Smelly neighbors at Red Eagle Lake

There’s a whole host of joys to be had while camping in the backcountry of Glacier National Park. The sounds of birds singing, the breeze blowing, the views of the surrounding hills and, oh yeah, the stink of smoke from the party camping next you toking on some Mary Jane.

OK, so maybe the latter isn’t all that great, but I was just about ready to hit the sack at my camp at Red Eagle Lake when I heard some folks yakking and detected the unmistakable stink of pot.

It caught me off guard — not that someone would smoke a doobie in the backcountry, but because they weren’t even in a designated camp site. For whatever reason (I suspect the pot played a role), they stuck their tent in the pucker brush, even though there were two perfectly good camp sites open, one right on the lakeshore.

It all worked out. I pulled my tent stakes up, carried the tent over to the open site next to the lake and hit the hay. Occasionally I could hear a giggle in the distance, but my pot-smoking neighbors were now far enough away to not be a bother.

I took the long way into the lake, starting at the Virginia Falls trailhead and hiking along St. Mary Lake. It’s an amazing transition. The trail is absolutely pounded by people to the popular Virginia Falls and then, a few hundred yards beyond that, grass is growing in the path.

The hike follows St. Mary Lake for several miles and then hops over the ridge to join the Red Eagle Lake trail. The trail then courses back to Red Eagle Lake. All told, the hike is about 15 miles, most of it flat with the exception a few hundred feet elevation gain for the one ridge.

Red Eagle Lake is a pretty place, but the surrounding forest was scorched by the Red Eagle Fire in 2006. The campground at the foot of the lake has no shade to speak of, but it does have improved views.

The camp at the head of the lake where I was staying has a few lives trees, which provide some shade.

The next morning, I hiked the short way out to the trailhead near the St. Mary town site and caught a shuttle bus. I tried to hitchhike while waiting for a shuttle bus, but the green and grays at the entrance station informed me it was illegal.

Now, I’ve picked up more hitchhikers in Glacier Park than I can shake a stick at, but I wasn’t in the mood to argue, especially since she threatened to call a Park ranger if I didn’t stop.

The shuttle arrived and within a half hour or so I was back at the car. I wondered if the potheads made it out OK.

Is pot smoke attractive to bears? I smiled at the thought.