Richards' 2011 Trip Report
Montana - Glacier & Waterton NP
Our last update was when we left the Big Horn Mountains and reconnected to the world in Cody, Wyoming. While in Cody we did a complete restock, reloaded on some groceries, stocked up the wine and scotch supply, and spent the better part of a day at the Buffalo Bill Museum (which was much better than we anticipated). Then we drove through Yellowstone in order to get to visit our friends, Larry and Gay Wood, at their beautiful summer home on the Henry's Fork River in the Island Park, Idaho area. After lots of stories, laughter, and being overserved ... we headed up to Glacier National Park. As soon as we got there we realized we should be putting this place on our itenerary every year we come north ... just a beautiful place!
This was right behind our camp site .. the outlet from Two Medicine Lake .. it became my reading spot.
On the other side of our camp site was a huge mountain with lots of huckleberry bushes ... early in the morning or late in the afternoon we could see one or two black bears eating way up on the slope ... one morning, this one decided to come down to the river by our site.
In the crowd were some rangers with their bear arsenal ... what they called haze guns ... but the bear eventually left and wandered back up the mountain. He never came back down while we were there. Pretty cool to be that close though.
It had been on the warm side, looked like he wanted too get a drink and cool off in the river ... he stayed about 10 minutes just soaking ... a crowd began to form.
This is the Prince of Wales Hotel .. built in the 1920's by the Burlington Northern group .. who promoted tourism for wealthy east coast tourists to Glacier and Waterton. We had a late lunch and browsed through the lobby area. Notice the deer in front of the hedge.
One day we did a day trip up to Waterton National Park in Canada .. we scouted out some campground sites (none of which we really liked) and took a look around the area.
A beautiful view of Waterton .. definitely a postcard place!!
Turns out there were two of them .. we think a mom and a two year old cub. They took about a 15 minute swim in the lake and then headed back up the mountain.
One day we planned to do a 7 1/2 mile hike around Two Medicine Lake. After getting over half way around, we stopped for a snack ... when we got up to head on down the trail, another hiker came over the rise and told us to stop because of a grizzly he just saw. We went back to the shore where I took this picture.
Later in the week we took a hike up to Upper Two Medicine Lake .. on the way we passed by Twin Falls.
They continued to eat huckelberries as they went up .. we were told they can eat up to 80 pounds a day. We were thankful to not have a confrontation or a need to use our bear spray (which we carried with us all the time).
Cindy soaking it in ... this was a day where smoke from a fire 50 miles south of the park was coming up to the area.
Mountain views and fireweed on the trail to Upper Two Medicine Lake
Dusk on Two Medicine Lake ...
Upper Two Medicine Lake .. lots of backpackers up in this area ... camping with the bears!!
Oooops ... looks like we overstayed our welcome. Time to head south!
Another picture at dusk .. compare to the picture at right taken the next morning.
Beautiful scenery all over.
We had no snow where we were camped but it sure added to the beauty of this special place. The high country got about 3 - 4 inches.
From Glacier we headed down to Ennis, Montana to hole up over the Labor Day weekend. On Labor Day, we plan to meet up with some friends in Idaho at one of our favorite campgrounds on the back side of the Teton's. Then we'll celebrate Cindy's birthday with a dinner in Jackson Hole, Wy next weekend.