Currently near Glacier National Park
Heading to Idaho later today!
We did a couple of great hikes in the National Park with Michael. First, the John's Lake/ Lower McDonald Creek Trail on the west side. Here's the guys getting to the trailhead.
The reflection on the lake is so pretty. Even on a cloudy day.
The Creek had a lot more activity. Michael put his hand in some glacier water.
Going to the Sun Road was closed at Jackson Glacier. So we took a moment to enjoy the overlook.
There are only 25 of the original 150 glaciers left in the Park. This photo was taken on a different day - when it was sunny!
We went to the St. Mary entrance on the East side of the Park (a 2 hour drive) to check out a hike to the Falls. First, the St. Mary Falls..
We also saw some Bear Grass on this hike. Lots of great wild flowers here.
We tried to continue to the Virginia Falls but got turned back on account of rain.
There were numerous vistas on the East side of the Park. This was my favorite - Wild Goose Island at St. Mary Lake.
Our first Grizzly Bear showed up on our way out of the Park. Luckily, we were not close - it was on a hill across the road. In the photo below it is a brown dot almost right in the center of the screen.
The following day we decided to do the Grinnel Glacier hike. We knew it would be challenging, but we were ready. It was nearly a 3 hour drive from our campground in Kalispell, but a beautiful trip. We saw the "Big Sky" of Montana! We also realized we were in Blackfeet territory. The Blackfeet had a run in with Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery, so interesting to circle back to that part of American history.
Once we got in the Park, we saw our second Grizzly! None of us got a photo. It was much closer than the one from the previous day. And I was scolded (by my son) when I got out of the car for a photo. The bear ran off right after that. But we all saw it!
Less than a mile into our hike, we saw the third bear - a black bear when we turned the corner. We had to wait until he was finished with his lunch because he was on the trail at one point.
These beautiful Paintbrush flowers were all along the trail. Aren't they gorgeous agains the blue Montana sky?
Johnny saw a ripple in Lake Josephine and Michael's young eyes spotted a moose at the edge of the water. It was huge! The antlers were already big, and it's still early in the season.
The trail was steep in some spots.
And wet in other areas. I started to count the streams/waterfalls we crossed and I think it was over 30, one way.
Success!
The views are spectacular. The color of the lake water shows the purity of the water.
It's hard to tell the difference between the snow and the glaciers, but the one right under the jagged rocks is for sure a glacier.
Although Johnny and I stopped the hike at the hazard sign, Michael decided to trudge on in an attempt to actually see the glacier. But the snow got deep and came back before he saw it.
And of course we looked around the historic hotel at Glacier. Actually, there are a few at this Park, so we looked around the Many Glaciers Hotel. All of the historic hotels in this Park are in the Swiss chalet style.
The best part is the porch that overlooks Swiftcurrent Lake!
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