Union Peak, Swan Range

Selfie with Union Peak.

After my second day climbing for GMS week in Glacier, I made my way back toward home, over Logan Pass (picking up a couple of young hitch hikers at The Loop), then on to Hungry Horse for some groceries, and sleeping along the Flathead River, before getting up the next day and driving down the Swan Valley to climb Union Peak. After the climbs in Glacier, Union was tough. Whereas in Glacier, the approaches to both of the climbs I did were on trail, the climb up Union Peak was steep off the bat and required moderate bushwacking for a couple thousand feet. After doing this climb, I decided that from now on I'll rate the strenuousness by how soaked my shorts get on the way up. This one was a rare full soaker. It was tough: 5800 feet of gain in the 4 miles to the summit. Yikes! The Swan will kick your butt!

The first view of Union Peak.

Looking southwest on the ay up.

Looking south along the Swan Crest from the summit

A beautiful lake in the drainage just north, Swan Peak in the distance.

A nice view of Union.

And another.