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In Glacier, No Trail Left Untouched

By Beacon Staff

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK – Nothing can stop these gentlemen from conquering the mountaintops. Not snow nor water. Not blindness nor heart attacks.

It would take a mathematician with plenty of time on his hands to calculate the total miles traveled by the Over the Hill Gang, a group of avid hikers whose average age is in the mid-60s. They meet every snow-less Thursday of the year to hike a different route in Glacier National Park. When the snow falls, some of them slap on their cross-country skis and keep the Thursday tradition alive year-round.

Ivan O’Neil, one of the gang’s founders in 1976, knows Glacier National Park like it’s his own backyard. He has scaled more than 120 mountain peaks and completed more than 75 percent of the park’s extensive trail system. Though just an estimate, he’d say he’s done nearly 1,000 hikes, most more than 10 miles and some more than 20. Others in the group stake claim to nearly as impressive statistics.

Today O’Neil, 80, suffers from macular degeneration. He can’t drive or read without a special machine, but he can easily trek a dozen miles in 85-degree weather. Guided by two walking sticks, O’Neil gracefully maneuvers the bumpy terrain of Glacier’s wild trails. His pace is steady and true.

In 1976, O’Neil and four buddies decided to start hiking once each week. They selected Thursday, put on their boots and gave birth to a tradition. The other four were Ambrose Measure, Spencer Ryder, Hi Gibson and Harry Isch. It was a low-key affair until eight years later when O’Neil invited his best friend from high school: the ubiquitous George Ostrom.

“We made a mistake when we invited George,” O’Neil joked. “His gift of gab brought a lot of people along.”

Within years, the Over the Hill Gang, as they became known, grew to 15, 20 and even 40 members or more on busy days. Today the number usually hovers between 15 and 20, men and women. They are doctors, retired pilots and successful businessmen, like O’Neil, who founded Western Building Center. They are a diverse crowd.

If Ostrom, an author and esteemed radio personality, is well known throughout the Flathead Valley, his legend is that much more amplified within the Over the Hill Gang. His knowledge of the park is respected and his ability to spread it is unprecedented. On any given hike, one will hear the phrase “as George would say…” at least a half-dozen times.

It was an Ostrom book about hiking in the park that initially drew Jon Dahlberg to the Over the Hill Gang. Dahlberg said he was fascinated with the area and the book was all the additional motivation he needed. Dahlberg said: “When I retired in ’04, I said, ‘That’s it, here we go.’” He joined the gang and has since built up close friendships.

“That’s a fundamental part of it for me – they’re a great group of guys,” Dahlberg said. “We always watch out for each other.”

The most poignant example of the men looking out for each other occurred on May 26, 2005. Jim Folston, of Somers, had fallen far behind the rest of the guys on a trail after conversing with a friend in the parking lot. Folston, 70 at the time, set out in pursuit at a swift pace. He quickly grew tired and then slightly ill. “Floaters” began flashing in front of his eyes and he took a seat, still alone.

“Then this big elephant came along and stood on my chest and I knew I was in trouble then,” Folston said.

That big elephant, he later learned, was the failure of his right coronary – a heart attack in the wilderness. Folston took a couple of Advil, lay down and dwelled on his family history of heart attack deaths.

“I looked around and saw how beautiful it was and thought: ‘Well, this is my time – what could be a better way to go?’” Folston said.

But it wasn’t his time. Hiking partner Elmer Searle, who has since passed away, found him and used his two-way radio to contact another member of the group, Jack Klovstad. Klovstad then radioed O’Neil, who just happened to be cross-country skiing nearby. O’Neil then signaled another friend back in the parking lot who was then able to contact a ranger.

It took four stops, all in the hands of friends, for the line of communication that saved Klovstad’s life to finally find its way out of the park. An Alert helicopter was called from Kalispell and a dramatic made-for-Hollywood rescue ensued. Folston was hauled across rugged backcountry terrain on a stretcher to the waiting helicopter.

By the time Klovstad made it back to his car and drove to the hospital, Folston had already undergone surgery and was on the road to recovery. After extensive rehabilitation and fitness programs, Folston eventually made it back to the woods. He’s still hiking.

“I made it through because of these great guys and a great Alert crew,” Folston said. “I’m very thankful.”

On July 2, the Over the Hill Gang helped the National Park Service clear the Highline Trail of snow to allow for the trail’s opening. The guys have participated in this annual tradition since 1992.

Along the trail, some carried shovels, others walking sticks. They all hiked at their own pace, often chatting and poking fun at each other. But occasionally, they would allow themselves reverent moments of silence. As many times as they had done that hike, it all seemed new and fresh.

The wonder of Glacier National Park has kept them young.