June 7^th Cont’d

This KOA campground was newly owned by a young couple with 2 little girls.  We were surprised by the little touches that made the area attractive.  Each site had a planter made from a carved out stone, there was a water park with slides, a camper kitchen for the cabins on site, and a vegetable garden that campers are welcome to.  The bathrooms were pristine and separate – something we hadn’t seen before.  Breakfast was available at a great price, their specialty being huckleberry pancakes!

The campground was situated on the Missouri River, home to huge cottonwood trees.  All in all, it was a great place!

 

Thursday, June 8^th, 2017

Today we made our way to Mon-friggin-tana!!!!  Who’d believe I’d ever get here!!!  The drive took us through Eddie’s Corner (pretty funny) and little towns that had nothing to boast of!!  The topography changed with each passing mile.  It is mind boggling to think of all the land out here!

We got excited as the Rockies came into view.  They are snow topped and beautiful. Marie got a little freaky when we saw snow banks on the side of the road.  What happened to summer? Just before getting to the park, we drove through the Blackfeet Reservation.  It made us sad to realize that not all parts of our history do us proud!  As we made our way into Glacier National Park, the sky darkened.  We stopped at the Visitor’s Center where we watched a movie about the history of the park and the impact on the Indians.  Glacier was declared a National Park in 1910, and is partners with Waterton Park in Canada.  Glacier is only 30 miles from the border of Canada!

It is thought that the history of Montana dates back to Lewis and Clark’s expedition through the West (they were commissioned by President Jefferson to explore and map this newly acquired land through the Louisiana Purchase- 1803). However, there is evidence of human occupation in and around Glacier National Park dating back more than 10,000 years!!  History shows that the land east of the park was home to the Blackfeet Indian Tribe, while the Salish and Kootenai Indians lived in the valleys west of the Continental Divide and hunted on the eastern plains.

The Continental Divide goes through the park, beginning at the Bering Strait, and ending at the Strait of Magellan.  Glacier is commonly known as the “Backbone of the World” and the crown jewel of the continent.  With 1 million acres of terrain, it is definitely most spectacular!

Upon arrival at the campground, we were given the “rules” of the park.  These mostly were about wildlife and what to DO and NOT to DO if a bear was encountered! 

We were told to sing while walking on trails, or even just through the campground. Supposedly, bears don’t want anything to do with humans, so singing lets them know humans are in the area, and they will keep away.  Needless to say, Marie hasn’t stopped singing!!! 

Our camp site was situated at the St Mary’s campground, surrounded by mountains.  This range is the southernmost  part of the Canadian Rockies.

We set up camp under a darkening sky, and Lenny attempted to grill our dinner.  The skies opened, thunder boomed, lightning struck, and we moved everything in…things got quiet, and we tried again…and again the rains came.  Deciding to remain in the RV, we were suddenly deluged by dime sized hail!  Quite an event!  Rain continued on and off through the night, and we wondered how and if the weather would affect our hike planned for tomorrow.  Time will tell.

 

Friday, June 9, 2017

Today dawned sunny, but windy and I’d say, cold!  We layered up and walked to the camp entry to meet our guide for the preplanned day hike.  We met Emily from Glacier Guides, and she took us on the “Going to the Sun Road” which is only partially opened…July 1 it will open fully.  She told us that snow falls all year round, and removal starts in April and doesn’t finish til July.  This year alone saw 40 feet of snow!  We are camping on the eastern side of the park, and Emily came from the west, where she said it was pouring rain!!  Uh-oh – do we dare?  We were well prepared and anxious to get going, so after given hike options, we chose to do the 7-mile loop to 3 major waterfalls.

The trail took us alongside St Mary lake,

 and through mountainsides covered with wild flowers.  She was patient with all of our questions, pointed out many of the flowers, naming them as we went along.  Flora of the area included:  Arnica, Angelica, American Thorough Wax, Indian Paintbrush, Alpine Bluebells, Lupine, Spirea, Yarrow, Mariposa (Indian for butterfly), Thimbleberry, and Bear Grass and a multitude of others! 

 

As an aside, we learned about “tracks and scats” – tracks, being on the lookout for wildlife prints, and scat, being what they left behind.

The discovery of elk and bear “scat” got us laughing like second graders!

We traversed to 3 falls, Baring Falls, St Mary’s a number of smaller no-names and then the grand finale, Virginia Falls.  Apparently, a water feature is called Falls, if the water becomes air-borne.  So the smaller ones are considered cascades.  Emily told us that she has never seen the falls so full and rushing.  She attributed this run off to the large amount of winter snow melt.

 

We were able to have a picnic lunch at the Virginia Falls, before back trekking to the van.  It was explained to us how the valley was formed by the glaciers, and we were told the names of the different peaks.  The park has three major sections, the St Mary, Two Medicine (where we have a boat ride and hike tomorrow), and Many Glacier.  Since it is so early in the season, some areas are still closed, and lodges not opened.  I hope to see both of the other areas before we leave.  Emily told us that the average time spent in the park by visitors is only 4 hours!!  They drive in, stop and take pictures at the overlooks, and then move on.  I find that hard to believe – I want to stay and discover every nook and cranny!!  I was hoping to kayak, but I think it’s too cold.  This activity may not even be available!!  So, I look forward to tomorrow and our scheduled boat ride!