Glacier Day 4

Dressed and ready to go at 4:38 AM!

First off, it’s perfectly normal to get up at 4:30 am to spot wolverines. Everybody wants to do that. Our boys voted 3 – 0 to drive up to Logan Pass very, very early. Then, they were all smiles when we shook them out of bed. Unfortunately, we didn’t see much that we hadn’t already seen. There was a bighorn sheep right on the road. He watched us eat breakfast. We were glad he was much closer than the herd we saw yesterday. We saw some goats with a small baby, too. But there were no wolverines.

Even the mornings are beautiful in Glacier.

We weren't that close. This is a cut out at the Logan Pass Visitor Center.

It was so quiet in the early morning, but there were no wolverines.

The boys were really excited to spot animals in Glacier.

Seth spotted this little vole on the side of the trail.

We saw this beautiful baby goat browsing on the grass.

This grungy bighorn was right by the road.

While Mom was getting snacks, the goat lurked in the background.

The road runs alongside this beautiful canyon.

We got back to our cabin about 6:30 and rested for an hour and a half before leaving for the Many Glacier area. It’s only forty-five minutes away, but when we arrived at our first hike, we realized that during our groggy departure we had carried Seth to the car without his shoes. He certainly wasn’t going to make the hike without them. So Mom and Seth turned around and headed back to the cabin while Mark, Dax, and Dad headed up the mountain to see Apikuni Falls. It turned out to be straight up, so we were a little glad that Seth didn’t make the climb, especially on top of all the other hiking that has been going on. The hikers spotted a pika being chased by a weasel. When the weasel saw us, he stopped and looked Dax over really good wondering if he could eat something that big. It was fun to watch him dodge in and out of the rocks, slinky behind and over them. And Dax made it through just fine.

The water in Glacier is so clear and still.

Mom loves her wildflowers!

The boys just groan when we pull over for these pictures.

But sometimes Mom snaps a flower picture of them without them knowing it!

Dax slapped a mosquito on Dad. It was full.

Weasels were one of the most interesting animals to see.

This is Mark and Dax in front of Apikuni Falls.

Dax followed a squirrel up the trail for about a quarter mile.

The waterfall was pretty. The top doesn't fit in this picture.

The hike down was much easier than the hike up for some reason.

After seeing the waterfall, we timed our meeting just right. Mom arrived almost exactly an hour and half after leaving, and the hikers only waited a few minutes. It was only another fifteen minutes to our stop, and we were praying there was still a parking spot. We pulled in to the last slot and as we were preparing for our day, we were asked if we were leaving about a dozen times, so at least something went right. We had lunch in the van and then walked around the historic hotel that was recently renovated. It is beautiful, much like the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone.

The views at Many Glacier are amazing!

We threw rocks in the water while we waited for our boat ride. 

We caught a boat ride across the lake at one o’clock. The guides were really good and answered all of our questions, including several by Seth including, “What’s your favorite animal you’ve ever seen?” We saw a few mergansers and Mom was lucky enough to spot a snake swimming on the lake, but we didn’t see much on the actual boat ride. We did stop and take a short hike to a second lake where we got on a new boat and rode a little more. At the end of that lake we docked and took a hike. We were amazed to see tiny Ptarmigan chicks running through the pine trees. Mama ptarmigan was sitting on a branch nearby. In addition, we’d heard there was a moose at Grinnell Lake and Mark was very interested in seeing it. When we arrived there was no moose, but that didn’t stop us. We took off our shoes and socks, rolled up our pants, and waded across the frigid stream that was blocking our path. It was so cold! It felt like a brain freeze on our feet. We waded in the stream that flowed out of Salamander Glacier for quite a while before we realized we’d need to hurry back to catch our boat. If we didn’t make it by 3:45, we’d have to wait and extra hour and a half. We quickly put on shoes and socks and dashed up the trail. Mom and Mark wanted to take a short climb up to Hidden Falls, so Dad pushed Dax and Seth ahead. They were great hikers and didn’t get passed once along the trail. They even ran a little at the end when people got close to us. This was important because we got a little farther up in line to board the boat and seats were limited. Meanwhile, Mom and Mark saw the waterfall and then spied a moose on the way back! They took a few pictures and then hurried along, too. When it came time to board the boat, the line almost made it to us. Unfortunately only three of us could get on. Then, the couple in front of us graciously said, “You have little ones. We’ll walk the two miles back and your family can ride.” It was a really sweet gesture, and though we felt bad, we were very grateful.

We loved the boat ride!

The water color is so beautiful!

On one of the boats, we were able to walk to the front for pictures.

The ptarmigan chicks were adorable. It was a great sighting!

The suspension bridge was a fun crossing on this hike.

The water was beautiful turquoise at Avalanche Lake.

But it was freezing. It hurt!

Mark really wanted to see the moose, so he and Dax rolled up their pants and trudged off to look.

We got a rare family photo in this beautiful spot!

Mark snapped a photo of mom at Hidden Falls after they ran up the trail to see it.

They saw a moose on their way back, too!

And a bunny!

Many Glacier was one of our favorite spots in the park.

We ate dinner at Nell’s at in the Swift Current area, and the food was much better than the night before. We were utterly worn out. But we still had one more hike to go. It was three and a half miles round trip to Red Rock Falls, and we weren’t about to miss it. We were rewarded for walking our legs into the ground by seeing a female moose in Fishercap Lake. We even spotted her calf huddled in the bushes waiting patiently for her. We stopped and watched for far too long, but she was so beautiful and the calf was so sweet. We even saw a snowshoe hare a little farther on. But we arrived at the waterfall at 7:30. That meant we still had a nearly two mile hike back to van plus a forty five minute drive to the cabin as well as showers and bedtime. It looked like a late night. But Dax saved the day by telling a choose your own adventure story to Seth. They were rattling on up front for over a mile without realizing they’d walked nearly ten miles that day. They didn’t even stop for a break. Mom and Dad slogged along behind until we saw some people pulled up on the side of the trail. They’d spotted a black bear about twenty-five yards away. We looked down the hill and she was climbing right toward us. We scattered down the trail a short distance and turned to look back. She’d changed course and was coming right for us! Dad took out the bear spray and the boys rushed farther up the trail. Mom continued snapping pictures. Then the bear came right up to the trail and a tiny cub was with her. We were only about thirty yards away, so we were pretty worried. We slowly backed down the trail, glad that we’d been able to pass her before she came up. Others weren’t so lucky and were stuck on the other side.

Dad put Dax in this crazy tree!

Mama moose was enjoying her time in the lake. 

The small calf was hiding in the brush on the other side and we would never have seen her if someone hadn't pointed her out. 

The evening light made for some cute pictures.

We spotted this huge beetle on Dad, so we had to take a picture. 

There were some fun bridge crossings on this trail. 

We passed two lakes along the way. Everything is beautiful in Glacier. 

Red Rock Falls was unique since it was in the red rock that we are more used to in Utah.

Another family photo! Two in one day! 

We are amazed at what great hikers we have. 

Mom bear peeking down the trail at us. She never came out of the bushes while we were there.

The little cub came out onto the trail for a bit though.

We soon made it back to the car, but the drive back to the cabin proved to be eventful, too. We spotted another bear just a few yards off the road. We didn’t watch him long because it was late, though. We saw a moose run in the bushes by the lake. Finally, we saw our first herd of elk just up the road from where we are staying at Rising Sun. It was a really long day, and not quite perfect, but very memorable.

This bear was right by the road!