Sperry Chalet now: Blackened forest, construction noise, but still 'its own particular beauty'

A mountain goat works his way into one of the window openings in the Sperry Chalet.

TOMMY MARTINO MISSOULIAN

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK — In the words on the plaque on the wall of the Sperry Chalet complex’s dining hall, “no two days (here) have ever been the same.”

That 1981 statement by Kay Luding, the former longtime Sperry Chalet complex manager, ring truer than ever this summer as construction crews replace guests at the historic structure.

On a recent afternoon, the once-popular hike had only a handful of visitors, including a six-pack of mules, making their way up the 6.4-mile trail from the bustling Lake McDonald Lodge to the ghost-like shell of the former stone and timber Sperry Chalet dormitory.

Typically, the dormitory housed about 50 people every single summer evening, with more dispersing to the nearby campgrounds. The hike to Sperry was one of the more popular backcountry routes — especially with the beds and hot meals that were part of the $200-per-night dormitory reservation, and its famous cookies, pies and lemonade.

https://missoulian.com/news/local/sperry-chalet-now-blackened-forest-construction-noise-but-still-its/article_ba563d50-744d-593b-b32e-625ca1cd21bf.html