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| Hiking | 1.06 Miles |
31 AEG |
| | Hiking | 1.06 Miles | 38 Mns | | 2.45 mph |
| 31 ft AEG | 12 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | 8-2-2022 written 12-13-2022 my last days in Glacier National Park, all good things must come to an end. I didn't have to be in any hurry today so I took my time packing up from the St Mary KOA. It was another WINDY day and we did have some cloud cover. I got some nice pictures on my way to St Mary. I was going to meet my Calgary friend Tina and her friend Sharon for a backpack but after reviewing the forecast with the high winds, I decided not to go. I also think I was a little tired too. I went to St Mary to find something for lunch and pick up my 6-packs of Huck It.
My drive to Many Glacier is always special and today, it could have been a little tricky as they close Many Glacier when it hits capacity. However, I had a copy of the backpacking permit so I was able to go through. Looking up the Many Glacier Valley is so stunning; even on an overcast day. I headed for the Lodge's parking lot hoping I would find a space and because of the somewhat inclement weather, I found a spot. I went in and around the Lodge taking some movies and pictures. I checked out the gift shop and then headed back to my car to eat my lunch as I had parked so that I would have a view up toward my buddy Wilbur.
I then headed over to the Swiftcurrent Inn parking lot to wait for my Canadian friends. The wind was unbelievable and the clouds blowing it in were putting on quite a show. You can hear the wind in my video while I'm in Tonto 3. There were some people out with binoculars bear watching. The sides of these mountains always seem to have bears on them. Tina and Sharon arrived and we went to get our cabins and unpack before heading back to Many Glacier's Swiss Lounge for dinner. I already knew I was going to order my Trout Dip appetizer and a Huckleberry Smash  . Both were very good as usual.
After returning to Swiftcurrent we headed out for my last hike in Glacier, Fishercap Lake, in the hopes of seeing some moose as so far, my time in Glacier was mooseless. Well it would stay that way but we did get treated to a show with a deer and her two fawns and a moon rising. The hike is a short one but there is a lot of bang for the buck with the scenery. The wind was still awful though.
The next morning we took our time as there was no hurry to get the girls up to the closed Chief Customs border for their 6 mile hike down the Belly River Trail to Gable backcountry campground. I drove them up there and then would start my long, almost three days, trip back to Phoenix. But, first, I had to stop at the Park Cafe for a quick lunch that entailed huckleberry pie and a huckleberry milkshake. Wait for it..... I think I ODed on huckleberry  ; I didn't think it was possible. I couldn't finish my piece of pie.
There is major construction on Highway 89 south for the second year and they have another summer to go before they will finish. They are doing a nice job. Anyway, I was able to get some interesting pictures while waiting in line. It was amazing the different perspective I got from there of the interior of the Park. I got as far as Butte but not before finally stopping at the Dinosaur Center in Bynum MT. I've always wanted to stop there and today, I finally did. It is really a wonderful center. Dinosaurs are a very big thing in this area with major finds over the last few decades.The Montana Dinosaur Center in Bynum, Montana is the home of the world’s first discovered dinosaur nest. The museum gallery houses the Guinness Book of World Records world’s longest dinosaur skeleton, Seismo the seismosaurus (137 feet long, 27 feet high at the hips).
I continued south on the 89 until Choteau where I veered left on Highway 287 toward I-15. I got to go through Augusta MT where my Grandfather Fred Romain had a ranch and in fact, that's where he had his heart attack in Dec 1956 and died. I should actually try to find the old place, the Sawtooth Ranch. His former partner and wife had a tragic death (they were murdered by horse thieves  in 1977 via a dude ranch they owned later). Augusta is the gateway to the Bob Marshall Wilderness and also a stop on the CDT.
Anyway, it is a beautiful drive as you have the Rocky Mountains on your west flank and then you drive through them as you make your way to Butte. I would see three sets of smoke in different mountains near Helena and when I got to Butte, it was covered in smoke from other fires but mostly an unusual smoke inversion. It was clear the next day. A few quick tidbits: --Butte's mining operations generated over $48 billion worth of ore, making it for a time the RICHEST city in the world. --As of 2017, Butte has the largest population of Irish Americans per capita of any city in the United States.
--The upper Clark Fork River, with headwaters at Butte, is the largest Superfund site in the United States.
Video 1 includes St Mary KOA, Many Glacier and Fishercap Lake, to the border and back on 89 south Hike [ youtube video ] You'll love my cute deer at Fishercap
Video 2 drive from Browning to and including the Dinosaur Center at Bynum MT [ youtube video ]
Video 3 Bynum to Butte [ youtube video ] |
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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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