Day 7: Driving from Waterton to East Glacier (August 21, 2009)

We really enjoyed Waterton, but it was time to move on to East Glacier and the Two Medicine area of the park. On our way out of Waterton, we decided to make a quick stop at Maskinonge Lake. This lake is supposed to be a haven for waterfowl as it is at a junction of multiple flyways. It seems we weren’t there at the right season to see many migrating birds, but we did see some resident birds such as a belted kingfisher (on left) and woodpeckers. We even saw some sort of little weasel near one of the picnic areas, but I didn’t manage to get a picture of the little bugger.

We drove back across the US boarder, getting fully interrogated by the border patrol. Back in the US, we made a beeline for East Glacier. We checked in to our home for the next two nights, Mountain Pine Motel. It was a hot day and we didn’t much feel like hiking in the heat, so we rested in our room for a couple hours. When it had colled down a little, we drove into the park to Two Medicine Lake (photo on right).

We had planned to catch a boat across the lake then hike to some falls, but we founf out we would have to pay for a round trip ticket, though there would be no return trip. Since this would be the last trip, we would have to hike all the way back around the lake. We decided to pass and instead went on a different hike to Scenic Point, a 6.2 mile round trip. It was already 4:30pm, so we would have to keep moving.

The hike starts on the Mount Henry Trail in a wooded climb out of the valley. We quickly left the trees behind, hiking on a rocky slope towards the Appistoki Creek Valley. Part of the trail passed though a forest of twisted pine tress (photo on left). Leaving even those twisted trees behind, we topped a rocky ridge then traversed it to Scenic Point (photo on right). It was a steep, hot climb, but the views from the top were quite nice. We could see past East Glacier into the plains of central Montana.

On the hike back down, we were rewarded with great views of Two Medicine Lake (left).  We made it back to the car shortly after 8pm. On the drive back to the motel, we spotted a black bear along the road, but didn’t have any where to stop for a better look.

We met up with Maggie and a few of her friends at a Mexican restaurant in East Glacier. We had a nice dinner and chatted over beer and margaritas. After dinner Maggie headed back to Lake McDonald, planning to come back again for dinner the following day. Mary and turned in for the night.

More pictures from Day 7.

Day 8: Hiking in Two Medicine (August 22, 2009)

Today we planned to catch the boat across Two Medicine Lake to hike to Upper Two Medicine Lake. Dominating the north shore of the lake is Rising Wolf Mountain (left). There’s supposed to be a really nice hike which circumnavigates the mountain, but we were not up for a nearly 20 mile hike. The boat trip across the lake was only 15 minutes or so. From the trail head on the far side, we headed into the woods.

The trail to Upper Two Medicine Lake is 4.4 miles from the landing. A short way up the trail there’s a spur trail to Twin Falls (right). There were a few  families at the falls, so wedecided to push on to the lake. We were able to sample more berries along the trail which passed through some forests and meadows. The meadows were full of wildflowers. We reached the lake (left) by noon and stopped there for lunch. On our way back down the trail we heard some people had spotted a black bear. We were on the lookout for it, but never did see it. We got back to the landing and waited for the next boat.

After the boat ride back, we decided to hike to Aster Falls (right), a 2.6 mile round trip.  I had read that there are a number of beaver ponds along this trail. We did see a number of ponds and even found a beaver lodge, but my guess it the lodge was abandoned long ago. The falls were nice in any case. We stopped there for a photo op and a bit of a snack.

After Aster Falls, we drove to the Running Eagle Falls Trailhead. This is a short, 0.6 mile trail to an interesting water fall (left). It’s interesting in that the water comes our of the middle of the cliff rather than from the top. Apparently during the early Summer, the water flows over the top of the cliff, covering the lower fall. Only for part of the year is the lower fall visible. For this reason, Running Eagle Fall is also called Trick Fall.

Back in East Glacier we grabbed a coffee at Brownies and waited for Maggie to arrive. We had a nice dinner at Luna’s Cafe. Luna is from Pittsburgh, PA which was obvious with all the Steelers paraphernalia on the walls and the fact that the salads had french fries on top. We said another goodbye as Maggie headed back across the pass, and called an end to another great day. Tomorrow would be our last chance to enjoy the park.

More pictures from Day 8.

Day 9: Driving from East Glacier to West Glacier (August 23, 2009)

In no hurry to leave Glacier, we got a slow start on our last day. We had breakfast at the Whistle Stop Restaurant, famous for their huckleberry stuffed French toast. After breakfast, we headed back up the Going-to-the-Sun Road to Logan Pass (left). The day was clear, so the views were fantastic. We wandered around the visitor center enjoying the views, the squirrels and the wildflowers, especially the flower we affectionately dubbed the “Cousin It” flower (on right).

We decided to get in one more hike before leaving the park, so we headed for the Avalanche Lake Trailhead. It was a busy day in the park, so the drive down was a bit slow. We didn’t mind too much. On the way down from the pass, we saw a mountain goat with a kid lounging by the road (left).  The views and the waterfalls were amazing all along the drive. We would have loved to try the Highline Trail again on such a clear day.

We managed to find parking at the fairly crowded Avalanche parking area. We started the 4.4 mile round trip hike to Avalanche Lake by following part of the Trail of the Cedars. Had it really been a week since we walked that loop? Feeling pressed for time, we kept moving up the trail. In spite of all the people, it’s a really nice trail. The lower part of Avalanche Creek is really nice, and the woods are well shaded. We saw a couple deer along the way. We stopped for a late lunch at the lake (right), the headed back to the car.

By the time we made it to the Lake McDonald Lodge, Maggie had already headed off for a backpacking trip. We did get to say goodbye to Molly who was working at the front desk. On our drive back to the airport we stopped at the Huckleberry Patch for some huckleberry pie. It was quite tasty! At the airport in Kalispell, we returned our trusty steed (the Nissan Rogue) and checked in for our flight. We were sad to leave glacier behind, but at least we have all these photos and memories to remind us of one of the greatest national parks in the world!

More photos from Day 9.

All photos from Glacier National Park.