Growing up in Cincinnati we don’t tell Ole and Lena jokes, we probably had something a bit more Germanic. But, Glacier National Park has always been visited by the more Norwegian folks that dug into the Upper Midwest. I have a theory that people in the Midwest who need to get their mountain fix move directly west from where they are.
My people in Ohio end up in Colorado. Everyone’s older brother did a three year stint working in Colorado. So, based on the theory of Longitudinal Migration, I have met countless Michiganders, Minnesotans and my beloved Wisconsinites in the park.
Sorry, that was a geography tangent. Let’s get back to the point of this blog. Lakes and random mountain endeavor.
Lena Lake lives just over the continental divide from her comedic boyfriend Ole. His namesake lake exists on the western side of the mountains. Lena is a lovely little gem down in the seldom visited southeast corner of the park.
The Lubec Trailhead leads you across the train tracks and up through the wildlife choked Marias Pass aspen groves and grassy fields. Eventually after taking a left onto the Firebrand Pass trail, you pop out into an open, rocky upper basin filled with yellow boulders and whitewashed old burnt trees upended like old whale skeletons.
Well before you start to take the last push towards Firebrand Pass the route takes us off trail and headed north. Tucked into a pocket between Red Crow Mountain and Bear Head Mountain is Lena Lake.
Any day is great for a dip, or so I have told myself time and again. Today was warm like summer but windy like fall. One gust actually removed me from my feet. I’m a big guy, so I felt for Jess and Jenny who went with me since they are both quite dainty in comparison. But, a job is a job and I hopped in.
But, not before realizing that I had taken two right hand flip flops with me. More or less a mute point, but it made for a good laugh.
The shore was made up of tiny little rocks. So tiny that when I got out and started looking around, I found a clump of them that was actually floating. Ever seen floating rocks?
Me either. Its magic!! I’m telling you. It’s the magic of Lena Lake.
Or, maybe it’s the magic of Desanto Pass.
Jerry Desanto was a famous Ranger who worked in the park in the 80’s.
He had many first ascents of mountains in the park. Any eager new employee who reads the J.Gordon Edwards climbers guide revels in the lore attributed to these old rangers.
The pass looks out at Grizzly Peak, Mt. Ellsworth and much of the southern portion of the park.
Looking west the Ole Creek drainage opens up the western landscape of mountain range after mountain range.
Neil Wedum and other famous older generation rangers made a sign and placed it at atop the pass giving it a name even if the USGS didn’t make it official.
It’s now gone, but the lore lives on.
The stories of past endeavor are the magic of Glacier Park.
A magic that we all are secretly hoping to have a brush with when were out roaming the hills.
We took in the views before calling it a day and working our way back to the trailhead.
The moon started to rise above Calf Robe Peak letting us know that evening was settling in.
Working downhill was such a calming process knowing that that your body can start going on auto pilot.
The Firebrand valley looks directly out at the plains surrounding East Glacier, MT. I am in love with how the moutains break and create the rest of the country. This is the point in which the whole country changes and highway 2 leads directly back to those Ole and Lena joke tellers in the upper midwest.
Then you turn around and survey your efforts, looking back at the days accomplishments.
Jessi led the way out, back through the trails she has grown to know like a good friend.
The light softens.
The aspens rattle.
The grass blows.
The train tracks welcome you home.
To Life
