought them to RDU late on Tuesday, the 20th.

We're all disspointed that they couldn't make their plan a reality, but it is a lesson learned in planning and patience.

I hope to post some of their real pictures taken during their hike along Kintla Lake in the near future.

Cheers to them and the next adventure!

Hangin' Out in Kalispell, MT

Nick and Jesse have been staying in Kalispell with Jesse's friend, Justin, since they left Glacier Park on October 9th. They hiked back to their starting point at Kintla Lake on the 8th due to strong winds where they were heading. They were told this by some hikers that had come from that direction. As they were returning on the trail they looked behind themselves and saw nothing but whiteness and it was heading their way. They hiked as quickly as they could with their 65 pound packs, but since they did not condition for this strenuous journey it was difficult to travel very far without resting. They set their tent up and within a half an hour the storm was on them. The tent held up fine and they stayed warm while snow, 60 mph winds and freezing temperatures came upon them. Jesse would like to purchase a 4 season tent now. :)

They are disppointed, as I am for them too, but they made a smart choice. Even though they can not realize their original plan, they will undertake a 10 day hike in the Bob in the very near future.

Accurate Info

The boys ended up going back to Jesse's friends home yesterday evening to ride out the severe weather forecasted in the warmth and safety of civilization. Today it looks clear over Monatana. The snow storm that came in on Wednesday has passed. It looks like the remnants of Typhoon Melor are riding in on the jet stream accross the Pacific and will bring heavy snow in the mountain areas and very cold temperatures from Monday and into Wednesday. Jesse and Nick will probably not resume hiking until the weather lets up.

Nick was planning on going hunting today with Justin. Hunting is a previous passion of Nicks before he discovered kayaking and hiking.

A New Beginning

Well, it looks like Jesse and Nick are off to a new start at McDonald Lake. McDonald Lake is about 104 miles south of Kintla Lake and the elevation is about 3100 feet, 1000 feet lower. This is where the park headquarters are and the west main entrance. The weather is sure to be more mild in this area.

There are a few trails they can take from this location....we'll see where they go from here!

Severe weather?

Nick and Jesse hiked back to their starting point today, on the Western end of Kintla Lake. It appears that they are waiting, since they continuously press the 'help' button on the SPOT GPS. We've been getting this notice since they were about half way back at 5:46 pm. Jesse's friend is on his way up there to pick them up. He should get there around 11:30 eastern time.....another hour and a half to wait.

Update: Jesse's friend called us at 10:36pm to tell us that he could not make the drive up to Kintla Lake. The visibility with the heavy snow fall only allows him to see 20 feet ahead and he has a 2 wheel drive vehicle. The good news is that there is a ranger working the station nearby Nick and Jesse, as you can see from the map of their location.

They should be fine since they are not pressing the 911 alert button. We are assuming the weather is too severe and they have decided to play it safe. It's going to be a long night.

Still Camped?

Well, they have SPOTTED me (with the GPS tracker) about two hours ago and have not moved from their morning location. Not sure what they are up to....maybe the view and tranquility are to good to pass quickly.

The Adventure Begins

Picture: Kintla Lake Sunset


It looks like Jesse and Nick hiked approximately 7 to 8 miles today along the Boulder Pass Trail that follows the Lake Kintla coastline in about 7 hours. A mile an hour is not too bad, considering the weight of the backpacks. I do think this part of the trail is somewhat easy. As they eat their rations each day their packs will get lighter....about 3 to 4 pounds per day.

The weather tonight may get cold and blustery with a few inches of snowfall possible into the morning hours. The greater danger for them are the more than 300 grizzly bears, not to mention black bears, that live throughout the park. They are foraging for food during this time to get ready for hibernation. Nick and Jesse did equip themselves with two good size knives to wrestle any instigators.