Glacier National Park, Montana
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Hidden Lake Overlook, Logan Pass Glacier National Park, Montana |
August 7, 2012 — Day #8
Yesterday was scheduled to be an off-day on my hiking tour, but little did
I know. As if I hadn't had enough car troubles already, my right front
wheel seized up at a freeway exit. Once again, I was fortunate to be in
a reasonably friendly location; cell-phone service was available, and
help from AAA was only seven miles away. After towing me forty miles
back to Bozeman, the Subaru dealer replaced a missing brake caliper bolt that
had been improperly installed by my local dealer just a few weeks ago.
Anxiety aside, the entire incident actually set me back less than four hours
(also $113, but I will recover that).
August 8, 2012 — Day #9
My Patagonia hiking partner David has arrived from Portland at the Whitefish Amtrak station, only a couple of hours behind schedule. Immediately, we head out for the western Glacier Park entrance. Some miles inside the park, I would like to stop at the Trail of the Cedars to Avalanche Lake; but no parking is available, so we press on.
Predictably, the western side of Going to the Sun Road is still under heavy construction. Although the drive up the pass is slow and congested, it hardly matters, because David is sleeping most of the way. Apparently the seats on Amtrak aren't all that comfortable.
At the summit, no parking is available here either, in a lot that has room for a couple hundred cars. After circling the lot several times along with everyone else, we give up and drive back down the highway about a quarter of a mile and park there.
Our trek starts here
Beside the road
Behind the big visitor center is a long, nifty boardwalk that snakes up the hillside. This is as good a place as any for David to get an introduction to some of the park's unique features.
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Heading for Clements Mountain, 8760'
When My Barbara and I were here four years ago, this area still was
completely snow-covered; so this year I arranged to visit somewhat
later in the season. Even at that, signs of winter remain.
One standard attraction of Logan Pass is the proliferation of mountain goats. Seemingly unconcerned about humans, they are totally passive as long as they are not bothered.
Parent
Child
In the distance, a photographer is having a good time with the animals.
A private herd
Underneath the residual snow is a lot of color; one has only to look for it.
Not only is there a mild threat of rain, but the forest-fire
smoke seems to have followed me up here from the Tetons; however, the adverse
visual effect isn't as bad as it was some four hundred miles to the south.
The boardwalk gives way to an ordinary trail
In past times this area has been a garden of eden; this year, there are a lot of flowers, albeit far fewer than I have observed here previously.
Great Red Indian Paintbrush
Shrubby Cinquefoil
As advertised, at the top of the hill is an overlook of the beautiful and shapely Hidden Lake. The trail down there currently is closed due to heavy bear activity.
Hidden Lake
On the way back, I glance longingly at the area south of the
trail. It harbors a relatively little-known feature
known as Triple Falls — an incredibly unique and
beautiful configuration of the creek. It has, however,
been closed to visitation more or less permanently, which I
don't like at all. They keep hikers out of that
section by posting signs about bear activity, but those are lies.
I'll be back (sigh)
Exquisite
What a life
Will it rain before we get back?
Water, water everywhere
The parking lot
Near the car
Our makeshift parking space has earned us a warning citation from the Park Service, but I don't much care about that. From here, David and I continue eastward down the pass and over to our lodging at Swiftcurrent Lake.
Sunset at the Many Glacier Hotel
§: Although the crowds were such that no parking space was
available, I didn't have to push anybody out of the way on today's
trail. Despite the touristy flavor of this walk, I consider it a
must-do for any serious visitor to Glacier.
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