August 31, 2017 - Glacier National Park

Even though it was more smoky when we got up this morning, we spent the day in Glacier National Park sightseeing. Tobey drove all six of us, and Penny, in our RV from St. Mary’s Campground to the Many Glaciers Hotel so we could see that area. On our way he said, “quick, get your cameras – a black bear is right on the road!” Well I start snapping pictures … He is such a jokester! 

We arrived at the Many Glaciers entrance and liked seeing the old entrance. Too small for most cars to pass through – and definitely too small for RVs! We went through the bypass lane.Walking from the parking down to the historic hotel gave us impressive views of the Swift Lake with the mountain peaks to the west. It was really windy when we got there – there were even whitecaps on the lake!We took the 2.6 mile nature walk around the lake. We spotted a tiny black squirrel along the path. He didn’t seem very frightened by humans – he actually stopped and looked at us a couple times before hopping in the tree to eat the treat he found.By the time we were completing our hike, the wind had really died down, but we didn’t take the boat tour! There are a couple places where rivers come into the lake and we crossed those on our trek.It was an easy hike and we were back to the RV in time for lunch. We headed back to St. Mary’s and Phil, Jon, and June got out at the visitor’s center and walked back to their RVs in the campground.

Marcia, Tobey and I took the park shuttle back to Logan Pass, then transferred to the Avalanche Creek shuttle to see more of the park. As we approached Logan Pass, the smoke was much more intense.When we got off there to transfer to the west-bound shuttle the sky was actually clearer to the north and west, than to the south and east. We had a great driver, Hank. The shuttle was full on the way over, but we opted to stay on his shuttle to return back to Logan Pass. On the way back, I sat in the front seat and he stopped a couple times to let us take pictures since we were the only three on the bus more than half the way back!It is amazing to me how the roads were engineered through these mountains and tunnels built! Road repairs were going on in a couple places – including this tunnel.As we looked back, we could see the road in the valley below we had traveled on. It was a long climb back to the top of Logan Pass!Looking back toward the south, we again started to see the smoke from the McDonald Fire. Just before Logan Pass he stopped again so we could take pictures of these waterfalls. Then back at Logan Pass, the smoke was terrible!Today, I managed to see a bighorn sheep at the pass, as well as a mountain goat – even if they were “flat”! Yesterday, it turns out that I actually did see a REAL big horn sheep. When we left the parking lot, he was standing on the hill overlooking the parking lot. It looked so perfect, and in such a great position, that Tobey convinced me it was a stuffed sheep, not real, so not to take its picture. I walked back today because I was going to get its picture and it was gone! Turns out it really was a bighorn sheep. Oh well. . .

We transferred back to the St. Mary’s shuttle and headed down the mountain to the east. We had a good view of the a falls near Siyeh Bend.As we continued east, the sun was trying to peek through the smoke – which made it look like sunset, even though it was only 5:30 in the afternoon!After dinner Marcia and I walked Penny around our loop, then Tobey and I walked Penny again. We went through two of the loops in the St. Mary’s campground and more than half of the spaces are empty, with no reserved signs on them. Between the bear activity and the fire near Lake McDonald, I think the park is suffering. We heard they even closed the Lake McDonald Lodge two days ago!

In spite of the smoke, we enjoyed our time in the park. Tobey and I will part ways with our friends in the morning. We will head back toward Colorado and they will continue their Montana adventure.