Glacier National Park kept us busy and tired! There was so much beauty yet so little time to take it all in. Our days began early, sometimes as early as 5:00 AM and often didn’t end til after sunset at 9:30. We were sore, tired, and happy! Some of the highlights of this trip: Driving on the Going to the Sun Road, Logan’s Pass, Highland Trail, Hidden Lake, Many Glacier, sunrise at Wild Goose Island, wildflowers, big horn sheep, mountain goats, grizzly bears, beautiful mountain ranges, and nightly entertainment provided by Mr. Moose at Fishercap Lake. It was an amazing time watching this giant awkward animal sink his head under water and then come back up, the water streaming from his antlers, and his mouth full of grass. He repeated this for an hour or more each night. It was fun to share that time with other people who were there for the same reason: to enjoy wildlife in a beautiful lake, hugged by a mountain range. The conversations shared with these new friends were among the highlights of our trip.
One of the funnest things I did solo was hike the snowy mountain side to get to Hidden Lake. It was a difficult hike, about a mile and a half, with about a foot of snow, packed in some areas providing an icy, slippery welcome mat, but I managed to carry my equipment safely and arrive with no sprains or broken bones. Once I reached Hidden Lake, I was rewarded with spectacular views and playful mountain goats. It was an amazing experience! The hike back down the mountain side was a little more challenging than the hike up. It required a great deal of focus and balance. My quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves were screaming at me to stop! I was thankful for the sled pulls I had been doing at crossfit to prepare me for this challenge. I developed a rhythm of a repeated pattern of step, step, slide, slide, slide, slide, step, step, slide, slide, slide, slide… This seemed to help me a lot. I had moments of doubt in my ability to navigate this hike, as people of all ages were falling all around me. But I successfully remained upright and it was worth it!
Before our last day, we did a quick trip to Waterton, Canada and drove the Red Rock Parkway where we spotted and photographed a grizzly bear. I had never seen a grizzly before and he was a beauty! We didn’t spot any other wildlife but had a lot of fun pulling over and photographing wild flowers. We stopped to enjoy Red Rock Canyon -a spectacular sight! I couldn’t really get very good shots due to the shadows. Next time, we will go there when the sun is overhead in hopes there wont be any shadows.
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