Grandmother and granddaughter hike Glacier Park for memorable preservation effort

When Whitefish native Kay Knapton was young, she wanted to see a glacier.

Soon she realized there were hundreds of glaciers basically in her backyard and, after studying a map, she told her father that she wanted to hike to one in particular — the Sperry Glacier. He told her the hike would be too hard, but instead of getting discouraged she became determined.

Since then she has hiked the Sperry Glacier trail several times and hiking became a favorite pastime. She and her late husband hiked in 70 different countries for over 30 years, and still to this day she believes Gunsight Pass to be the most inspiring view in the world.

“I think the most beautiful spot in the world is at Gunsight Pass,” she told the Pilot. “There’s something about looking at the rock formations and the way they swirl, and knowing the force of nature, how magnificent that is; then you’ve got the two valleys just dropping down into the lakes.”

Knapton’s love for Glacier National Park has only grown over the years despite living in Seattle, Washington, for the last several decades. She comes back to Whitefish and to the park every summer, and often at other times throughout the year. On a recent adventure she had the opportunity to introduce her granddaughter Olivia Jean to her most beloved place.

The pair signed up to participate in the Climate Hike - Glacier National Park which is hosted by the nonprofit organization Climate Ride. This organization puts on biking, running and hiking events to raise awareness while supporting sustainability and environmental causes. For the Glacier Climate Hike, in particular, those wanting to participate had to raise a minimum of $3,000 for one of the beneficiaries that the organization works with — Knapton and Olivia chose Glacier Park Conservancy.

“I’m excited to share this adventure with my granddaughter, to be able to introduce her to the beauty of Glacier Park and to give her a very real way to take steps to combat climate change,” Knapton said prior to the hike.

Knapton and 11-year-old Olivia decided to raise $4,000 each, so a total of $8,000 benefited the conservancy and the duo departed for the five-day adventure in early August.

“I just feel like Glacier represents the heart of this area and it is so unique and spectacular,” Knapton said about the importance of raising the money to go on the climate hike. “I say Gunsight Pass is the most spectacular place in the world, so to be able to do something that helps protect it and encourages other people to enjoy it… whatever we can do as private citizens to help.”

The Glacier Climate Hike involved various day hikes that averaged between 10-15 miles a day in all different areas of the park. Throughout the event, everyone participating shuttled to different base camps and trailheads; the mileage over the five days totaled up to 50 miles, around 100,000 steps.

“I’m kind of nervous, but also pretty excited,” Olivia said prior to leaving for the hike. Fifty miles of hiking would be the longest trek the young girl had been on, but she wasn’t new to exploring trails.

Knapton and Olivia are close, they get along so well that the age difference of about 70 years is barely noticeable when listening to their banter back and forth. Knapton has been watching Olivia at least one day a week since she was born and over that time has introduced the young girl to a lifelong passion for hiking.

Knapton says they haven’t been able to convince anyone else in the family to hike with them, besides Knapton’s late husband who passed away two years ago. Because of that, hiking is their own special bond.

“I am really lucky to have a partner to get on the trails,” Knapton expressed.

And Olivia feels the same way with having a grandmother still able to get out and show her the world one trail at a time.

“I don’t know many people who have an active 80-year-old grandma,” Olivia jokes.

Knapton and her husband went on treks all over the world with some highlights being summiting Mount Rainier for her husband’s 50th birthday and then summiting Mount Kilimanjaro when she turned 50.

Olivia began hiking with her grandmother when she was just 3 years old and hasn’t stopped since. Her first hike on her own two feet was a 2-miler just outside of Seattle called Rattlesnake Ledge; it took them over two hours that first time and since they’ve improved their time and hike it almost every spring to get their legs going again before summer.

Since the two have been hiking in the mountains together for quite a while now, they formed a joke about themselves being the Old Goat and the Young Goat because of their age difference. And the goat reference stems from many years ago when Knapton was a young woman working in Whitefish as a PBX operator for the Great Northern Railway whose iconic symbol was “Rocky the Great Northern Goat.”

The Old Goat and the Young Goat were determined that with this Glacier Climate Hike they would use the steps they take together every year as a way to help address the effects of climate change and support conservation in Glacier National Park.

And add another adventure to their collection of shared explorations with memories sure to last a lifetime.

“She keeps me young, keeps me informed and sometimes challenges me,” Knapton said with a laugh. “And I think she’s exceptional.”