Day 6 - Two Med to Grinnell Lake Hike

Day 6 – Each day that we have a new destination we seem to wake up slightly more excited to see what the day holds for us. Pancakes stowed conveniently in our bellies, we simply shove the tent and all of its accouterments into the blue camping bin without properly stuff-sacking them with plans of soon removing them and replacing them on the ground.

The road to Many is about an hour long along the further Eastern perimeter of the park, and once past the entrance the view over Lake Sherburne is car-stoppingly stunning. The mountains that hold these glaciers are incredibly stunning and dramatic, and it is immediately apparent why most everyone has recommended that we make some time to see this corner of the park.


Getting there before 11 allows us to pick a good campsite, and once it is set we get to picking out a hike for the afternoon. Grinnell Lake is the winner, as it is a succinct 7 mile in and out around lakes Swiftcurrent and Josephine on its way to the final canyon watering hole. We are turned around after only a mile, though, with opposite headed hikers warning of a mama bear with a pair of cubs shortly ahead. Luckily, this area is traversed enough to warrant trails on both sides of any lake nearby, and we are able to take another route.

This hike, like most in this park it seems, also goes by a tertiary waterfall, this time in the form of Hidden Falls. I attempt to hurt myself by slinking under the protective fence and grabbing some better pictures, and we continue onto our end destination of Grinnell Lake. As with most things, each new location seems to trump the one from the day before. The lake is situated under canyon walls that soar 1500 feet straight up on all sides, and massive amounts of water from the Grinnell Glacier above and surrounding snowpack are bounding down as quickly as they can muster. We take a walk through the freezing marsh water to a better viewpoint and meet a couple from Texas, the mister of which had been employed at the park 39 years prior and was making his first visit since. Nearly an hour is spent just enjoying the wind and the water of this view until a boatload (literally, they had taken a boat for the first 3 miles of the trail down the lakes instead of walking) showed up at the little beachhead and encouraged us to find solitude again.


Walking out and making it back to camp, I believe it was a night of rice, sausage and cheese over a pair of cribbage games. If my memory serves me, it was the first night of a liz-victory for the entirety of trip, as my cribbage prowess had been on overdrive until then, powering me to 5 straight victories from the previous number of days. I only mention this because it will most likely never happen again.

Shots for the day can be found here - while all of the shots from the trip are over here. Click 'all sizes' to see the larger versions of ones ya like!