Ptarmigan Tunnel

And the GLACIER ADVENTURES continue!!!!!
On my Crew's second visit to East Glacier national park we got to traverse the GOING TO THE SUN ROAD!!!! The road was constructed in 1933 as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and runs along the park's Garden Wall, an Artes carved out by glaciers into huge wall-shaped mountain which splits the east Many Glacier and Saint Mary Valleys and and west McDonald Valley. After the drive along the Garden Wall the road crosses the continental divide at Logan pass (where a fair amount of snow still remains!)


The road is an engineering miracle and historical site, and is only open for 3 or so months of the year. It takes 10 weeks of plowing (at 10 tons of snow an hour), for the road to be opened. Needless to say the opportunity to see it was FABULOUS and the views were well worth the drive along the cliffs.

So back on the East side of Glacier our Crew was given the task of opening up Ptarmigan Tunnel a few days ago, a tunnel also constructed by the WPA in the 30s which connects the Belly River Valley and the Many Glacier Valley. The Tunnel, like the road, is also closed some 9 months of the year due to snow. Our first few days here have been spent hiking four hours a day two and from the tunnel, and shoveling for the remaining work hours.


The Tunnel is also the site of one of the more recent gory deaths at Glacier. In 1998 a woman on horseback was enjoying the view of the Belly River Valley on the other side of the tunnel when her horse spoked and sent them both over the 3 foot wall and down the 200 (or more) ft cliffs. Her body was removed by helicopter but it's said that visitors could come and watch bears eat parts of the horse away for weeks to come.

The only other gory story is the state of our muscles which have turned to mush after the 2300 ft. ascent of the snowy mountainside.



It is an adventure which warrants BIG dinners and lots of R & R during the evening!!!!!