We had a reservation at a cabin near Glacier, but were unsure if we would go up because the weather forecasts were dire. Big mistake to get a reservation, paid extra for it too, live and learn. But being only 4 ½ hours away and looking at it as an adventure, we decided we had to go to this unique park. When we got to East Glacier, it was snowing and gray, but the snow brightened up the place. Our cabin was just outside the park on the south end, so we took U.S. Rte 2 and got settled in there and then went over to check out West Glacier. It was then that we learned that the Going to the Sun Road had just closed for the season. Argh!! We were able to drive up part of it from the west side, along Lake MacDonald and beyond a little ways. We couldn’t see much as it was rainy. Things were pretty much closing down for the season but we found a good diner by West Glacier that served up a very good piece of huckleberry pie, it tasted might fine and took off some of the sting of the harsh weather.
The next day we drove up to the east end of the Going to the Sun Road at St Marys. We were able to drive up the road as far as the Jackson Glacier Overlook, but there was no view of Jackson Glacier as we were in the clouds. We took a trail near there down to Deadwood Falls, it was very sloppy and slushy as it had just snowed the day before. We really wanted to see a glacier though so we drove up to the Many Glacier area and talked to a ranger. We found out that the weather would be improving and decided to stay one more night. So we were glad to find a reasonable motel, as rooms around there tended to be pricey.
The next morning looked promising, with clear skies and no rain. We drove up to Many Glacier, but ended up in the fog again. We started up the trail near Many Glacier Hotel (closed for the season) to Grinnell Glacier, with hopes that the sun would eventually show itself. Which it did, we eventually got above the fog and had splendid views of craggy mountains and glaciers. The park says that using current climate models, that all the glaciers will be gone by 2020. They have been decreasing since 1850, and at a more accelerated rate recently. Our main hope was to get there before the glaciers were all gone, so we knew if we didn’t do it this year, it would have to be within the next few years. So we made our objective. Seeing a golden eagle soaring above during the hike was a bonus. Fortunately we encountered no bears, although signs warned of bears frequenting the area. We had not purchased bear spray, but made noise to warn any bears of our presence. For all we know, some bears wandered away after hearing us. They don’t like bear-human encounters any more than we do. We were the first ones up the trail, but met many others as we came down. The large number of hikers may have kept the bears away the rest of our descent.
Chico Hot Springs -
What a wonderful place! This is an historic inn and spa, with very reasonable rates. We got a comfortable room (without bath) for $49, included use of the pool with deliciously warm water. The atmosphere was quaint and relaxing. The food was very good too. It is about 25 miles north of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone. We fit in a hike part way up Livingston Mtn before we arrived at the hot springs. We also had our eye on Emigrant Peak, which towers over Chico but found out it involves a 5000 foot climb over 25 miles, very steep. Maybe another time.
Yellowstone seemed to beckon again. We could have stayed up in Glacier longer and skipped Chico and Yellowstone but opted to come back for one last look. We’re glad we did, because we got to see the most incredible drama of an elk rut right in downtown Mammoth Hot Springs, at the northern edge of the park. There were about forty cows and two bulls, one older and bigger and one young with only two spikes on his antlers. At least one more bull showed up later, maybe two, it was hard to keep track. The cows seemed to be divided into two harems, on each side of the road, but we weren’t sure whether there was one or two harems. The young bull kept trying to push his way in when the old bull wasn’t around, and the old bull kept going back and forth between the groups, bugling at various times. Some cows also jumped from one group to the other and the bulls would go behind buildings and it was difficult to follow the comings and goings. Rangers were busy keeping onlookers back and setting up cones to close areas where the elks were from humans, then moving them as the elk moved. We asked one ranger if it was a hard day at the office and he said it was a typical day at the office. Phew, they have their work cut out for them during the rut.
We picked two nice hikes in the northern part of Yellowstone; we thought they were representative of the park. The first was a 2 mile hike up Bunsen Peak, great views from all directions on top. The second was another 2 mile hike down to Hellroaring Creek. Not realizing until later that we crossed the Yellowstone River on a high suspension bridge, but it was roaring like Hell too. We only saw a few people on both hikes. The park was not as busy as the previous week when we drove through it, even though September 25 was Public Lands Day and people got into the park free. Besides the elk, we also saw plenty of bison, mule deer and a few pronghorn, but no bears.
Beartooth Scenic Highway – what a gem of a road this was! It went through the Beartooth, Absaroka and Shoshone forests just east of Yellowstone, reaching a height of almost 11,000 feet. We knew it was going to be scenic, but had no idea of how breathtaking it was at almost every turn. There are over twenty peaks of more than 12,000 feet that the highway takes you by. You can see Granite Peak, the tallest peak in Wyoming as well as the relatively miniscule Beartooth point, of which the Beartooth Mountains gets its name from. There is a large amount of tundra on top of the plateau that the highway ascends to and some women we met at one of the turnoffs said that drilling for gas was threatened but kept off the area. Good. This is a fragile and unique area that deserves protection. The road eventually dropped us down to the town of Red Lodge where we planted ourselves for the night.
We made two more short stops along the interstate as we headed east. The first was Pompey’s Pillar where William Clark stopped and carved his name in the sandstone of the pillar during his exploration of the Yellowstone in 1806. There is a BLM National Monument there and the Visitor Center tells some of the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition in that area. Pompey was the name Clark gave to Sacajawea’s son and Clark initially named the rock Pompey’s Tower after him. The second stop was at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. Roosevelt had established a ranch there as he was lured by the wild and desolateness of the west. It is located in North Dakota’s badlands. There is a 36 mile loop that takes you through the southern section of the park, closest to I-94. We rode our bikes on the loop after spending a little time in the Visitor Center. We saw some gorgeous views and sunset, getting back a little after dark. A great way to see the countryside is by bike.
As I write this, we are in St Paul, MN staying with our friends Kristin and Anthony. They just gave us a nice evening tour of the downtown and we plan to see more of the city tomorrow. Anthony describes St Paul and Minneapolis as two small cities rather than one large one. But he’s from New York City so what’s seems small to him is a different perspective than mine. I do have to say the traffic wasn’t bad here, even though we came in at the tail end of rush hour and there were few people in the downtown area or at the restaurant we went to, but then it was a Monday night. They just got a lot of rain here a few days ago and some areas of southern Minnesota had flooding, but St Paul is well protected and there was no flooding here. Kristin just moved here in June, joining Anthony who got here last November. We wish them well in settling in here and becoming true St Paulians, or whatever residents of this fair city are called.
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