Glacier National Park

I arrived in Glacier National Park on Monday (8/4) afternoon. I got lucky and found one of the last campsites available at Avalanche Lake. One my camp was pitched I decided to explore the nearby lake. The hike to Avalanche Lake was an easy 2.5 miles each way and provided amazing views of the lake and surrounding peaks and waterfalls.

Tuesday I made the 3 mile hike to Hidden Lake and was greeted by several mountain goats along the way. Hidden Lake was gorgeous...and teeming with spawning trout. Normally the 6 mile round trip would have only taken me 2 hours or so, but I got caught by several elderly folk on the way back that wanted to chat...extending my hike by another 2 hours. But, I learned alot about hunting in Montana and Wyoming. After the hike I decided to head to the other side of the park (Many Glaciers area) and stopped for lunch at a great diner along the way - Two Sisters. One in the Many Glaciers area I jumped on the trail to Iceberg Lake, a 10 mile round trip hike up into the mountains with hopes of catching a glimpse of some bears and moose. I passed several other day hikers along the way who had spotted a bull moose, but when I arrived at the prescribed location, no moose was to be found. I trudged along to Iceberg Lake and was glad to stop for a bit and soak my feet in the icy waters. Even with air temperatures well above 80 degrees, icebergs littered the crystal clear blue waters. While resting, I also spotted several mountain goats precariously climbing the dangerously steep inclines of the peaks surrounding the lake. When I returned to the trailhead I was changing my shoes before getting in my car and I spotted a mother grizzly and her cub walking towards the trail I had just exited. I tried to quietly follow them (at a safe distance) but quickly lost them in the thick brush.

On Wednesday I decided to do one more hike before leaving the park and heading towards Seattle for my little brother's wedding. I decided to try the Highline Trail, a 13 mile hike to the Glacier Park Chalet. I was completely exhausted afterwards, but had plenty of time to rest on teh bus ride from the end of the trail back to Logan Pass where I had parked my car. I then left Glacier National Park with hopes of making it into Washington before calling it quits for the day.