Glacier National Park

All But Gone, They Are

By Time2Geaux Unplugged

September 10^th, 2019

“A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.” -Moslih Eddin Saadi

Glacier National Park was a much-anticipated destination but a harder nut to crack than expected. Most of the glaciers that shaped the park are gone and it is expected that within the next 25 years all glaciers will disappear in the park. After we decoded the secrets of exploring Glacier, we had a wonderful time and found several really nice hikes and got up-close and personal with several mountain goats, in fact we had to move off the trail as they passed by.

I also ran into a childhood friend from my hometown who was with his wife on vacation. Steve Pike and his wife Stephanie were visiting the park on their fly-fishing vacation. The fact that we were able to connect so far from home, shows some of the positive changes made by social media and the Internet!

We also made friends at the RV park we stayed at, two other groups were camping in the same brand camper as us and we joined up for a fireside evening chat. One couple were from Gonzales, Louisiana and are now full-time RVing. This is near our hometown of Baton Rouge…such a small world!

Going to the Sun Loop

The famous “Going to the Sun” highway over Logan Pass starts at West Glacier and and ends at Saint Mary Visitor Center which is a classic Glacier NP route. There are two routes to Logan Pass and we heard that driving our dually truck would not be possible because we were over the posted length. Starting at West Glacier we drove to Avalanche, where we parked and took a free shuttle over part of the road due to restrictions with vehicle size. Parking was tough everywhere but the shuttle dropped us off at Logan Pass where we hiked the Hidden Lake trail. The returned to Avalanche via the shuttle bus. While the road would have been tight we felt we could have driven our long bed dually over that section between Avalanche and Logan Pass. It would not have been enjoyable but the classic red Glacier tour busses drive it daily. The road from St Mary visitor center to Logan pass does not have this same size restrictions but parking at Logan Pass can be challenging but doable if you wait for spot to open up or go very early in the morning.

On the Hidden Lake Trail we were greeted with our first encounter of mountain goats, and what an encounter! There was a baby that had strayed from its mother and joined up with some of the other members of the herd but not his mother…he was not happy and keep calling for her. We have looked for mountain goats for over a year and this is the first time we have seen them and they gave us quite a show! We were so happy to finally get to see them and what better place than Glacier where they are the park mascot.

The Hidden Lake trail was a nice climb up mostly boardwalks and well-established trails but that didn’t stop the kids from getting into the icefields and throwing snowballs. It is fun to watch the kids have fun regardless of the place. We were also graced with alpine flowers on the trail. This year was a special year because the bear grass was in full bloom see picture below. (white puffy flowers) We were told that the bears love to graze on them since they are in the corn family. We also found out that this is a one in seven-year cycle so we were sure to get ‘the shot’ of that white flowering alpine decoration.

Alpine meadow at Logan Pass, Hidden Lake Trail

Mt Pollock from Logan Pass, bear grass in foreground

Downstream of Sacred Dancing Cascades on upper McDonald Creek

Jeff at Weeping Wall on Going to the Sun road

Jackson Glacier on Going to the Sun Highway near Logan Pass

Mountain Goats on Hidden Lake Trail at Logan Pass

Swiftcurrent Trail at Many Glacier

After lunch at the Swiftcurrent Café at Many Glacier we hiked the Swiftcurrent trail and got our first look at a grizzle in the wild! We were blessed to have a lake between us and him so we felt safe to enjoy the view and take pictures as he worked his way down the shoreline towards the woods. He was majestic! The moose that was feeding in the lake keep a keen eye on him until he disappeared into the woods and then any noise made her stop and watch. You could tell that even though she was in the middle of a lake she was still careful.

We continued to hike on to Red Rock Lake and the falls that feed the lake from the remains of the Swiftcurrent Glacier. The red rocks of the Grinnell Formation were very different from other rock formations we had seen and the moraine pushed up that formed the falls was a joy to climb. This is where I was able to gather enough information to create a special type of geocache called an Earth Cache. If you are a geocacher feel free to have a look at GC8D6DH.

Deciding that the next part of the trail had a lot of elevation gain and was less scenic we decided to call it a day and head back. When we arrived back we enjoyed talking to one of the red Glacier buses, remodeled Ford 1930’s that tour the park with a roll-back top that riders stand up to see mountains when stopped, reminds one of the ‘whack a mole’ game played at fairs.

Grizzly Bear on Fishercap Lake on Swiftcurrent Trail

Moose feeding in Fishercap Lake on Swiftcurrent Trail

Native American Dancing!

We attended a Native American dance demonstration hosted by the BlackFeet Indian Reservation that shares an eastern border with the park. This is their native lands and they support the park because it protects their ancestral lands forever. Not only did we see traditional dance they preformed for us, they also perform at a Pow Wows. We also learned a lot about their history and traditions. The two girls were the granddaughters of the leader and older gentlemen. His Son was a dancer also but had passed away a few years back and the other performers were teachers in the local schools.

The Blackfeet keep a buffalo (American Bison) herd on the reservation to help preserve their traditions. Their lands were vast and we visited the reservations daily to grocery shop and pick up supplies. They were friendly and welcoming but we found that the reservations appeared to be impoverished and the homes were lacking in care. Dogs roamed free and we noticed tons of broken vehicles in the yards. Over all we noticed a strong family focus and love of the culture and history.

Blackfoot Dance program at St Mary Visitor Center

Drummers at Blackfoot Dance program at St Mary Visitor Center

Buffalo (Bison) heard on Blackfeet Reservation near East Glacier

What we Learned:

· Glacier is a hard nut to crack. After Gasper and Banff where everything is laid out along the Icefield Parkway are well defined as places that are must see.