Morning broke with light rain that continued, as no more than a mild irritant, for several hours into our drive to Glacier National Park. That was a good thing as the route we took had 80 mph interstates and 70 mph state roads. We needed to take advantage of the speed allowed us. The cloud layer did make for an interesting view. We were on a relatively flat terrain and, when I looked across the harvested wheat fields, the clouds were layered no more than 50 feet or so over the fields. When we ascended a hill we were in the middle of water-droplet soup. Not fun at 70 mph. That slowed us down a little, but it didn't last long.
Central and northern Montana is all wheat fields ... as far as the eye can see in all directions. The fields were generally harvested with the only evidence the golden colored stubble. Probably about 10% were already seeded in what we guessed was winter wheat.
As we moved toward the mountains, the flat fields turned to untended and unfenced rolling plains. We often saw small groups of cattle grazing in these areas with signs along the road announcing "Range Cattle". They weren't bothering anyone as they were well away from the road. That changed on our drive to the hotel along the more forested foothills. Cattle were seen all throughout the forests but the ones of concern were those eating roadside (or lying on the berm). These were well-fed cattle to be sure.
But the main event today was Glacier ... and it was awe-inspiring. Since we had to drive 4 hours just to get there, we had a short day to spend in the park. The main entrance is at St Mary, MT and leads to the Going to the Sun Road that traverses the park. A second entrance is farther north - only 10 miles from Canada - at Many Glacier. It has a historic hotel and multiple trailheads. Many Glacier was our destination today.
We entered the park via a river valley with a view up the valley to glaciers and waterfalls beyond.
Then we reached Many Glacier Hotel which overlooks Swiftcurrent Lake, where we had a lunch of excellent bison chili.
Our original plan was to hike a portion of Grinnell Lake Trail after riding boats that cut the hike from 7.1 miles to about 3 miles. But the boats were sold out. So we took off along Swiftcurrent Lake, along a stream and partially to the end of Lake Josephine. At that point, it was getting to be time to leave toward the hotel, so we retraced our steps back to the hotel parking lot. Our hike totaled about 4 miles. Below are some photos from the hike.
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| Swiftcurrent Lake |
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| Swiftcurrent Lake |
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| Swiftcurrent Lake |
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| Susan with her bear spray in hand |
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| Stream between the lakes |
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| Lake Josephine |
We left Glacier and had a 90 minute drive to the hotel. We went the most direct route that went past St. Mary, tomorrow's destination. We planned to use that same route but learned it had 2 problems. First, it was under construction for 11 miles and down to dirt for all of it. Second, part of the route was a scenic drive through some small mountains. The curves hugged the mountainside and the roads had no guard rails. Needless to say, Susan wasn't a happy camper. I retained hope it would take the edge off for the big test of the Going to the Sun Road tomorrow.
Our hotel was a historic structure having been built by the Great Northern Railroad in 1913. Railroad hotels back in those days were top of the line establishments. But things change. The hotel remained beautiful with a great and huge lobby and fireplace. The guestrooms were less opulent. The shower stall was literally the size of a phone booth. The beds were likely considered to be excellent in 1913 but my back said they weren't so great in 2019. Someday I'll learn that "historic" means "rustic". We had the restaurant's special for dinner - pot roast. It wasn't special. But we finished the meal off with delicious huckleberry ice cream - 2 scoops each.
Before I conclude this day, Susan has requested - demanded actually - that I include some photos she took of the flower boxes at the Many Glacier Hotel.
Susan’s quote of the day: “I think I'm gonna throw up." This was in response to her first sighting of the mountains in Glacier as shown below. For those that don't know, she has great fear of heights (and grizzlies). We tested that fear today with a drive on a scenic highway that climbed the front mountains. We climbed the entire time in the outside lane of a road with no guardrails and with sheer drop-offs. She survived. Tomorrow is Going to the Sun Road as a final exam.
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| Susan's first glimpse |
The highlights - Glacier.
The regrets - Not staying closer to Glacier.
Today's total miles - 231
Today's miles from start to destination - 173
Today's miles on side trips - 58
Today's miles driven by Paul - 231
Today's miles driven by Susan - 0
Today's hours in car - 5 1/2
Total Miles Hiked - 4.0
Cumulative total miles - 2,799
Cumulative miles from start to destination - 2,466
Cumulative miles on side trips - 333
Cumulative miles driven by Paul - 2,434
Cumulative miles driven by Susan - 365
Cumulative hours in car - 48
Cumulative Miles Hiked - 8.5
Cumulative miles on side trips - 333
Cumulative miles driven by Paul - 2,434
Cumulative miles driven by Susan - 365
Cumulative hours in car - 48
Cumulative Miles Hiked - 8.5
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