The road to West Glacier (population 221) provided beautiful scenes of tree-lined rivers, lakes, broad valleys, and snow-capped mountains. I also took pictures of some photogenic wilderness homes and structures, which I like. This drive was an occasion when the journey was equally as impressive as the destination.
We stayed 3 days at Moose Creek RV Resort and B&B specifically because it was near the west entrance to Glacier National Park. We wanted to see a glacier as much as we have wanted to see a bear or buffalo or moose during our travels. So far, we hadn’t spied any of these natural wonders. Moose Creek was an extremely, nice family owned and operated campground. Once again it was obvious they invested profits back into their property, and we saw a maintenance staff hard at work every day. While the camp roads were gravel, each RV pad was paved, and therefore, LEVEL. Always a bonus! The registration building also housed a small but well-stocked gift shop, kitchen, and food serving area for Grab n’ Go Breakfast, Lunch, and (artisan) Coffee. They accommodated us by making our usual, even though it wasn’t on the menu.
Next morning, we headed for the National Park and planned to drive its famous Going-To-The-Sun Road (abbreviated to The Sun Road). Just outside the main entrance was a series of retailers offering everything from park tours, to restaurants, to coffee shops. We hadn’t had our second cup yet, so we stopped where the sign promised “piping hot coffee.” I perused the souvenirs while our friendly barrister worked her magic, and couldn’t resist photographing this clever bear sticker.
The Sun Road (west section) parallels the south shore of Lake McDonald. Receding glaciers carved this 10-mile long and mile-wide lake and valley (biggest in the park) at the end of the last Ice Age. The lake is almost 500′ deep and was fed by McDonald Creek at its eastern end. Here, we got our first scenic views, but were surprised to get caught in traffic after only 20 minutes. We learned a 2-year project, which repaired and repaved The Sun Road, was in its final clean-up stage. Luckily, there were only two short traffic stops where equipment was finishing some shoulder work.
We stopped at two pull-outs along McDonald Creek with spectacultar views of waterfalls and significant rapids. I took many pictures, but the videos best captured both spots. The main waterfall was a popular stop, and there were many people walking along the trail. But as seems to be the case these days, the posted signs warning tourists to remain on the main trails meant nothing to the idiots who believe rules don’t apply to them. Temperatures were cool and the area was wet and slippery, yet people ill-equipped (both clothing and fitness) were climbing down closer to the creek for a better look or photo.
The Sun Road was finished in 1932 at a cost of $2.5 million after 11 years of construction. It opened to the public in 1933. The road crosses the continental divide through Logan Pass at 6,646′, the road’s highest point. The two-lane roadway has many narrow and winding turns, including some hairpins, and there are restrictions on vehicle lengths, heights, and widths. We intended to explore the entire drive, but this didn’t happen because the road was closed 5.5 miles past the east end of McDonald Lake. Drats! We only got to experience about 1/3 of it.
The parking lots adjacent to the locked gate highlighted two attractions: Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake (accessed by a 6-mile out-and-back hike). MFI was surprisingly game for both. Trail of the Cedars was an easy 1-mile loop through a forerst of ancient Western Red Cedars, Western Hemlocks, and Black Cottonwood. The first two species can grow well over 200′ tall, while the cottonwood peaks out at a little over 150′. All three species can have trunks 7 to 9 feet in diameter and live for hundreds of years. Some of the trees along the trail were estimated at more than 500 years old. The height of the trees and their lofty canopy created a mini-climate of high humidity and low sunlight conducive to the trees, as well as, ferns and mosses on the forest floor.
I took videos of both the Lower and Upper Avalanche Gorge sections. Personally, I think of gorges as being bigger, wider, and deeper than what you’ll see here; however, we still found them interesting.
Before heading up toward Avalanche Lake, we were very happy hikers having a great day… at least so far.
The lake trail was relatively full of tourists, but we didn’t feel crowded. Trail-side scenery was intriguing, and the canyon mountains were absolutely majestic. Along the way, we frequently saw waterfalls called “horse tails,” because that is what many of them look like. Some were strung together head to tail and fell nearly the full height of the mountains. Through the trees, we kept seeing this extremely long horse tail, and I repeatedly took pictures thinking each brief view might be better than my previous shot. Suddenly, there was a people jam ahead, which turned out to be a broad break in the forest that afforded the perfect chance for a photo and video.
Before we reached the lake, I noticed the wind had picked up speed. This video captures that, and you’ll see in videos below how the wind became a very surprising factor in the way waterfalls and lake surface water flowed.
We were not overly impressed with Avalanche Lake; but the scenery around it, particularly the waterfalls and snowpack at the far end, were truly spectacular.
We hiked until the trail ended at the far end of the lake. By then, the wind velocity had increased even further. These two videos show how crazy it had gotten. In the first video, look to the right near the top and watch the waterfall shooting straight up. Then at the end of the video you can see the lake surface water being picked upward and blown. The second video is a retake of the long horse tail waterfall, and here too the water is being blown sideways.
I hinted earlier that there might be a limit to our hiking fun. Well, an eighth of a mile from the parking lot, MFI tripped on a root and fell hard to her left and forward into rocks. She stayed down until she could take stock of her condition, and when she stood up, she declared, “I’m pretty sure my ring finger is broken.” By the time we got to Sid, the swelling was considerable.
We stopped at the park entrance, where a Ranger directed us to an Urgent Care just outside the park; however, they were near closing time and recommended we go to the nearest hospital in Whitefish, MT (population 7,751). Off we went, and 25 miles later passed through the emergency entrance and were seen promptly. A male nurse had the dubious honor of cutting off MFI’s wedding rings. It was difficult to watch. She nearly decked him. In hindsight, we believe he exacerbated the damage. The fingers were x-rayed, and the ring finger breaks were clearly visible. A doctor confirmed our diagnosis and provided a prognosis: keep the fingers-hand-wrist stabilized with a splint wrapped with cotton gauze and a pressure bandage, follow-up with an Orthopedic Surgeon in two weeks, and expect a 6-week healing period.
MFI took it easy the next day, while I slowly prepared for a third morning departure. Our next stop would be in Canada.
