West Glacier National Park

June 16, 2014

Why is it that a good nights sleep seems to erase a good portion of my memory of the preceding day? I do remember having several hilarious moments over lunch and dinner. They will probably tickle my memory at some distant time in the future. In the meantime, I shall do my best to recall to the best of my ability.

Lunch was delightful at the MacDonald lodge on the edge of MacDonald Lake, quite the picture postcard scene. We enjoyed a bison burger and a southwest pasta dish topped off with a piece of the area's famous huckleberry pie. We lamented that we did not photograph the pie as it was possibly the smallest piece of pie we had ever encountered and the advertised whipped cream was the size of a dime, although, in a lovely flower shape with a mint leaf sprouting forth. Despite its puny size the pie was delicious and we can't wait to get to Saint Mary's Campground on the east side of Glacier to dig into another piece (said to be the best pie on the planet).

After lunch we spent several hours stopping along the route to photograph the river on the way to the lake. What a picture! At this time of year the water simply tumbles over itself getting to the lake bringing along large trees, boulders and whatever else is unfortunate enough to be caught in its path. Carol and I were most intrigued with the geology displayed along the shoreline, the trees with green moss hanging from the branches and the thick carpet of moss clinging to the rocks. This is a very humid area and the forest reminds me of the tropical forests I've seen sans the palms. Extraordinarily beautiful abundance all around. This is truly a national treasure and no wonder Montana is dumbed the Treasure State. Our trip today will find us skirting the southern edge of the park to St. Mary's Campground on the east side. We will camp there for 2 days. Later in the summer travelers can use Going to the Sun road that cuts through the middle of the park. The road is closed now due to large snow drifts.

It may be important to note that the last ice age was 12,000 years ago. The Glaciers here are melting fast and may be gone in just fewer that 10 years. Up close and personal it is easy to see natural processes plus the human footprint working together to advance global warming. It is coming and coming fast.

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