Backpacking in Glacier National Park; Gunsight Pass, Sperry Chalet, and Grizzlies!

Spectacular scenery, mountain goats galore, a grizzly bear encounter, the rebuilt Sperry Chalet and great friends to share it all with. How much more great stuff could be crammed into one overnight trip? This hike started at the Jackson Glacier Overlook on the famous Going to the Sun road, went up past Gunsight Lake to Gunsight Pass, we spent the night at Lake Ellen Wilson, then hiked up over Lincoln Pass (with a side trip to climb Lincoln Peak) and down past Sperry Chalet to Lake McDonald Lodge. Official distance is 20 miles (32K) with an elevation gain of 3300 feet (1K) and loss of nearly 4000 feet (1.2K)
Special thanks to Chris and Alex for bringing me along and being great sports about the filming of this epic adventure!
Music courtesy of KZbin Free Library:
Artists: Dan Lebowitz, Chris Haugen, Unicorn Heads, Dan Henig, and Reed Mathis.
Gear used on this hike:
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[@TibberProductions]

the speed of those bears was amazing. What a great wildlife day you had. I was last up at Gunsight Pass in 2012, a lot more snow than you had. We did get to have the mountain goats pass by very close as well; both at Gunsight and Lincoln Pass. That rock at Lake Ellen Wilson campsite was amazing. Thanks for sharing it all.

[@ianhall702]

Thanks for sharing this adventure!

[@ShastaBubba]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@dwliu1]

Thanks for the video. We just did this hike with Glacier Guides and loved it! It was a challenge going up to Gunsight Pass but the views were great! We weren’t in as good shape as you and we struggled on the way up. We saw the same goats at the emergency shelter that you did but didn’t get to see the bears.

[@ShastaBubba]

It's really one of my favorite hikes. Thanks for watching!

[@DrJohn493]

Nice way to catch up on your videos on a Sunday afternoon and the goats gave you a nice pose. Bears too for that matter. Thanks for the spectacular Glacier NP scenery!

[@ShastaBubba]

Glad you enjoyed it; thanks John!

[@JohanGartner]

Looks like you guys had a great time l! Thanks for the video😀👍

[@ShastaBubba]

Thanks my friend. Remind you of your country at all?

[@JohanGartner]

@@ShastaBubba yes and no, it looks awesome!!!

[@Russell.Jolly.2023]

The way the goats were lingering, made me think they were expecting some food from the humans.

[@ShastaBubba]

That was our guess too. Either they've been fed or have had lots of success stealing salty clothing!

[@boomersoutdoors8898]

We really enjoyed your video! We were there in mid September and we really wanted to go on gunsight pass but couldn't get the permit. We did two medicine instead and it was great!! But next time we go to Glacier we hope to do this one! I can't believe all the wildlife you guys saw! Amazing!!! New sub.

[@ShastaBubba]

Glad you enjoyed it! The Two Med area is also great; in fact, I think it's fair to say there are no bad hikes in GNP! Thanks so much for the comment and sub.

[@nealprice1813]

Dan do you wash hiking clothes with certain detergents to not attract bears? Love the channel.

[@ShastaBubba]

Hey, thanks for watching! I read a while back that even "biodegradable" soaps leave a residue, especially in cold, high mountain lakes/streams, so I quit using soap altogether on hikes. I just rinse thoroughly, wring out and hang clothes off the pack or a bush to dry. If I wear one set (shirt, shorts, socks) for two days, switch to a second set while the first gets 'washed' then ditto w/ second set, that buys me 8 days on the trail, which is all I personally need. Another reason to hike solo. ;-)

[@nealprice1813]

Thanks for responding,do you wash the clothes you will be carrying on a hiking trip at home in plain water as well?

[@ShastaBubba]

@@nealprice1813 Oops . . . that's probably what you meant in the first place, right? At home, I already use a low-scent detergent and then I am careful about using a very small amount when washing hiking clothing. Probably 25-50% of the recommended amount on the container.

[@SkiCounseler]

Beautiful video. So how close in yards would you say those bears were to you at their closest? It seemed like they could have been on you in about 5 seconds.

[@ShastaBubba]

I've never been good at judging distance, but from a time perspective, you'd be about right. (whew!) Fortunately, they were all business and mom virtually ignored us, which is pretty typical in GNP.

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

Dan, did you hear that HMG moved all their pack manufacturing to Mexico? That is a bummer because I wanted to buy their 4400 Southwest but now I am very hesitant. Unfortunately, I cannot find another dyneema manufacturer who makes 70+ liter packs. Can you suggest another dyneema manufacturer that makes large packs ? PS: below is the text of the email I received back from HMG when I asked where their packs are made: Thanks for reaching out! We did recently partner with a factory down in Mexico which has agreed to transition their workers to build our products only. We are still inspecting and packaging these products in our Maine factory and the factory is even overseen by our own staff. Currently, all pack models are either made in Mexico at the moment or are in the transition to be made there. We understand this is a huge change for us, and it came in the wake of a loss of many skilled stichers in the area and a difficult labor market. Let me know if you have any other questions! Cheers, Tyson

[@ShastaBubba]

Interesting. Not sure I would completely discount them on this basis alone though, especially since you can buy through REI with their return policy. Otherwise, Zpacks makes a 64L pack and I would research and consider some small(er) companies that do custom work . . . maybe on Etsy or Garage Grown Gear, can't recall where I saw them.

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

@@ShastaBubba Thank you for telling me about REI. That is an excellent idea since they have a very generous return policy.

[@fayleya3865]

Hi, if you ever have the time, it would be awesome if you could make a “how to” snow/winter camp for visitors who have never lived in snow. I know where I live we have people die in the desert from obvious (to us locals) things, and I’ve got to think it’s the same. I’d love to visit a snow country and go camping but I can’t find anything for people who aren’t already familiar with the climate. Anyway that’s my humble request :).

[@ShastaBubba]

Thanks for the nudge Fayley! I had good intentions of doing a winter trip last year, but never quite got around to it, so I'll make a great effort this year. There's no doubt, it's a different experience and more challenging. Really appreciate the ask though, and feel free to throw out other ideas for future vids!