Pass opening second earliest ever

Hungry Horse News

On a foggy Sunday morning, the Logan Pass Visitor Center was finally busy, finally full of people that were undeterred by a biting wind, a light snow and a long winter wait.

After plowing crews cleared the final stretches of Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, the pass was officially opened and cars streamed along, disappearing into the dense white fog that hung low on the tops of the mountains.

Several people hiked past the center with skis and snowboards tied to their backpacks, while others broke out cameras and gloves. One brave man was even clad in shorts and sandals, even though the temperatures dipped into the 30s.

For area residents, the day marked the long awaited opening, and Rylan Jollymore of Whitefish said he was glad to be back in the park.

"Opening day, we've just been itching to get up here all winter," he said. "Seeing all the waterfalls and the scenery on the way up, it's humbling."

His wife Ashley was also excited to be back, saying that she and Rylan had visited the park hundreds of times.

"We like to come up here when it's not too busy," she said. "Seeing the waterfalls, the grandeur of it all."

The opening didn't resonate in the Flathead Valley alone, as Jane Thompson of Whidbey Island, Wash. finally made it to Glacier, with her mother along for the ride - a dangerous ride at that.

"We were on our way here and a deer ran into us," Thompson said. "The deer jumped into the rear of the car."

With their previous itenerary, Thompson and her mother, Doris Peczynski, were going to miss the opening by several days. With the deer incident, their trip was delayed and they were able to make it to the top, something Thompson considered a blessing in disguise, even if she does pass hundreds of deer on her island back home.

"We were coming here, but we would have been here before the road opened," she said. "I almost hit a deer almost every week."

One of the perks for the two ladies with their extended stay in the park was seeing a black bear near Fish Creek and sleeping in a cabin near Apgar.

"We saw a bear," she said excitedly. "We're very slow drivers. If you slow down, you'll see a lot more…We spent the night in a cabin. I slept for 11 hours. It was wonderful, it was a treat."

Peczynski, who now lives near Chicago, said that she was happy to come back to the area, especially with Jane, who had never visited the park.

"I had been here before, but my daughter never had been," she said. "I think it's beautiful, but it's cold. My hands are freezing."

Of all the scenery in the park, Peczynski said she enjoyed the views from the top.

"I love to see the mountains and then look down on the river," she said.

Lynne Dixon, a park ranger in interpretation, said that the morning started slowly, with very few visitors, but that as the weather warmed, so did the visitation.

"It was very quiet I would say for the first few hours," she said. "It's very exciting. People have been waiting for it to open."

Dixon said that many of the visitors ask similar questions, mainly about trails close by and campground dates. In her ninth year as a ranger, Dixon said that she has heard all the questions, especially the one about the earliest opening date.

"It's early, but the earliest was May 16," she said.

Sunday's opening was the second earliest ever.

As for the weather before the gates swung open, she said it was snowy in the morning with a very limited visibility.

"It snowed for a couple of hours," she said. "The visibility was almost zero for many times this morning.

"There are very few signs of spring up at the top," she joked, as a layer of fog swept across the parking lot.

For some new Flathead residents, the opening was a time to make their first visit and bring friends along for the views.

Kalispell resident Scott Schreiner and his friend Tom Cairns from Albany, N.Y. each made their first ascent of the road and were both duly impressed.

Cairns was blown away by the amount of snow and the steepness of the mountains.

"It's incredible, the depth of the snow," he said. "I feel for anybody that has a fear of heights."

Schreiner said that his friend also said that Cairns had a bit of a vision problem as they drove to the top.

"He saw mountain sheep and he thought they were bears," he said. "But it's absolutely spectacular."

Even so, they'd recommend the drive to anyone.

"It's well worth it, take your time and enjoy the day," he said.