Steep but - wow - what a payoff!
As of earlier in the week, there was a restriction place for people to hike in tight groups of 4 or more - we teamed up with two (very fast) hikers (from Bellingham it turned out) who dragged up the steep part much faster than we would have done ourselves, but at least we got it over and done with :-) Yes, it's steep but it's not ridiculously so, perhaps a 15-20% gradient rather than the usual 10 or so. At that pace we were above the tree line in less than an hour and a half at which point we slowed a little to take in the scenery.
The trail is well maintained and easy to follow. Take the short cut - it's worth saving a few hundred metres, even if it is a little steeper than the longer "normal" route. From up on the ridge there wasn't much snow that could pose a problem on that route, so it would have been find to take it.
Just as the trail reaches the rocks on Abbott Ridge, it ends with a sign - after that you're on your own and it's the best part of a kilometre of picking your way over rocks and boulders along the spine of the ridge. The rock was grippy and exposure could be limited at all times (though you could always pick a more exposed route if that was your thing...). It was mostly class 2 scrambling with a small number of short class 3 sections.
We stopped at the end of the ridge to have lunch while our companions went on to the summit of Mt Abbott. In retrospect we should have done the same (apparently the ridge was more difficult), but I wanted to spend some time taking in my surroundings and not just peak-bagging. Next time I will definitely get to the summit of Mt Abbott.
What scenery - Glacier NP is really quite spectacular mountain scenery, with the imposing Mt Sir Donald across the valley on one side, the Illecillewaet glacier, peaks above the Asulkan Glacier closer and then Mt Bonney and its huge glacier on the other side of the ridge. Across the valley lie the "bear" peaks and the Hermit range. One surprise was that we could still hear the sound of traffic on Highway 1, over 1000 m below. I guess it's such a steep-sided valley that the sound has nowhere else to go.
No bear evidence to be seen anywhere - Parks Canada was worried about a female grizzly with two cubs that had bluff-charged a group on Avalanche Crest, but I guess she stayed put. Marmots, pikas and Columbia ground squirrels were the usual companions.
Not many flowers out, but the meadows below Abbott Ridge were carpeted in partridgefoot, the most I've ever seen.
An amazing introduction to Glacier NP!