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| Hiking | 3.53 Miles |
380 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.53 Miles | | | |
| 380 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | So that I could get into the Two Medicine Valley, first thing at 8AM I had to get online to get a pass for Two Medicine road, a new system this year as well as for Many Glacier road. You can get in before 6AM and after 3PM without a road pass. I decided to at least do some ranger-guided hikes so that my failure at the 6-nite backpack isn't a total loss. I first did this ranger-guided hike ten years ago this month.
This time we would go in a counter clockwise direction. I prefer it the other way because you get longer views of the mountains to the south and west. This was our young ranger's first time at Glacier Park and I gathered the Beaver Pond event was not his normal interpretive duties besides taking tickets, watching over parking lots and interpretive talks at Rising Sun. Overall, I thought he did pretty good.
The other issue thruout the hike was the weather. It rained/sprinkled off and on the entire hike so I got good use of my umbrella. The biggest advantage for me was the filtered light so I could comfortably use my Ultra 22 throughout the hike to the point that near the end, it turned off from exhaustion  ; just kidding - the battery was done. You walk near St Mary Lake, by a vacant beaver pond, and then up into the forest with tall thimbleberry from time to time. The flora was outstanding. We definitely hit peak season. The Showy Fleabane was probably the best of show as to volume and outstanding color. There was lots of other flora too so I will post a rather large photoset.
The ranger offered up info about the Blackfeet who have been here for so long. He also talked about the forming of the area via what he called the last ice age. He also showed us a tree with bear claw scratch marks and fur from where it rubbed its back. This tree just happened to be at the top of the loop. We continued eastish as we walked into a big aspen area. The first thing you get to see is a meadow of all sorts of flowers  . We eventually came to a very large pond where he showed us some of the beaver-cut wood and on the other side of the lake, the beaver mansion. It's a pretty pond.
From here we hiked via flower lanes through mostly aspen and in and out of flower laden meadows. It is a little more difficult to shoot photos/videos when holding an umbrella but I did my best. The last big meadow had Blanketflowers throughout but very hard to photograph and per usual, I had to catch up with the group as only a few stopped to get photos. There were about 8 of us (2 German women, a family of 3 from San Francisco, a gal from Iowa and another from Colorado).
My quads were still sore from yesterday's hike so this was perfect. I stopped at the KOA office to pick up a Huck It that they kept chilled for me as I couldn't check into the new cabin until after the hike. I also bot 3 six-packs of Huck It, cleaned out the store, so I now have five. And, of course, I got a cup of Huckleberry ice cream to eat  , Yum!
I was all decked out in my Huckleberry colors including my nail polish, earrings, shirt and hat (the color of the ice cream) which got a lot of comments at the various places I stopped today. Oh, I also gave one of the gals that just turned 21 a Huck It and she was on her way out to go try it.
The next few nights my legs were itching something fierce. I had worn shorts but I don't know what got to me as it wasn't mosquitoes. After reviewing my pictures and realizing one had Stinging Nettle, that could be the culprit. Fortunately I had brought some Solarcaine spray so that helped.
Video 1 northside of the loop [ youtube video ]
Video 2 topside of the loop to the big pond [ youtube video ]
Video 3 from the big pond through the meadows [ youtube video ] (haven't reviewed this one yet 8-16-2023)
WATCH 1:11-3:16PM, 3.1 miles (altho the gpx showed 3.53 after syncing elevation profile), 4499-4794 elevation, 114 avg bpm burning 592 calories |
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Wildflowers Observation Extreme
Additional flowers: Pointed Mariposa Lily, Showy Locoweed, Twinberry Honeysuckle, Self-Heal/Heal All, Northern Bedstraw, Canadian Milkvetch, Thimbleberry, Sulphur Buckwheat, Shrubby Cinquefoil, Wester Yarrow, Richardson Geranium, Alumroot, Lupine, Lousewort, Serviceberry |
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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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