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Glacier's Waterfalls, Mountain Lakes, & WildlifeSep 6, 2009
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Big Horn Sheep on the Way to Hidden Lake
One of the Big Boys
Trail Waterfalls Abound
| To really see Glacier they tell you to get off the road, how true. Marilyn and I have hiked about 10 miles, so far, of trails to visit mountain lakes, and waterfalls. The bonus on these hikes has been a chance to see some wildlife, although limited. Our first hike started at Logan Pass and when up to Hidden Lake. The operative word is “up”. Although neither a long hike, 3 miles total, and only 500 feet of elevation change, for “flatlanders” at altitude you know it. Logan Pass is at 6,900 feet so we got near 7,400, good exercise. Oh, if you want to go down the lake it is just another mile and a 900 foot drop. That means climb 1 foot for every 10 feet coming up. During the hike up we were treated to herd of 5 Big Horn Sheep grazing. They were close enough to enjoy without being spooked by all the people, as this is a busy trail. Because of the heavy foot traffic, the park has made a portion of this a boardwalk with steps. The problem is the steps are not standard height and I think it is more work than a regular grade. After Hidden Lake we headed for St. Mary’s Falls which was an easy 1.1 miles hike, downhill. Opps you need to go up to get home forgot to tell Marilyn that. Anyhow a beautiful falls, and well worth the effort. Coming out I spotted a tree where a bear had ripped off the bark and left his claw marks behind. A good reminder we are in Black and Grizzly Bear country, as the signs remind you. Wish I would have bought the Bear Bell. We traveled to a section of the park call Two Medicine, again with a view of a beautiful mountain lake and a short hike to Running Eagle Falls. You will see a tremendous amount a water coming out a hole in the cliff wall. During spring runoff, water actually comes over the top of the wall as well. Our last big hiking adventure began in a section of the park call Many Glaciers. Here you can find many trailheads to several Glaciers. Our hike took us around 2 beautiful lakes, Swiftcurrent and Josephine, to the trailhead to Grinnell Glacier Lake. During hike we spotted a cow moose grazing in the lake. First time we have seen on in the wild. Grinnell Lake is feed with water from the Glaciers and has that beautiful aqua color along with a cream color caused by the Glaciers. Other than the 52 degree weather, 30 miles per hour winds, and some rain, it was a great 5.4 mile journey. Oh, after looking for bears, which are a really issue, we were driving back from Many Glaciers and a 300 lb Black Bear jumped the guardrail in front of us and crossed the road like he owned it. We were a 1/2 mile from the coach. Marilyn was on the phone with her sister who must have thought we were crazy. Go figure. |
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