Snow in July

Yesterday, at the Visitor's Center, when the kind ranger was telling me about the Going to the Sun road, she asked: "How are your nerves?" I'm not really sure what my response was. It was probably a shocked/confused/worried sort of noise that came out. As soon as I took the turn past Logan Pass Visitor Center, I knew what she was talking about.

For about 10 miles, my car hugged the steep slope of a rocky hillside and plunged through cascading water running off the mountainside while I tried to take a glimpse at the gorgeous scenery that surrounded me. I learned later that the road had only opened up from the winter closing last Wednesday, not even a week ago!

I gave myself ninety minutes to travel a little under thirty miles to meet up with a ranger for a hike this morning. I didn't stop for pictures on the way, and I barely made it in with just five minutes to spare!

I was so glad I did make it though! The Ranger led a group of six of us up to Avalanche Lake. We started off walking through a cedar forest, full of trees older than our country before walking alongside Avalanche Creek. The woods surrounding the creek were mystical: tall trees with very little undergrowth, only moss and short ferns.

Along the way, the ranger would stop and talk about the history of the park such as the ages of the rocks (some are 1.6 billion years old), how the glaciers formed the mountains, and how the land was shaped. We came across one area where many trees were down, looking almost like a tornado came through. But the damage was due to an avalanche, not one that actually hit the area, but where the avalanche fell, the air that was pushed out swept through the forest and snapped all the trees like toothpicks.

After our journey through the forest, we ended up, opening into a beautiful lake, surrounded by mountains and fed by snow from their peaks. It was just spectacular!

I enjoyed taking the Going to the Sun Road on the way back because I was in no rush. I stopped frequently at the pullouts, thinking at each one that it was more spectacular than the last. But if you asked me to choose one, I don't think I could!

I went to Logan's Pass Visitor Center which sits right on the Continental Divide. From there, I decided to venture onto the Hidden Lake Trail since two different rangers had told me it was a must. Although I was technically on my own, the trail was full of hikers so I felt very safe, well... except for the steep climbs on packed snow. I had heard that there was snow on the trail, but I did not realize I would be hiking up steep hills covered in snow for 95% of my journey. The hike was only a mile and a half in, but it took me an hour. The sweat and lack of breath was well worth it though.

Once I reached the climax of my hike, I was greeted with sweeping views of mountain peaks, the still-frozen hidden lake and mountain goats! The setting was simply stunning! I loved seeing the mountain goats and the young kids roaming in their natural environment, practically unaware that intruders were around. The difficult hike was well worth the effort, and besides, when else can you throw snowballs and make a snow angel in July?!

And in case anyone was wondering: I was in shorts and a t-shirt for the hike. The only time it got a little chilly was when I was in the shadows of the mountains and a wind, coming off the snow, swept through. And yes, because of the reflection from the snow, my hiking boots gave me a killer tan line!:)

When I got back to my car in the parking lot, a big horn sheep was licking anti-freeze off the pavement. Apparently they like the taste!

I stopped at a view point on my way back to the camp ground to see a glacier. In all honesty, it is hard to tell the difference between snow patches and glaciers, but thankfully a ranger had told me where to look. Glacier National Park was formed by glaciers and just over one hundred years ago, there were 150 glaciers. Today, there are 25. Scientists have calculated that by 2020 there may be no more glaciers in Glacier National Park. Let that sink in for a moment. 2020. My upcoming students will still be in high school. The rangers have all said part of this is just the trend in our climate-at one time this area was a tropical beach, then an ice age helped carve out the landscape we see today. But they've also been blunt in saying that humans have sped up this melting process. I'm thankful I got to see a glacier in Glacier, and I hope I get to come back before they're all gone.

It is 9:30 and I'm lying in my tent, exhausted from the day and anticipating an early morning, but the sun has yet to set and the birds are still chirping away. There are no sounds of summer bugs, nor frogs though, just a babbling nearby creek and the song birds.

Miles traveled: 57
Gallons of gas purchased: 0

Hours in the car: 3.5
States: Montana