I had just started a new job with the BLM. I was occupied during the week and exhausted during the weekend. When Independence Day was just a week away, we finally made plans to go up to the park.
We planned to leave in the middle of the week. In the end it was four of us; a visiting professor from Barcelona also joined. We left midday and started the drive up through the Flathead to the park.
The first place we visited inside the park was Apgar Village. On the shore of Lake McDonald, this town is where my grandfather and his siblings grew up. During the late 40's and early 50's my great grandfather worked on the Hungry Horse Dam. From the stories my grandfather tells about growing up in Apgar, these seem to be some of the most memorable years of his childhood.
Apgar:
This is the one room schoolhouse that my grandfather and his siblings attended school in.
Lake McDonald:
We continued our first day in the park by venturing up the Going to the Sun Road. This road is very famous. Constructed on steep cliffs, it was made with only one switchback called "The Loop" - quite an achievement in engineering.
At the top of the road is Logan Pass. There is a very beautiful hike to Hidden Lake at the pass. This trail is incredibly crowded with tourists, but once you get past the overlook it gets quieter.
Logan Pass:
Hidden Lake Overlook:
There are serious issues with wildlife becoming habituated in the park. This marmot must have had some very strong association between humans and salt. When this marmot saw us it came running out of the rocks at full speed to our friend's bare legs. It began to lick the salt off. When we tried to get away it would chase after, or hold onto his shoe. The marmot had absolutely no fear of humans.
Once we finished our hike to Hidden Lake, we went to find a campground. We saw on the notice boards that most campgrounds were full. It was the 4th of July weekend, remember? There was one site which still had open spots - an isolated and undeveloped site called Cut Bank. We found a spot there after dark, set up our tents, and cooked some ribs on the fire.
The next morning we packed up and headed south to the Two Medicine area. Our idea was to hike the Dawson Pitamakin Loop trail, and then spend the night at the Two Medicine campground. We found a campsite when we arrived and got ready for the day-long trek.
Dawson Pitamakin Loop Trail (17 miles): in Two Medicine
You hike along the lake and ascend to this ridge. You follow the ridge for quite some time before you descend back towards the lake.
We don't have photos of it, but when we were almost back to the campsite we saw an enormous grizzly bear heading up the valley adjacent to the trail. It seemed on quite a mission - cruising at a brisk pace. We could see it stop after a while and start digging up a rotten log. There must have been some delicious treats there.
The long hike along the loop was tiresome, and we were all happy to finally reach the campground after dark.
The next day we set off to the Many Glacier area. We wanted to hike up to Grinnell Glacier. In the end we were only able to hike partway up the trail. There was still snow on the last half, so we could go no further.
Grinnell Glacier Trail:
