Paranoid in Glacier

On our first day in Glacier we decided to check out Lake McDonald and then find a good hiking trail and squeeze in a hike before dinner.  We snapped some photos on the famous beach at Lake McDonald - the views are amazing, and the water is just as clear as we were told it would be.  

Charles at Lake McDonald

After checking out the trail map at the Ranger Station we set out for Avalanche Trail which was about 15 miles into the park on “Going to the Sun Road.”  We arrived at the trail head and debated on what we needed to bring with us on our hike.  Charles wanted to bring his nine iron, in case we came across a bear, but I told him that wasn’t necessary, plus we would look ridiculous hiking with a golf club.  So, we set off with just our cameras, some water, and a jacket.  We walked through some campsites and down a short trail that led through the cedars at the base of the mountain, it seemed pretty well populated and not a likely place where bears would hang out, I was feeling fine about this hike through bear country – even without the nine iron.  Then we got to the actual trail head and saw this sign: 

Bear and Mountain Lions frequenting the trail

I may be smiling in this picture, but I was a little freaked out after reading these signs.  But, we were in Glacier to hike and enjoy the scenery, so up we went.  The trail snaked along with the river, which was a beautiful blue green and freezing cold. 

There were still several other people on the trail, so I tried not to worry to much about surprising a bear or mountain lion.  I kept trying to come up with conversation topics to keep us talking loudly during the hike, but it is harder than you think to talk continuously while hiking.  As we went a little further and got away from the river, it seemed so quiet, too quiet, and shadowy, like there could be an animal lurking just above us in among all the trees.  So I decided I needed a stick to bang on things to make noise.  I wanted to make sure those bears and mountain lions stayed far away from me!  I found a stick about 3 feet long and sturdy enough to bang on rocks and tree trunks and we continued on.  I stopped banging whenever we met other people on the trail, but they probably all thought I was pretty nuts anyway.

Charles hiking along the river.

After about two miles we decided to turn back, the trail went on several more miles, but it was getting late and we needed to get dinner and check into our hotel for the night.  We stopped at a great view point of the valley just as some other hikers came up behind us.  They commented that we had found the good view and stopped to chat with us.  They were all pilots from various cities across the country Chicago, Minneapolis, Miami.  We told them a little about our trip and gave them a business card and after a little more visiting we parted ways to enjoy the rest of our hikes.  We made our way back to the trail head, me banging my stick most of the way back, just in case.  Once we were back to the car we filled up our water bottles and made our way back out of the park for dinner.  We stopped at one of the very few restaurant options in town, the Glacier Grill, on our way out of the park before checking into the Historic Tamarack Lodge for the evening.



Upon check-in we met the nicest woman behind the front desk.  She was very friendly inquiring about where we were from, our hike in Glacier, and eventually learning more about our trip.  By the end of our conversation we had learned how she ended up in Montana from California, and she was trying to convince us to move to Montana after our trip.  She sent us off to our cabin with keys in hand and told us she would see us in the morning at the continental breakfast.   The next morning she greeted us and visited with us while we ate our breakfast and told us about some good hiking options in the park.  She offered us bear mace, which is lent out to guests, but since we weren't returning to the lodge that evening, we didn't take any.  After eating we set out for the park again. 

Breakfast at the Historic Tamarack Lodge in Hungry Horse, MT

Our destination for the second day in Glacier National Park was Logan Pass, the plan was to do a hike from there and spend a couple hours hanging out before taking in the sights on the rest of "Going to the Sun Road."  We had seen signs for construction and had been warned of traffic, but we weren't prepared for the long line of cars waiting to go through the one way curvy pass high in the mountains.  They made everyone stop for about 15-20 minutes at the top as we waited for traffic coming from the other side.  We got out of the car to find that the pilots we met the day before were in the car behind us.  We visited with them a bit while we waited for our turn to go through the one way pass.

Traffic

After we finally got through the traffic jam we made it to Logan pass to find jam packed parking lots.  Determined to do a hike and explore the area we drove down the road a bit and found a shoulder to pull into and park.  As we were gathering supplies for our hike our pilot friends walked up next to the car, they had parked just a few cars down from us.  They say they weren't following us, but I began to wonder.  We finished gathering water, bug spray, and Charles' painting supplies and set off.  

Charles at Logan Pass with a Glacier Park shuttle

Once inside the Ranger Station at Logan Pass we started looking at the hiking options, the hike to the Hidden Lake Overlook was about 1.5 miles.  The ranger on duty said the lower part of the trail was closed because there was a mom and baby grizzly bear at the lake.  Sounded exciting to us - good hike and the chance to see bears from a safe distance.  We set off, Charles went ahead hoping to find a good painting spot (and hopefully catch a glimpse of the bears) and I took my time taking pictures along the way.

I ran into this guy on the way up to the lake. 

Mountain goat

I saw a marmot and some mountain goats on my way to the overlook.  And who should we run into again at the top of the mountain?  Our friends the pilots who seemed to be following us through Glacier.  We decided to get a picture together at the top.  (If you guys are reading - we're looking forward to hanging out in New Zealand!). 

Me with our pilot friends

On our way out of Glacier we stopped for a picnic near Lake St. Mary before heading toward the Canadian Border.  It was a short trip to Glacier, but we'll definitely be back. 

P.S. I've updated our photos, to see them all click on the "Our Photos" tab at the top of the blog.