Day 7: July 8, 2012 by Jenn

Today started off nice and early to pack up our site and hike to Grinnel Lake. We have the packing thing down to 2 hours including coffee, breakfast, and doing the dishes. Pretty good!

Our hike to Grinnel Lake from the trailhead was about 3.5 miles one way and climbed 60 feet. :) Much better than yesterday! It was a clear day. The water was a beautiful turquoise blue and reflected the mountain scene. As we got closer to the lake, we headed into dense wood/swamp. At one point, we crossed a suspension bridge that could carry only one hiker at a time. The views from Grinnel Lake were great - you could see Salamander Glacier but no views of Grinnel Glacier. At one point, many years ago, these two glaciers were one in the same. We thought pretty hard about attempting the trek to where the trail ended for Grinnel Glacier (due to snow hazard) but then we noticed the switchbacks up the hill/mountain and we decided, instead, to head back. It was a wise choice, I think, because today was another hot one - at one point, our car thermometer read 91 degrees! After a picnic at the trailhead (PB&J subs), we started our trek to West Glacier. This gave me quite a bit of reading time which lead us to learn that the spectacular Beargrass we've seen everywhere only blooms once every 3-5 years. No wonder people are so crazy about it!

On the way to Grinnel Lake 

Crossing a creek on a suspension bridge...one person at a time!

Salamander Glacier is the top strip of snow.  Grinnel Glacier is on the other side of the shadowed mountain on the left.  

While we drove passed Logan Pass, we took in the views heading west. They are so different headed the opposite direction! We also noticed that the Weeping Wall had significantly more water falling today than last Monday. All of this abnormally warm weather has really made the snow melt. We also noticed more avalanche paths in the high mountains. 

We hit up the gift shops again and - luckily - the print we had wanted the other day was still at the shop. Whew! When you see so many great things, it's hard to know when to purchase what. We arrived in Belton around 3:15 and we were able to check into the Belton Chalet. The lobby greeted us with a great smell of rustic wood, big rugs, and dark furniture. The great old lodge feel. Our room is small... but bigger than our tent. The simple decor continues in here, room 26, and we have great views of the mountains. Our deck and rocking chairs are great too, but it's too hot to sit out there now. 

Hello bed.  We've missed you.

Sunset view from our balcony.  Apgar Mountain on the right.

Fitting in and fully enjoying the rocking chairs.

The Belton Chalet is in the same Swiss style as the others we've seen. In fact, it was the first Great Northern Railway hotel in the Glacier National Park area. Still today, trains pass through Belton (and at the foot of our hotel) often. The hotel was built in 1910 within months of the park's opening. And unfortunately, it got run down and went unused for 50 years, until it was bought in 1997. Three years of restorative work and it was up and running again. Much of the arts and crafts era furniture was kept and restored too. We feel pretty lucky to be able to stay in such a great, historic place. 

For dinner, we ate at the hotel's Tap Room. Still the great decor and the original wainscoting. Delicious food too. Now we're sprawled out on what feels like our king sized, full sized bed, waiting for our deck to cool so I can beat Geoffrey in yet another game of Cribbage. We both agree this is a prefect way to end our trip. 

Day 6: July 7, 2012 by Geoff

Yet another beautiful day.  Today we went down to Two Medicine area of the park.  It's in the Southeast corner of the park and not nearly as many people visit this part of the park.  After talking with the ranger yesterday, we decided to hike to Scenic Point.  It's 3.1 miles each way with 2,300 ft of elevation gain so we knew it was going to be difficult.  But man, was it difficult!  The first half mile was in the trees but everything after that was pretty exposed.  It was a hot day with very little clouds so the heat just reflected off of the rocks, making the climb that much harder.  On our way up, we saw a big horn sheep and a marmot.  Both were friendly and posed for a long time to have their photos taken.

The trees were bare through the hike - a disease killed them off years ago and left a graveyard of wood.
Beautiful sight, though!

Big Horn Sheep

Marmot posing for the camera

There were countless switchbacks to the top of "the dome" where we could see for about 50 miles or more!  It's really hard to describe in words what it was like.

View to the Southeast

View to the North and Two Medicine Lake 

On the way back down Jenn got "a little" sun burned and we decided to get better hats for hiking.  In all, it took 5.25 hours for the 6.2 mile round trip.  To celebrate making it to Scenic Point, we both had a beer and ice cream sandwich at Two Medicine General Store.  It was so tasty!  

From there, we made the 1.5 hour drive back to our campsite and made creamy broccoli tuna helper.  It's amazing how good pasta and fish taste even when it's made at the campsite.  It's about 8:30pm now and we're hunkered down in the tent waiting for a mountain thunderstorm to pass.  The wind sounds really cool coming down the mountains before it gets to us.  Luckily, it's not raining too hard...yet.  That's it for now.  Tomorrow we hike to Grinell Lake.  

Big hats to cover our ears, neck and faces better.  Or maybe to just  fit in. :)

Sunset at our campsite before the thunderstorm rolled in.

Oh, I forgot to mention the best line ever!  The ranger at Logan Pass, who had suggested Scenic Point, said to "take two pairs of socks because the views will knock your socks off."  He wasn't kidding!

Day 5: July 6, 2012 by Jenn

The day after yesterday.  This morning we slept in and took our time doing much of anything since we had designated today as a "rest day".  Another beautiful day with clear skies.  


We decided to head to Logan Pass again today and do an "easy" hike to Hidden Lake Lookout.  We first had lunch in the parking lot and got on our way around 12:30.  The whole trail, basically, was covered in snow.  After yesterday, we figured "piece of Norske Nook pie" - it was only 1.5 miles one way and 700 ft or so of climbing.  Up we went through a bunch of snow.  


Soon, though, our "piece of Norske Nook pie" became difficult when we had to pass the side of the mountain.  I was terrified but, of course, Geoff passed it easily.  I was near tears and ready to turn around...if only I could figure out how.  Then, a very nice man shared a trekking pole with me till the end.  WHEW.  It took a bit of mental recovery but then I was able to enjoy the views.  In all, we were at about 7,000 ft elevation and could see for many, many miles.  The way back was slightly easier and I was happy to be back on pavement.  

Classic photo op at Logan Pass off of the Going to the Sun Road

Hey look, the boardwalk we were supposedly walking on the whole time to Hidden Lake Overlook!

Hidden Lake

Mountain Goat Mom and Baby

After this, we decided to be touristy and hit the gift shops.  We also spoke to another ranger to narrow down our hikes and we're glad we did.  While many trails are open, they are still very dangerous ones that cross snow fields and avalanche paths.  We have chosen our final hikes - Scenic Point in Two Medicine, Grinnel Lake and - depending on how tired our legs are - Apgar or Huckleberry Lookouts on the West side of the park.  We decided to stick to the East side camps and trails.  While we know we're missing out on "variety", we're seeing spectacular sights and we have been very pleased with our choices!

Tonight we splurged and showered, with plans to eat at Many Glacier Hotel as they just opened up their dining room after one year of renovations.  Walking into the hotel was already great - big log poles and in true "Swiss" style.  There were great photos lining the walls of the glaciers "then and now".  Most of the first photos taken were between 1910-1915, the most recent in the 2000's.  Shocking, to say the least.  Also, the hotel itself has beautiful views of Swiftcurrent Lake with the mountains and glaciers behind.  

When we finally got to the dining room, we were not disappointed.  Modern, but still with a "lodge" fell.  The food was delicious, too.  I had Rocky Mountain trout and Geoff had bison chili and duck with huckleberries for dinner.  For desert, we had huckleberry ice cream.  YUM!  It's been great to camp, but it's nice to treat ourselves here and there, too.  

A pretty darn good attempt at a panoramic of St. Mary's Lake

The dining hall inside of Many Glacier.  Look for Jenn in the photo!

After dinner, we came back to camp.  Let it be known that on this date at about 9:00pm, Geoff has officially handed over all fire starting to me, the Girl Scout (over the Indian Guide :) ).  Boxed wine by the fire before tucking in for the night.  Another great end to another great day!

Day 4: July5, 2012 by Geoff

Today started out as a transitional day from Waterton Park, Canada, back to Glacier NP. But it turned out to be so much better. We decided to get a campsite at Many Glacier campground just north of St. Mary, but in the heart of the mountains. We were thinking of staying somewhere else for another night, but after arriving and picking out an awesome site, we decided to stay for three. We're along the shores of a river and surrounded by mountains. The views are amazing! 

Our campsite

Today it was Iceberg Lake. It was a 5 mile hike  (each way) from our campground, gaining 1200 feet to a lake at the base of a head wall (at 6000 feet). As we climbed up out of the valley and up to close to the treeline, the views got better and better. And since we're still early in the season, the lake was actually still frozen over! So we didn't get to see the pretty blue lake and icebergs, but it was still pretty cool. Also, the last 1/2 mile up to the lake was snow covered, so that was a fun experience too. Besides the spectacular views, the wildflowers are blooming, making for very pretty alpine meadows. 

Luckily for us, Beargrass, a member of the Lilly family, is in bloom this year

The lake is still another mile away!

A bull moose we saw on the way to Iceberg Lake

 Oh-how could I forget to mention the grizzly bear we saw on the way to the campground! It was up on a hill above the road eating a carcass. And close enough that you didn't need binoculars (actually, it was about 150 feet away!) And since we're talking about wildlife, we also saw a big bull moose on the valley floor, while on our hike.  It was pretty far away, but still able to see it. 

Since today was so nice, we were finally able to make a fire - and roast hot dogs (great after a long hike) and marshmallows. We had pasta salad with the hot dogs too. And while I was making the pasta, Jenn spotted another grizzly on the opposite side of the river from our campsite. By the time I went to see it, it was gone, but that's pretty close company. Now we're just sitting and enjoying the fire before we head to bed. 


Editor's note: The final 1 mile up to Iceberg  Lake was snow covered, not 1/2 mile.

Day 3: July 4, 2012 by Jenn

Last night's winds were wild. They kept us up most of the night. The 40mph gust of wind turned into continuous gusts that howled down the mountainside. We asked the ranger this morning how high the winds actually got and they said 50-60mph! Our tent survived but we hardly slept. Upon closer inspection, one of the poles got bent. Still windy today, but nothing like last night. 

Today's plan was to head to Waterton, Alberta, Canada. We got up early - 6:30AM - and packed up the site and made breakfast. On our way to Waterton we saw, what we think, were two grey wolves in a prairie. They looked bigger than coyotes and we think they killed a horse that was laying on its side, not too far away. They ran when they knew they were spotted, but we still got a couple of photos. 

My "Sniper Lens" caught the shot

We got through customs with no problems but had to dump our firewood. It's my first time here, but not Geoff's. The views in the town center were great. One side is rolling hills and prairie and the other side is mountains. Were supposed to go on the International Peace Hike but it got cancelled, as the guides felt it to be unsafe with high streams. 

On top of Bears Hump

Instead, we climbed up Bears Hump. It was really steep - 738 feet of elevation gain - and short - .9 miles up to the top. It was really windy at the top, but the views were worth it! Upper Waterton Lake was framed perfectly. 

Geoff next to a tree's roots (tree is on it's side)

Crossing into British Columbia!

Next we decided to hike to Wall Lake, per the ranger's recommendation. She had said that this miraculous natural occurrence (forgot the name) happened recently, where extremely high winds cam down the slopes and took out many trees. Apparently it's the thing to see, since it happens about every three hundred years. So, We hopped in the car and drove through the park. We parked at the Akamina Pass Trailhead and we were on our way. The first mile or so was very uphill, but then it leveled out a bit more. We hiked through pine forests for over three miles until the forest opened up. Oh - I should mention we crossed into Akamina-Kishnena Provincial Park in British Columbia. Anyways, the view was awesome. Wall Lake looks just like you'd imagine - the lake is surrounded by a wall of mountain rock with plenty of snow. When we reached the waters edge we found what the ranger was talking about. Massive pines were uprooted from the ground and on their side. The breaks were still very new and blocked the very end of the trail. So far, this was our favorite hike. In all, it was 6.5 miles long and climbed 361 feet. My legs are getting sore, but we had hiked 8.5 miles today!

Wall Lake

Waterton Townsite Campsite

After the hike we went back to Waterton Townsite to check in. We had reserved a campsite already. It ended up being right next to the bathrooms and shower, but the views were still great.  After our site was set, we walked through the small town here and showered for the first time since Sunday. You forget how good a shower can feel! 


Now we're just basking in the sun and enjoying the views and the company. Life is good!

Day 2: July 3rd, 2012, written by Geoff

Rain clouds coming over the mountains towards our campsite 

Today is supposed the coolest of the week.  The high was about 52 degrees with periods of rain and high winds.  Some nice sun came through every so often and helped keep it "warm enough".  It took a little longer this morning to get ready but it's the first day of being at the park.  Once we got our breakfast organized, we made some scrambled eggs and sausage links.  Pretty good and super easy to make.  Thank goodness for disposable foam coolers.  We also picked up some good dark coffee yesterday.  Now that the perfect picture is painted, I can tell you that it was raining while I was making said eggs and coffee.  Not hard, but enough to make me work efficiently.  And then eat in the tent.  Once we cleaned up we were off to our first hike of the trip to see Virginia Falls.  

Nothing like a hot breakfast on a chilly and wet morning

 The trail head was on the Going to the Sun Road so getting there was easy and only a few minutes away.  The trail follows the northern shore of St. Mary Lake up to St. Mary Falls but we added a little extra on to see Baring Falls.  A little smaller but worth it.  St. Mary Falls was, well, amazing! The water was moving so fast and a bridge crossed so you could get a good view.  Virginia Falls was another mile further (also uphill). This water fall was taller than St. Mary Falls and well worth the extra distance.  So remember how I said it was raining during breakfast? We ate our PB & J bagel sandwich while hail fell. Yeah, it rained off and on for the whole hike, 5.6 miles in 3 hours.  We have good gear, but it's still rain.  On the way back to the trail head, it was nice to be able to smell all of the pine trees since it rained so much.  It kind of smelled like Christmas.  

St. Mary Falls

Taking shelter from hail but a view of Virginia Falls

Once back at the car we headed up to Logan Pass to check out the Visitor's Center.  It was pretty busy but one of those places that you have to stop at.  The winds, though, were crazy - 40+ miles per hour!  It was so strong you could get blown over if you weren't careful.  And on the way back we stopped at all of the turnouts so we could read about the park and take pictures.  By this time now it had stopped raining.  We were able to get a good picture of Jackson Glacier and Heavy Runner Mountain.  Since it was still only mid-afternoon, we went to the St. Mary Visitor Center to check it out, too.  They talked a lot about the Native Americans who had originally owned this land.  

Jackson Glacier.  We think the ultra white section in the middle is actually the  glacial section

It's a couple hours later and we're back at the campsite waiting out the next round of rain and planning dinner so we don't end up cooking in the rain.  That's it for now!  Oh - I forgot that we spotted a couple grizzlies by the campground!  

Close enough for us!

Day 1. July 2 2012, by Jenn

Arrived in Kalispell, MT at 1 pm. It was about 74 degrees and sunny - a great break from the recent hot weather in Madison! We rented a car and drove into town to pick up food, fuel for the stove, and a cooler.  After deciding what kind of dried food to eat for eight days (and searching high and low for boxed wine and Big Sky Brewing beer :) ) we set out to the Going To The Sun Rd.

Geoff drove the Ford Fusion and I held out the camera to catch all of the views. Holy cow! They got better and better as we got further in. Geoff was a brave and attentive driver... I only got nervous a few times. The road got more narrow up the hill but the views of the mountains kept opening up. 

Geoff being a good driver :)

Bird Woman Falls

View from almost the top...

About half way up, we encountered four big horn sheep strolling on the road.  It was a hilarious sight - they were in no hurry and obeyed most traffic laws.  When we reached Logan Pass, there was quite a bit of snow.  They only opened the whole road about a week and a half ago. We didn't stop - our hope was to get to our campsite soon since, by now, it was around 5pm.  5:30 says Geoff.  The views to St. Mary were different than before - mountains were more red and the trees seemed to be slightly different.  We noticed right away the burn region by St. Mary Lake.  A sad sight for sure, but it's good knowing there was new growth sprouting.  

Geoff is pretty darn good at setting up our "home"

We arrived at our campsite at St. Mary (C137) and boy did we luck out.  We have a site on the perimeter of the campground and the park.  It's quiet and we can hear the rushing of St. Mary River behind us.  There are wonderfully fragrant bushes surrounding our site - sort of like lilac.  

After we set up the site, we went into St. Mary and got firewood. Geoff thought it would be fun to eat at St. Mary Lodge on our first night.  Great views and the food was pretty good, too.  We came back to camp and started a fire.  Oh yeah- we met with a ranger at the Visitor Center.  She was great and we look forward to using her advise in the coming days...Anyways, the sun "set" over the mountains around 9:30pm but it's after 10pm and still bright.  We're hoping our early morning will help us sleep tonight and help us adjust to it all.  We're enjoying our boxed wine and each other's company - great "start" to vacation.  

View at night from our campsite towards the moon and mountains. 

 P.S. Geoffrey proposed two days ago and so we've been celebrating and savoring the days.  People joked that our trip would feel like a honeymoon...but it actually does. :)