A 30% Chance of Rain

GLACIER1
Photo: Joe Johnson

We were still eight miles from Many Glacier in Montana’s Glacier National Park and the rain was falling in sheets, soaking everything that wasn’t made of GORE-TEX. The rain that wasn’t falling on us was clinging to the plants lining the overgrown trail and then jumping onto us as we walked by, soaking us from the waist down and turning our shoes into puddles that rivaled the ones on the trail. So this is what a 30% chance or rain looks like, eh?

Twenty-four hours earlier I had asked NOAA (whoever he is) what the weather for Glacier would be. He consulted his crystal weather ball and reported that it would be, “mostly sunny with a 30% chance of rain and thunderstorms.” I’m no mathematician but those seemed like good odds to me.



The goal was a Glacier National Park classic–Siyeh Bend to Many Glacier via Piegan Pass. That’s 13-plus miles of passes, peaks and pristine alpine views.

Cloudless blue skies greeted us as we made our way from Going to the Sun Road, then hiked above tree line and across high alpine scree fields to Piegan Pass. A slight breeze picked up as we pounded some food and Gatorades in preparation for the final eight miles of the hike. As the older members of the crew headed down into the east side of the park, my cousin Stephen and I made a beeline for Piegan Peak. How could we not, right? He’s from Florida, and he wanted to bag his first peak. We could still catch up with the rest of the gang after summiting.

GLACIER2
Photo: Joe Johnson

On Piegan Peak we topped out to mind-blowing views. Jackson Glacier, Swiftcurrent Pass, Going to the Sun Road, Siyah Pass, Siyeah Peak–we could see them all. We could also see the clouds moving in from the north and west. And they were moving in fast, spilling over the Continental Divide and down into the valley where we were headed. We quickly snapped photos for proof and then peeled off the peak, hopping from boulder to boulder and shoe skiing across scree, the first sound of thunder giving chase.

We rejoined the trail at Piegan Pass, picking up our pace as we dropped over the top toward Many Glacier. Three switchbacks in we felt the first rain drops. Two more switchbacks and we were in the midst of a downpour.

The rain kept falling and we kept hiking. The mud on the trail got deeper and we got dirtier. And then it stopped. The downpour downgraded to a sprinkle which slowed to a trickle. Before we knew it the sun was out and drying the trail. We ditched layers, stopped to pick huckleberries and enjoyed the sun reflecting off of Swiftcurrent Lake.

Looking back, the most sure sign that our hike was a success was when I removed my shoes, wrung out my socks and allowed my white, pruned up toes to breath some fresh air.

Lesson learned: a 30% chance of rain means it’ll rain every time.