Montana Magic

Leaving Yellowstone NP through the northern entry put us into southern Montana on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains and the Continental Divide. The divide zigs and zags northwards for the lower half of the state and then straightens and runs northwest up into Canada separating the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.

Our camp site at Gardiner outside Yellowstone NP

We decided to stay on the eastern side and head north. First stop was Walmart in Bozeman to stock up again and then off to a second hand shop to buy a couple of wet weather coats. As we’ve been heading further north it’s getting colder and we’ve been told to expect snow falls above 4,000ft. We picked up 2 beauties for $40.

A waterfall dropping into and then running under the snow

The very next day after a night in a free camp ground in the middle of a forest just outside Bozeman we crossed Kings Mountain where we had a snow storm, our very first full blown snow fall. As we descended the snow turned into rain and continued all day forcing us to abandon our intended camp for that night as it was in a dip next to a very swift flowing river. We found a good pull off along the highway which was higher and much safer.

No it's not January, it's May and it's snowing

Fun in the snow, here catch!!

 The rain cleared overnight and we headed for Great Falls situated on the mighty Missouri River. The country side was spectacular, this is cattle and horse country, rolling plains for miles and miles. The Missouri River originates in the Rocky’s further southwest and travels thousands of miles eastward connecting to the Mississippi. It also has the Yellowstone River emptying into it along the way.



1 of 5 waterfalls and power station in Great Falls on the Missouri River

In the early 1800’s an expedition lead by Meriwether Lewis and William Clarke left St Louie in the state of Indiana (everything west of the Mississippi) and headed west along the Missouri River looking for the infamous Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean. They were stopped at the 1^st of 5 separate waterfalls (now Great Falls) and had to transport there boats up the high banks and across the land. Eventually they reached the headwaters and had to traverse the Rocky’s by horse which were given to them by the Shoshone Indians in exchange for trinkets and lies. After a near death trip across the mountains they finally reached the Pacific Coast at the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon, where we were last year.

 

Chief Mountain in Blackfeet Country

 

Looking across Swiftcurrent Lake in Many Glacier

 

The expedition discovered that the local Indians had an intricate social and commercial system throughout the country which had been functioning perfectly well for eons in balance with the land, 25 million bison were roaming freely on the plains and 60 million beaver in the rivers, within 80 years after the expedition the number of remaining bison was less than 600 and beaver numbers were less than 6 million. The white settlers not only decimated the animals they also wiped out the Indian people and forced the remaining survivors into desolate reserves left with nothing but their pride. Sound familiar!!!

Now entering Blackfeet Reservation

 



Tipi headquarters at Red Eagle Campground



The tipi was home to the Blackfeet Indians well before white man

Onward north we enter into the Blackfeet Indian reservation which is now just a fraction of its original native grounds and lies east along the boundary of the Glacier National Park, the most northern section of the Rocky Mountains in the USA. The Eastern side of the park opened the day we arrived, in fact we were the first campers to register this year at the Many Glaciers Campground. It’s located about 20 miles along a very rough road off the byway and is amazingly spectacular with snow-capped mountains, rapid filled rivers and placid glacial lakes some still covered with ice.

Grinell Glacier in the distance

 

Looking south along Lake Josephine

 

Our camp at Many Glacier, it's a pull-through with a table and fire ring

 Being first arrivals we were given a lecture on the dos and don’ts about park etiquette by the park ranger and her underlings, we failed after being caught in the afternoon collecting kindling and pine cones for our fire. Thinking were going to be given a punishment like picking up all the chipmunk poop in the park, we got a reprieve and let off with a warning that a critter might want to live in the pine cones we’d collected, as if there’s a shortage of cones lying around!!! We avoided the park police after that and spent most of the 3 days hiking the trails we were advised not to go on and had a great time, trompsing through snow looking for critters that could kill us. AHH!! what's life without a bit of adventure.

Snow covered trails is expected to avoid the crowds

Lake Josephine's decrepid jetty

Simply SPECTACULAR!!!

 



A mountain goat with his winter coat, perched high up in the mountains




A bighorn buck surveying his herd crossing the snow drift

 

We had some Motorhome business to sort out in Kalispell which is a city in Flathead County (named after the Flathead Indians who lived here) where the RV is registered and coming up for renewal. We headed south to the central east section of the park where a road runs up over the mountains to the western side, however this road is closed at present with 60ft of snow cover and only opens in July for 2 months. Called “The Going to the Sun Road” it traverses the Rocky’s and is considered the most scenic in the USA and we would agree even though we only travelled about a 2/3 distance up the eastern side.

 

St Mary's Lake

 



Looking South across St Mary's Lake at Jackson Mountain and glacier

Because of the road closure we headed around the southern section of the park and camped at 2 Medicine Lake for 7 nights, hiking bush trails like you would not believe averaging 10km per day. We had snow a couple of nights and even 1 day while hiking for ever thankful for our wet weather coats and water proof boots.

A hen Mallard having a bad hair day

Cock Mallard with nice plumage!!

A Grey Virio



A Downy Woodpecker



A Barrows Goldeneye duck, certainly the weirdest looking duck we've ever seen. Here floating on Iceberg Lake

Once around to the western side of the park we were inundated with tourists as this part of the park is much more commercialised. We camped at Apgar campground and drove up about 2/3 of the Going to the Sun Road and hiked the trails. This side of the Rocky’s is totally different to the eastern side, with much thicker vegetation including Western Red Cedar and Hemlock trees. The eastern side is more affected by the winter cold winds of the Great Plains. The western side being receives more moisture and is more protected from the savage winds.

A bullwinkle moose caught along the roadside, his antlers will continue to grow all Summer before dropping again in Fall



A couple of ever vigilant squirrels keeping an eye on the moose above

The national park was home to 150 different glaciers in the mid 1800’s which is now reduced to just 25 and scientists believe it will be zero by 2030 if current climate patterns persist. The reduction is a natural process which has been occurring slowly over the last 10,000 years since the last ice age. Mankind is now hastening this process at an alarming rate with unknown consequences yet to be determined. The remnants can be seen in the curved shape of the canyons which have been carved out by the ice flows and flushing rivers. The largest glacier ran west down along the road we travelled and at one time was 30 mile long, 1,200ft thick and created todays Lake Macdonald which is 460ft deep.



Lake McDonald looking East up the canyon created by a massive glacier which was up to 1,200ft thick

Deer Logic: I'm standing behind a tree so you can't see me!!

 

The rocks found in the park are primarily sedimentary of the Belt Supergroup, they were deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 Billion to 800 million years ago. During the formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago these sedimentary layers were uplifted to their present location. The area contains some of the oldest fossil remains of early life anywhere on the planet. The rocks are a blend of colours mainly red and green.



Relaxing enroute to Redrock Falls



 

Little Redrock Falls

Avalanche Lake looking North

A deer eating charcoal to aid her digestion

Glacier is part of a large preserved ecosystem collectively known as the “Crown of the Continent Ecosystem”, all of which is primarily untouched wilderness of pristine quality. Virtually all the plants and animals which existed at the time European explorers first entered the region are present in the park today. SEE IT CAN BE DONE!!!!!! It was estimated that there is over 300 grizzly bears in the park at present and we have been fortunate in seeing 3 of them. In addition we have seen several black bears, 1 with a couple of cubs, a male and female moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, a variety of deer species, heaps of squirrels, chipmunks and even a couple of splashing beavers.

A beaver who alerted us to him by beating his broad tail on the water surface apparently they do this to alert their friends

 

A beaver chewed through this pine tree adjacent the river hoping it would help build his dam. Not sure if he was fined by the park rangers for wonton destruction of park property

Our first Grizzly Bears, mum and a last years baby, both have collars for park monitoring

 

Baby with winter coat just starting to fade

 

Mum, you can see the distinctive hump over the forward shoulders

 

Looking for food at this time of year manly flowers and grass

 

The most amazing thing we saw was a disappearing waterfall which turned out to be a snow avalanche cascading down a very high cliff face well in the distance near St Mary’s Lake. We traversed several other avalanches which had ripped through the lower vegetation leaving a trail of destruction in they’re paths. These are a common occurrence at this time of year when the melt is well under way.

 

The avalanche we thought was a waterfall till it stopped flowing and started again 5 minutes later

 

A mother black bear with her 2 cubs

 

Mum getting a well deserved rest

 

With our business completed in Kalispell we stocked up again and headed back east around the bottom of the park to Many Glaciers Campground again where upon entering we nearly collided with a big grizzly crossing the road but thankfully he was quick to cross but unfortunately too quick for us to get a photo till he was in the bush. He was massive and we were told at the campground that he had been regularly spotted over the past week swimming in the dam. We didn’t ask if this practice was permitted in the local water supply or if the bears are actually allowed to crap in the woods but did inform the ranger that all our firewood had been legally obtained with the local Indians consent in accordance with “Best Practice Principles” and with us being “Totally Committed” to sustainable fire pit protocol.



A bull moose who surprised us along one of the many trails



 

Ditto



A young cow moose.



 

Ditto passing us by



Safely across and happy to pose



With our improved fitness we decided to hike a more challenging trail, 11 mile return trip up to Iceberg Lake, high up and located just on the east side of the Continental Divide. Again we were advised by the fun police not to go, that we would need snow boots to get there. We went anyway as we were told by a couple we met at 2 Medicines that the view is stunning. We were the first on the trail but were followed by about 20 others who we met on the return all eager to disobey the authority and yes it was the most stunning trail we have ever done easily matching if not better than the Grand Canyon.

 

View of the U shaped valley carved by ancient glaciers, on the way up to Iceberg Lake

Carved out mountains forming the Continental Divide adjacent Iceberg Lake



Iceberg Lake just beginning to thaw



The first thaw adjacent the warming rocks we actually walked across a part of the lake

 

Jen in the distance gives a good scale of the mountains and basin

 

Heading back down looking across the main valley

So far in the park we have hiked 14 trails and a total distance of 59 mile. Glacier National Park certainly rates as our favourite place to hang out even if it costs $20 per night. From here it’s about 30 mile to the Canadian border so just a hop skip and a jump into Canada’s best National Parks which this year will be free as a celebration of their 150 years as a nation.

Please sir can I have some

 

AHH!! Thank you it sure is choice

 

Bye For Now

 

Beers without Cheers as too tied from hiking

 

J&J