Glacier

Glacier is definitely among the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We woke up in the rain, grabbed some lunas, and headed over to catch the shuttle headed to Logan Pass (along the continental divide in the park). On the bike/walking path over, we saw a coyote attempt to take down a deer less than 50 yards off. The road goes along the side of the cliff, and between the construction, rain, and steep drop off, it was a bit frightening of a drive. The mist shrouded most of the view on the way up, but there were occasional waterfalls and ginormous peaks that broke through. We hiked over to Hidden Lake (gentle 3 miles over snow, ice, through cold streams, etc). The terrain looked like a mixture of something I would expect from Scottland and New Zealand. The spots of snow were melting into crystal rivulets that crossed through bright green grasses and combined to form streams that then cascaded off the carved, rocky sides of the mountains. We got out to the lake and there were tons of awesome views. I had read in the park paper that there were carpets of wildflowers and figured it was hyperbole, but at the top of the pass, you couldn't step off trail without stepping on indian paintbrush, glacier lilies, etc. After the hike, things were starting to clear off, so I took the bus down the east side (also kick ass, even if I couldn't get the pictures I wanted). Came back up with a few stops to wander, and by the time I was headed back to Apgar from Logan Pass, the sun was out and the views that had been concealed were amazing. Probably the best I have ever seen. I would move to the heart of Glacier in a minute. Anyhoo, I got down with new and improved views of the Garden Wall, Weeping Wall, Bird Woman Falls - 500 feet, U-shaped valleys (signature of a glacier), sun filtering through trees, and Avalanche creek (milky turqoise and filled with logs) and got some lunch. Throughout the day, I also caught glimpses of more deer and coyotes, a flock of bighorn sheep, a mountain goat, and a bald eagle. Ended the day watching the sun set over the lake. Awesome. I'm going back some day.

Today we took a 30 miler or so into Whitefish. More distance would have been great, but alack. Day was nice, though. Tomorrow we'll get some miles.