Throwback Thursday

The Ptarmigan Tunnel in Glacier National Park is a 240-foot manmade tunnel that was blasted through the Ptarmigan Wall so that early park visitors, mostly on horseback, could pass from the Many Glacier valley over to the Belly River valley. Today the hike to the tunnel is considered by many to be one of the most scenic hikes in the park.



The north side of the tunnel is the site of one of the most freakish accidents in Glacier National Park history. In 1998 a Polson, Montana woman, along with her husband and two companions, rode horseback up to the tunnel from Many Glacier. Upon arrival they led their horses through the tunnel to view the scenery on the other side. While standing beside the low stone parapet her horse abruptly jerked and stumbled, and knocked the woman onto the retaining wall. The horse then lost its footing and fell on top of the woman. Both horse and rider then rolled over the wall before falling hundreds of feet to their deaths.







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com