Glacier National Park

From Karen:

As we left Bozeman, we saw ever more glorious landscape......we got tantalizing peeks at the mountains to which we were headed.  You can really see in some of these pictures why Montana is known for it's BIG SKY.

The term "starkly beautiful" seemed to come to mind as we traveled along.  We passed many fields of horses, and I wondered to myself if this was the land where "The Horse Whisperer" was filmed.  I couldn't remember if it was Montana or Wyoming, but it didn't really matter.  I was just pondering as we rolled along.

As we approached Glacier National Park, on the east side at the St. Mary's entrance, there were random cows everywhere......they actually warned us about them at the lodge we stayed in.  We saw what I call "miniature" birch trees, which were amazing.

But the incredibly sad part as we got closer and closer to our destination was the devastation we encountered just before we got there.  I happened to be on the phone with Megan as we approached St. Mary's, and she googled it for me.  Glacier National Park consists of over a million acres.  In 2003, a forest fire burned over 10% of the park; more than 100,000 acres.  It was shocking to see, and I hadn't been that upset about such devastation since two years ago when we were returning home from Pennsylvania with Emily and came across the Mass Turnpike.  The damage we saw from the ice storm of 2008 was beautifully devastating, if that makes any sense.  It was like the world had been turned into a crystal ice land.  This scenery gave me much the same feeling.
We arrived at St. Mary's Lodge, which was so beautiful.  We checked in to our room and we absolutely loved it!  This was one of our splurge places to stay.

We decided to take a drive up to Logan Pass via the "Going to the Sun" road, as it was actually fairly nice out and it was going to be really cold, cloudy and rainy the next day.  We were so glad we did as it was just beautiful.  At Logan Pass, we hiked a 3 mile loop called the Hidden Lake Overlook trail......at the end of which you finally got to Hidden Lake!   The climb was not too strenuous, and it was fun as about a third of it was on boardwalk.  We got glimpses of the glacier pieces as we walked higher and higher up. 

The glaciers in the park have been receding for about 60 years, and they predict that by 2030, there won't be any left.  There were hardly any there that we could see.  I guess once the glaciers melt, there will be left a park with beautiful mountains and lakes and trails.

Now you'll just have to imagine the biting cold, the smells of evergreen, the feeling of exhilaration as you climb up and up and up........and the little surprises along the way!

This was Jackson Glacier, one of the larger glaciers.

We loved everything we were seeing and experiencing, and lucky for us, someone gave us a head's up about something waiting for us right around the corner!

As we came back down the trail toward the visitor center, the light was ever-changing, and we just stood in awe at what was before us......truly we were experiencing heaven on earth!

We slowly made our way down the boardwalk, content with all we had just seen and looking forward to another day at Glacier National Park.

~Karen

On the road to the sun..and the fog

From Mike:

Traveling up from Bozeman to Glacier National park on Route 287 was like entering another world.  The camera could not capture the vastness of seeing prairie as far as the eye can see--without even a house or road or city--bordered far away in the west by the huge mountains of the Rockies, without even foothills.   We kept stopping to take pictures but to no avail.  The 360 degree effect just can't be captured.   If you ever make it to Glacier National Park, I strongly suggest this route (Bozeman to the St. Mary entrance via 287). It is almost like make-believe it is so beautiful.

Glacier National Park

    Arriving at Glacier National Park at around 2:00 p.m. we had a chance to enter the park and go the 17 miles to Logan Pass on the Going to the Sun Road.   It took us quite awhile because every stop had breath taking photos.  The glaciers had carved the mountains into unbelievable formations. There was construction at the top, which was fine by me, as we had to wait on the narrow road for the pilot car to lead us up.  I was thankful only one lane of cars were allowed to go up at a time.  One foot stone guard rails over huge cliffs did not seem that reassuring. The scenery was amazing.  When we arrived at Logan Pass I had planned on venturing a bit down the Highline trail, but instead we found the boarded walkways beginning the trail up to Hidden Lake.    Breathtaking views were an understatement.

Traveling to Apgar Village across the Going to the Sun Road

     We awoke on Thursday 9/9 to rain and clouds.  After much doubt and some reassuring words from the rangers at the St. Mary's visitors center that the roads were not icy (it was 39) we decided to make the trip across to Apgar Village via the Going to the Sun Road.  The trip was not the same trip as the previous day.  When we arrived at the construction we were totally fogged in.  The construction workers had us put on our flashers so the cars behind us could see us.  There is one thing worse than travelling on a narrow road with a cliff on one side, and that is knowing it is there but not being able to see it.  The construction had removed even the guard stones in some places. My passenger was not too happy with me.  The pilot car led us up through the construction. We decided not to stop a Logan--so the Highline trail will have to wait until the next visit.

    Coming down was another story.  Meeting the classic Glacier red buses on  a corner with a piece of cliff on my right and nothing but air on my left was an exercise in faith...and a lot of hope.   But the views, even with the cloud cover, were spectacular.

Hiking the Trail of Cedars

The one hike we did today was the Trail of Cedars. This popular trail  (.8 of a mile) is entirely wheelchair accessible. In the mist it felt like stepping back in time.

Finally, we made our way out to Apgar Village, stopping at some of the falls along the way.

At Lake McDonald Lodge we stopped and had lunch. A fitting end to our Glacier visit.

Cheers to all!

We stayed the evening in Kalispell, 45 minutes from the West Entrance.
Tomorrow, on to Spokane!

--Mike