Avalanche Hiking Trail


As I write this it is thundering, probably getting ready to dump considering the look of the sky.  The weather has been strange.  Late afternoon seems to bring daily winds and rain.  Locals are complaining about what a wet and cold summer it is.  Highs are having a tough time reaching 20.  Last night it dropped to 6.  We were expecting it to be warmer.

Today we hit the park early.  We had a hike picked out and parking, like several of the other National Parks we have visited, is a problem in Glacier.  Arriving by 7:55 to the trail-head, we were lucky to get a spot.  Getting here any earlier is difficult as we are an hour drive from the park.  I guess Sue will just have to get up earlier tomorrow.

The hike began on a boardwalk going through a mainly cedar forest.  We were unaware that cedars can grow up to 13 feet in diameter, be 200 feet tall, and live for up to 1000 years.  That is a size and age that we folks in Ontario have no concept of.  After leaving the boardwalk, we were treated to series of rapids on the creek that we were following along beside.  Then the fun began.  We climbed 790 feet up through the forest.  After 3 miles, the trail dumped us out on one of the most pristine lakes you could ever imagine.  But that was not the best.  It was the views of the mountainside that took your breath away.  3 different streams were cascading toward the lake.  If only photos could capture the stunning setting.  We found a rock on a secluded beach and relaxed for a bit.  I could have sat here all day.  But of course, the tranquility was soon disturbed by the hordes of people that had made their way up to our location.  It was special while it lasted!

After returning to the parking area, we had our lunch on the tailgate of the truck…we have had worse spots.  Be dammed if we were going to give up our parking spot just quite yet.  We went and had a look at Lake McDonald Lodge, another 100-year-old masterpiece of architecture before returning to our campsite to await the rain.  It has arrived!

Distance Traveled = 139 km.  Wildlife Sightings = (a meager list considering we hiked for 6 miles today), Hermit Thrush, Robin, Deer, Chipmunk.


Avalanche Gorge


Western Red Cedars


Avalanche Lake


Avalanche Lake


Our own private beach...at least for a while!


Deer...one of many today


Lake McDonald Lodge lobby

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Family Connection to Plantation/Slave Ownership???

Image
Wednesday June 5, 2019 We were off to visit a sugar cane plantation today and made an interesting discovery…more later. We visited the Destrehan Plantation, a large plantation along the Mississippi River.   We joined a guided tour of the original plantation house built between 1787 and 1790 by only 8 men.   Our tour was with a bus tour…no we were not on the bus tour…we just had to endure the presence of a large group of people…and you know how much I like crowds…not!!!   The plantation has a long and storied history.   It began as an indigo plantation and by 1800 switched to the more profitable sugar cane.   It was large…one mile wide and stretching 8 miles from the banks of the Mississippi River.   By the beginning of the Civil War, it had 200 slaves. It continued growing sugar cane until the early 1920’s when it was sold to a Mexican Oil Refinery.   It then became their headquarters and was abandoned in the late 1950’s and sat vacant for ov...
Read more

Back in Canada

Image
It was strange to pack up the tent trailer for the last time in a campground.  Mixed emotions actually.  We have returned across the border.  It was an uneventful day as we crossed the rest of the Northern Peninsula of Michigan. The blog will go quiet for a few days until we get home.  Check back in a few days for a wrap up of our adventure. Distance Traveled = 198 km.  Wildlife Sightings = Chipping Sparrow, Robin, Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Sandhill Crane, Crow, Raven, Chipmunk, Deer. Sue put these up again...first night and last!
Read more

A Boat Ride

Image
We took a 30 mile boat excursion today out into Lake Superior.   It could not have been better weather.   The sun shone, the wind was light, and the swales were only small ones, which we suspect is rare when venturing out into Lake Superior. This area, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, is made up of sandstone cliffs that can only be viewed from the water.   The name, ‘Pictured Rocks’, comes from the streaks of mineral stain that decorate the faces of the cliffs.   These streaks are caused by groundwater leaking out of the cracks.   The dripping water contains iron, manganese, limonite, and copper as well as many other minerals.   They are something else.   I hope that our pictures can tell the tale. It is time to move on from here.   Tomorrow we will return to Canada.   We have been on the road since May 12.   We have experienced so many things on this adventure that in many ways it will be a sad day to pack up the ‘little ten...
Read more