August 28, 2005: Bowman Lake to Lake Francis

Mileage 8.8 Elevation +/- 0 / 0 Fatigue Camp Rating Meals   Breakfast Oatmeal Lunch Tuna, string cheese and crackers Dinner Chili Mac and pudding Water sources No problem NOTES: The trail from Bowman Lake up to the pass was very brushy and with few switchbacks...the views coming down from Brown Pass to lake Francis were gorgeous...the backcountry site at Browns Pass did not have a water source nearby, while the site at Hawksbill had a nice view of the mountains to the north...Lake Francis is one of the most beautiful camp sites in the park that I've seen.

Today was the day I had been anticipating since I got the hike. I had been told by numerous people that Lake Francis was the most beautiful site in the park and was looking forward to seeing for myself.

Mike trailblazing through the thick underbrush en route to Brown Pass.

We were a little lazy and didn't wake up until 7:20. No big deal, the lake would be there when we arrived. We ate, said goodbye to our new friends and were on the trail by 9:00 AM.

We crossed numerous dry creek beds on the flats leading to the pass which sort of bummed me out. One of the reasons I love Glacier is all of the water. I wasn't getting much other than Bowman Lake. Still it was a very scenic, albeit easy, hike for the first few miles and we took our first break at 10:30.

Soon after we were climbing---pretty much straight up and through thick brush. In many areas we coudln't even see where we were putting our feet. After climbing for about an hour we decided to stop for lunch very near Brown Pass. We were treated to a view of Bowman Lake to the south from our seat on large boulder which was now our dining room. I was in pretty good spirits as the steep climb only required a couple of 30 second rest stops---much better than last year's Stoney Indian Pass climb. So either I was in better shape than I thought, or the 10 punds I had shaved from my pack weight was more significant than I had imagined. Either way I was a happy camper.

Once we started up again it was only a half hour until we were at Brown Pass and the continental divide. We took a few minutes at the Brown Pass campground for a drink and a snack and noticed two bags hanging on the bear pole but nobody around the camp. "Probably dayhiking to Hole in the Wall" I thought to myself. It was another perfect day for hiking with temps again in the mid 70's and very few clouds in the sky.

Looking back towards Brown Pass.

We then started down what proved to be my favoite stretch of trail on the entire trip. While Brown Pass itself was a minor disappointment as far as the views went since it was not above the treeline, the trip back down to Lake Francis more than made up for it. The snow, which had fallen a couple of nights previous, was still clinging to some of the higher slopes and made for a beautiful contrast against the clear blue sky. Off in the distance we could see the Citadel Peaks and the rest of Porcupine Ridge. There was a beautiful tarn situated in a small meadow about half way down the pass which made for a great spot to grab a drink and a granola bar.

After taking numerous photos we shouldered our packs and arrived at the backcountry campsite at Hawksbill. I had thought this would be another crappy site a la Mokowanis Junction, but was pleasantly surprised when we decided to check it out for ourselves. Not the greatest, but not as bad as many would have you believe.

So far we had not seen a soul on the trail and that held true for the remainder of our hike to Lake Francis. We made it to the lake by 3:00 PM and were instantly in awe. Not only was the lake an amazing shade of blue, but a cirque rose close to 1500' above it, disected by a waterfall originating from Dixon Glacier. The lake's inlet was fed by Thunderbird Glacier a mile or so to the west. To the east was Porcupine Ridge, with snow glistening in the afternoon sun. I decided I could have stayed there for a week without tiring of the view. Amazing.

Lake Francis was an amazing place to camp. (Photo by MIchael Durmus)

We spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening hanging out on the beach fishing, rinsing clothes, eating and enjoying the spectacular view. I tried my hand at flyfishing using Mike's gear and proceeded to catch a giant 5" rainbow and lose one of his flies by "cracking the whip". I did manage to hook a 10-11" trout using my spinning rod but lost him just as I got him up to the beach.

Around 7:30 a young couple joined us on the beach for their dinner and a little fishing. They had been the campers at Bowman Pass and indeed had dayhiked to Hole and beyond to Boulder Pass. They pretty much kept to themselves so I never did get their names.

Since we had a relatively easy day tomorrow we stayed down at the lake until well after nightfall and finally hit the sack around 10:00. It was a great day full of wonderful views and relaxation.