The Savage Traveler: Out West ADventure: Part 2--East Glacier, Day 2

Thu. June 27: We saw a moose! We saw a moose!! We saw a moose!!! We made it to Saint Mary in time for the 9:30 Beaver Pond loop trail hike with volunteer Ranger Chondra. She is a recent geology major from UNC and she did a nice job on the hike. The group started by going past the 1913 Ranger Cabin which has been renovated for its hundredth birthday and Chondra talked about how the early Rangers had to do everything in the park. We continued climbing gradually higher, passing through a spruce forest that is being killed by a beetle and then into part of the area that was burned by a forest fire in 2006. Chandra highlighted how both areas are recovering and we reveled in all the amazing wildflowers blooming including Mouse-ear chickweed lupine, sticky marigold, mariposa, feldspar, forget-me-not, roses, balsamroot, and many, many more. Sometimes the wildflowers were nearly as tall as my shoulder and the path was very narrow because of their opulent growth. Chandra said that when she took the hike last week there was a different array and if we were to return next week they will have changed again. All of this was with a backdrop of the jagged peaks of Glacier. There was a stiff breeze but lots of sunshine and the temperature warmed into the sixties so it was a perfect day for the hike.

Crossing a subalpine meadow full of wildflowers

Swallowtail butterfly

When we arrived at the Beaver Pond I was third in line but looking ahead because it seemed a perfect place to see a moose. And sure enough, I was the first to see the large female feeding in the shallow water next to the opposite shore. When I looked closer I realized that she had twin calves standing near her in the tall weeds. The group became hushed and we stood and watched her for about fifteen minutes while she calmly continued eating. We walked on without disturbing the little family and continued our hike through more meadows and forest land. It was a really wonderful 3 mile hike that took us through banks of blooming thimbleberries that must be a huge bear attraction when they ripen in a few weeks.

The loop took us back to our truck where there was a bench overlooking Lake Saint Mary with the mountains behind so Marv and I sat there to enjoy our picnic lunch. From there we drove into the Park and stopped at their Visitors Center to get our fifth Glacier Passport stamp and watch their film about the park. Then we drove to the Sunrift Gorge parking area to walk a short ways up to see the narrow dark gorge through which pours Bering Creek. Then we took the 4.4 trail that took us to Bering Falls and then Saint Mary Falls. There was some up and down to the trail but it was another path lined with wildflowers in abundance. We exchanged pictures with a family at Saint Mary Falls. Both walking to and from the falls we were passed by several people who told us they had seen bears along the way but we never saw one. However on the way back a couple called us over to see a big deer or a small elk with a medium sized rack of antlers covered in velvet that was browsing beside the path without concern for us watching it. At the top of the hill overlooking the lake a man commented on my MSU hat, saying that he was a Spartan too. His name was Doug and he had done his Ph.D. work in the College of Education in the nineties and had supervised student teacher at Okemos High School. He knew several people that I knew and then mentioned Ed Smith. When he learned we were friends with Ed he gave us his card to give to Ed with his regards. When we ran into him later when we returned to Bering Falls he asked if we knew Mildred Allen, who is his aunt. We knew her from Edgewood Church and we asked him to give her our regards when he sees her next Monday. Small World!

Bering Falls

Saint Mary Lake with the peaks behind
(The panorama setting makes it look like it bends more than it does.)

Saint Mary Falls behind us

Wildflowers along the trail

It was about 4:00 when we got back to the truck so we drove up to Logan Pass on the Going-To-The-Sun Road, this time from the east which is much more gradual and not nearly so harrowing, and took pictures of the classic U-shaped glacial Saint Mary’s Valley. We also were able to see the Jackson Glacier, or what’s left of it, from the road. We both took showers at the Rising Sun campground before leaving the Park. On the way out we talked to Aaron Kabodian and made arrangements to camp together with him Friday night near Cut Bank. We also talked to Marv’s mom for awhile and got back to the campground around 7:00. Before attending our last Ranger-talk (this one on Winter Heroes) we took our chairs and a light snack down to sit by the water, enjoying the warmer temperatures and lighter winds. Dinner was fashionably late after the talk, brauts and Mediterranean pasta salad at about 9:00! Marv worked on pictures and then I wrote this before we tumbled gratefully in bed, tired but happy after hiking about 7.5 miles.