This past fall I spent a week exploring Montana’s Glacier National Park (GNP) with ten other women. Our leader and organizer was Deb Nelson of Momma Bear Adventures. Deb and her husband, Brad, own Hi Tempo Ski & Sail, located in White Bear Lake Minnesota. Hi Tempo is my go-to ski shop! We departed for the trip knowing that wild fires and the resulting smoke caused the closure of certain areas of the park. As a result, some of our scheduled hikes and accommodations were changed. Glacier was still spectacular and the smoke made for some dramatic landscapes.
The Group - the first image (above) was taken during our first hike which was outside the park. The second image was taken at Grinnell Glacier. The last was some of the crew celebrating our final hike at Logan Pass. These images were taken with the GoPro Hero Session mounted on my trekking pole. Click on each image to view in a larger format.
Two Medicine Lake - we took a boat across the lake to the trailhead for a hike to Upper Two Medicine Lake
The view of Upper Two Medicine Lake
This guy worked for the National Park Service and was setting up camp for a crew who were tasked with relocating the existing public camp site to a drier spot on higher ground. He was nice enough to allow me to take his portrait as we talked about his project.
Saint Mary’s Lake in the distance taken through a smoky haze close to sunset.
My favorite hike of the trip was to Grinnell Glacier. We had to take two boats on two separate lakes to get to the trailhead. The first was across Swift Current Lake and the other across Lake Josephine. This image was shot from the boat on Swift Current Lake.
The hike to Grinnell Glacier is not for the weak. Half of the group decided to take on the challenge. The hike is about 8 miles with an elevation gain of around 1,800 feet. My hiking companions (above) take a break along the weeping wall. I have to say that I was exhausted by the time we made it back to the dock to catch the boat back to our cars at the Many Glaciers Hotel. I could barely keep my eyes open.
The views were spectacular!
The reward at the end of the hike - none other than Grinnell Glacier
We stayed a few nights at the Swift Current cabins. Each cabin consists of two bedrooms and a common room (with a table, a couple chairs and a farm sink). Every morning we got up before dawn to look for grizzlies. I also took some sunrise pictures.
There is a lot of wildlife in the park. We saw moose, big horn sheep, mountain goats, black bear and grizzly bear. Some closer than others. Click on image to view in a larger format.
During the trip the smell of smoke from the wildfires was constantly in the air. We could see smoke and occasionally flames from the fires. This image was taken at Lake MacDonald. You can see the smoke in the distance from one of the wildfires.
I really enjoyed spending a week at GNP with a great group of women! Next summer I’m heading back to Glacier National Park during wild flower season. Can’t wait!