Road Trip: Big Day at Glacier

From Cory's travel journal (revised)

Sunday, 6/9/13

7:39AM Mountain Time- We are getting ready for breakfast in what is surely the coolest place on earth.  We are surrounded by snow-dotted mountains on all sides and are set up in sight of deep, blue, glacial Two Medicine Lake.  The lake is fed by snowmelt which can be seen cascading down the mountainsides and into streams in the valleys below. 

View from the campsite

Making oatmeal in the charcoal chimney stove

Great breakfast after a 30 degree night in a tent

One of the trail heads

Follow the break for the rest of the entry and many more photos.




For breakfast we made a big pot of hot oatmeal and a can of peaches.  It was cold last night and a hot, filling breakfast is just what the doctor ordered.  We are packing lunches for a big hike today, and we're very excited.  

5:15PM- What a day!  Now we are in Glacier Park town just outside the park.  There is no cell phone service in our campsite, so we ventured in to make some calls and get some supplies for tomorrow.  We went for a killer hike today up to Scenic Point.  The trail is 6.2 miles round trip with a climb of 2350 feet from the trail head.  We saw several bighorn sheep on the trail, including one blocking our way back on the trail!  We gave him a wide berth and he cautiously walked by.  We named him Wilfred.

One sheep

Wilfred the path-blocking sheep

On the way up, we took pictures of Appistoki Falls on the trail. Earlier, we visited Running Eagle Falls, an easy hike from the road to a beautiful double waterfall.

Running Eagle Falls

Closer look at Running Eagle.  Look closely to see the upper
waterfall and the hole in the rock with the lower fall.

Going to Running Eagle

Appistoki Falls

More Appistoki

Appistoki from above

The big hike was strenuous (for us) going up.  We passed from wooded valley lands to small, sparse trees, to going above the treeline completely.  We walked over crumbling rocks, climbed over and around boulders, and even trudged through some snow patches to get to the top.

Getting near the top

View of Two Medicine Lake halfway up

Just about to the edge!

Looking over the top

Walking back down before lunch, cool perspective

Highest view of the lake.  The campground is on the banks
of the tiny lake on the right of this photo

We couldn't actually get to the very top of the trail because the last stretch was blocked by a steep and dangerous snowfield on the back side of the mountain peak.  We still got a great view and were almost blown off the edge by the insane driving winds on top of this mountain.  Just after coming down from the very top, we took shelter in some scrubby trees and had our packed lunch.  The climb took a little more than two hours.  The descent took less than one hour, amazing what that elevation can do.  Speaking of elevation, it was a new experience for us to feel cold, hot, sunburned, and extremely thirsty all at the same time.

Lunch at the top

Walking down through the June snowpack

After the hike, I did some fishing in the lake.  I used a rooster tail spinner, but couldn't get the bait out to the deeper water. The water was so clear that I could see to the bottom in the shallow water, and I didn't spot any fish in that shallow water. It was a nice relaxing afternoon after a strenuous morning.

Soup disaster-  After we came back from town, we got to work making soup.  We cut up an onion, carrots, and potato.  We sauteed them in some oil over my charcoal cooker.  We poured some pre-boiled water with a can of tomatoes, a can of green beans, and some seasonings in with the veggies, and brought it to a boil.  Unfortunately, one of the seasonings we put in was a packet of spices we had not yet tried, and it was WAY to hot for us.  We gamely tried to eat what should have been a delicious soup, but our mouths and faces were on fire.  Sadly, we couldn't eat the rest.


To lift our spirits, we went to a ranger talk at the amphitheater about grizzlies in the park.  The information was interesting and very useful, even though we had already been hiking right through bear country.  After the talk, we got out the guitar until quiet hours and turned in for another chilly night.
  

Frog enjoying the last evening at Glacier