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| | Hiking | 1.00 Miles | 45 Mns | | 1.33 mph |
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| partners | | Day 2, Jul 22 Two Medicine Day - Part 1
- weather started out bad and wasn't projected to get any better so today we would be mostly driving. So after a breakfast of Costco granola with "homemade by Wendy"  yummy yogurt, making sandwiches and a visit by some deer  at the campsite it was off to the Two Medicine area and Glacier Park Lodge via the Kiowa Loop http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montana_Highway_49.
- We did stop before getting to Montana Hiway 49 to get some pictures of some horses grazing below us with the Rocky Mountains in the background. It would have been nice to be a little closer to the horses. Unknown to us, this would happen later that afternoon when we drove to the Cut Bank TH.
-The Loop is actually a windy, narrow and rough highway with a 21 ft vehicle limit that is quite scenic and a short-cut of sorts to East Glacier. I love this road because of the view of the plains as they turn into mountains  . We stopped at a turn out where we could make out two large crosses thinking they were probably for road fatalities but in fact, that was not the case. Instead it was a memorial to two members of the Blackfeet Reservation which borders Glacier Park. The weather got really nasty up on the bluff but you could see Upper Two Medicine and Two Medicine Lake from here as well as the mountains to the West.
Video (Campground deer, drive on Kiowa Loop and to Two Medicine): http://youtu.be/uycvOk4pv_8
-We arrived at the TH and fortunately the weather was still holding. It wasn't too crowded so that was good. Off we went on the very nice trail through bushes of thimbleberry and other assorted flora, some of which was labeled. Before you know it you are at Two Medicine River and can see that the Falls is definitely in "Trick" mode http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Glacier_Running_Eagle_Falls_pan.jpg. However, you have to know what the "Trick" is  which was almost hard to do this time because there was SO MUCH water coming over.
We walked down the river a bit and hung out for awhile before making our way back to be directly across from the Falls. In drier years, you can get across the river and walk up closer to the Falls but not this time as the river was running high and fast. As we walked around the bend you got another view of the falls and a side pool/pond of water that had been created by nature  to accomodate the volume of water this year. It presented some nice photo ops. Right behind this view was a camera for a bat research project.
I persuaded Wendy and Gary not to take the normal path back but to walk along the river a little ways and then back to the trail before coming out by the bridge. We encountered a fisherman along the river in his wading gear so that was a bit of a surprise. We were lucky that the weather held for most of our time out on this nature walk.
Video at Running Eagle/Trick Falls: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL82qY0yobs
-The weather would not hold for the remaining part of this part of our trip in the Two Medicine area. We arrived at Lower Two Medicine Lake to a crowded parking lot and rain and wind and cold. We decided to hang out at the Gift Shop/Camp Store (in what was once a Chalet in the Park http://www.nplas.org/twomedicine.html) and have a sandwich at their lunch area along with a warm beverage. I don't know how long we spent shopping but we loaded up on many fine huckleberry things. 
After lunch and realizing a hike in the Two Medicine area would not pan out, we headed to East Glacier to check out Glacier Park Lodge. On the way, we encountered a black bear  foraging alongside the road. It was concentrating on nothing but eating no matter the weather or the cars. I was able to get a short 1:31 Video: http://youtu.be/YUmjOt95df8
We arrived at Glacier Park Lodge to see a dog being harassed by two magpies. One of them nipped the dog on this back. All of a sudden this dog brings a stick to Gary and throws it toward his feet. So Gary obliged and they played fetch for a few minutes before we went to walk the long garden strip at the Lodge. Soon the weather would change as the rain drove us inside; not such a terrible place to be believe me. We toured the lodge for awhile until the sun came out when we finished our walk along the garden and the outside of this magnificent structure.
Video of "catch", Lodge garden and Lodge: http://youtu.be/EUds6wNwSVk
To see Part 2 of our Two Medicine Day, see the Cut Bank Pass Trail triplog http://hikearizona.com/x.php?I=4&ZTN=16171&UID=11058 |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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