The Lone Hiker

Logging Lake

Glacier National Park is often called the “Crown of the Continent.”   There are many picture postcard moments.  Glacier is known for its crystal clear high mountain alpine lakes, majestic glacier covered mountains, 700 miles of hiking trails and lot of Black and Grizzly bears.  In bear country, especially in Glacier National Park, it is never advisable to hike alone.  Always hike in groups of three or more.

On one perfect week in August,  with temperatures ranging in the high 80’s and low 90’s, John Baisden set out with a group of 8 young men and one staff for Logging Lake.  The group had spent the previous night at Apgar Camp ground on Lake McDonald.  From Lake McDonald, they made the 20 mile road trip to Logging Lake over some rugged and dust-ridden dirt roads.  The scenery was beautiful!  The road trip seemed quite lengthy due to the rough road conditions.  Slow seems to be the standard mode of travel whether you are driving on a wilderness dirt road or the main highway that spans across Logan Pass.
 
From the trail head to the Logging Lake camp ground, it is about 12.8 miles long.  The Logging Lake trail passes through thick forests for much of the time with the only real openings in the canopy occurring where the trails passes through a recent burn.  Once one arrives at Logging Lake campground the views are amazing.  Logging Lake is a Glacier fed lake with pristine water.  Logging Lake is surrounded by majestic mountain peaks that flow directly into the Lake.  The mountains peaks are rugged and covered with glaciers.  It is breathtaking to say the least.

The fishing at Logging Lake is fairly good filled with bull trout and Lake trout.  The first fish that I ever caught was so large that it snapped the my fishing line… a great day of fishing!  All of the back country camp sites are well situated with camp sites 200 feet away from cooking and food storage areas.  Our group took up all of the tent sites except for one.  We chose not to use that site because there sitting in the middle of the campsite was a large pile of bear scat.  As a matter of fact there were such scat piles along the entire trail that we used to hike into Logging Lake.   Although no bears were sighted during the day, it was obvious that they were not far away.

As we prepared for a nice peaceful night, a lone hiker arrived and pitched his tent on the only remaining tent site.  He cleared the scat away and joined our group at dinner.  We sat around the camp fire and shared stories of adventure that we had experienced throughout the years in Glacier National Park.  The lone hiker was from South Carolina and had taken a volunteer job in the North Cascade National Forest for the summer.  I asked him if he was planning on continuing his hike alone, he responded YES!  We then talked about the possible dangers of hiking alone in bear country.  By the time the evening was over he had decided to hike with us and to stay with our group.  Prior to retreating into our tents for the evening we took advantage of the available “bear hang.” 

We left all of our Nalgene water bottles all lined up on a row near the fire ring.  I went around to all the tents and said goodnight.  No sooner had I gotten in my tent then the night critters headed down the hill straight into camp.  As they moved into camp to look for “leftovers” where we had cooked, I heard them pass by my tent.  I sat quietly in my tent listening to every sound as it seemed our camping area had become the nighttime wonderland for the animals in the woods.  I soon realized that the critters were indeed bears.   The bears were having a great time with our Nalgene water bottles.  I heard a couple of them fly through the air and land in Logging Lake.  It was quite a night of adventure for our visitors and campers.  To my surprise we were able to find all of our water bottles!  Our new friend, the lone hiker said that he was glad he made the decision to hike and camp with us.

After breakfast, we broke down camp and headed back to the trailhead to try another lake trail, Bowman Lake.  On the hike out, surprise, surprise we turned the corner and there in front of us on the same trail was a large Grizzly bear walking in the same direction that we were headed in.  The bear  had not yet heard us or caught our scent.  We slowly and quietly backtracked around the corner and then headed back to the camp.  We stayed back at the campground for an additional hour before mustering up enough courage to try our luck on the trail again.   To my delight we did not see our furry friend but certainly could see the evidence of his trip down the trail by the piles of warm and steaming scat that he had left as a reminder of whose woods we were in!  Our lone hiker remarked that he never again would hike a trail by himself.  We then spent the rest of our week hiking along Bowman Lake and Quartz Lake...amazing destinations.   After three days of additional backpacking, we parted ways with the lone hiker having had a safe adventure into the backwoods of Glacier National Park!

John Baisden's Favorite Ross Lake Destinations

John Baisden's Favorite Ross Lake Destinations

If I had to create my top backpacking destinations, Ross Lake would be at the top of my list.  Located in Central Washington State, Ross Lake is one of the few international lakes, which flow from Canada to reach across the United Sates boarder into the state of Washington.  Ross Lake is situated along the North Cascade Highway and is controlled by Seattle City Light.  It is a pristine lake where the water clarity is remarkable.  This magnificent lake can only be accessed by boat or by trail.  On any one day, in any summer one can see canoes and kayaks glimmering across the waters with oars and paddles reflecting the sun as they hit the water.  At the same time one can visually see hikers and campers along the miles of lake front and back country trails.  The trails are in most cases well maintained and could be classified as intermediate in difficulty but can become quite challenging. 

Over the years, John Baisden has backpacked, canoed, kayaked and boated across this amazing terrain and enjoyed every moment of it.  Just to mention a few of my important stops, I have stayed at Cat Island, Ten Mile Island (only assessable by boat), Stillwell, Little Beaver, Big Beaver, Rainbow Point, Lightening Creek, Night Mare and Hozameen.   One can easily be on or near the lake for a day or a week, take your pick.  The experience can be transforming!  At night one can sit along the Ross Lake shoreline and pick out the satellites as they track the northern sky or during the day one can stare right into the heart of many Cascade glaciers that are located in the high Cascade Mountain range that surrounds Ross Lake. The vistas are nothing short of amazing.  If you want to experience nature at its best, Ross Lake is it.    Take a few days out of your life and experience the grandeurs of Ross Lake. 

An Unforgettable Experience

John Baisden's Favorite Experiences in West Fork Lake

John Baisden loves to backpack and camp in remote areas throughout the northwest.  John has been anywhere from Hell’s Canyon to The Grand Canyon and everywhere in between.  However, his favorite hiking gem is located in the Selkirk Mountains, North of Bonners Ferry, Idaho.  Each year, John Baisden along with some of his sons and grandchildren backpack into the Selkirk Mountains and camp for a few days.  There they enjoy together the breathtaking views, the warm weather and the serenity of being away from the worries of everyday life.


John Baisden has been backpacking into the Selkirk Mountains for about twenty years and has had many memorable experiences over that span of time.  One particular experience that John will always hold dear to his heart occurred about sixteen years ago when each one of his sons had accompanied him on this particular hike into West Fork Lake.  It was the excitement of a fishing expedition that lured all the boys to venture on this unique trip with John.  Each son had his own fishing pole and was excited about the much talked about fish that were in this lake.  It was the type of memory that makes a father proud.  After camp had been set up, the boys were eager to fish.  Each one of the six sons had his fishing pole in hand and began to cast their lines into the water.  As time went on, it seemed as though fishing from the banks was not good enough.  Each brother waded further into the lake to prove their ability to bring in the big catch of the day.  There was a moment when it seemed as though time stood still – each son was in the process of casting or reeling in their fishing lines all at the same time.  A picture in one’s mind that speaks a thousand words.   Oh, what a sweet memory that trip was.

Since that time, there has never been another trip where all six of his John Baisden's sons have been fishing with him at West Fork Lake.  Perhaps it would be John's dream to have that experience all over again with all of his sons and their respective children reliving an experience that seemed so remarkable sixteen years ago.  John considers spending time with his family as the most important part of his life…it is in the precious memories surrounded with family that brings purpose, healing and wonder to a life that is bombarded with trials and tough times. 

John Baisden Loves Spending Time Outdoors

John Baisden is a man of many interests. He has always enjoyed spending time with his large family; he has three sons who all have families of their own! Being around family or close friends has always been a rewarding and feel-good situation for John Baisden. But at the same time, he can spend a weekend out in the wilderness and have a great time by himself or with a small group of people.

Spending time in the wilderness provides John Baisden with a feeling of tranquility and peacefulness. He believes that too many people have ignored spending time in nature. Every time he goes on a camping or backpacking trip, he comes back renewed and feeling great about his life.

With our fast-paced and increasingly urban lives, people are ignoring the outdoors to their detriment. Besides the fact that hiking and walking are great exercise that burn lots of calories, John Baisden knows that spending time in the sun and wilderness is good for your brain. Studies have shown that people who spend more time outdoors have less depression. They are also generally in a better mood than people who do not go outdoors.

John Baisden's favorite places to go when he has lots of free time are nearby national parks. One of the most memorable and amazing places that he ever went was Glacier National Park. John Baisden thinks that this park might very well be one of the most beautiful places on earth.  

Glacier National Park is located in Montana near the Canadian border. The park is over one million acres large and has over one thousand different kinds of plants and animals. It has countless lakes and beautiful mountain views. John Baisden does not get to visit the park as much as he'd like, but every time he goes the experience is different and full of new views and events.