Mindy's cousin Jen decided to go on a full-day horseback riding trip, so Mindy and I had the day to ourselves. I had proposed doing a hike (of course) and I was glad that Mindy agreed to join me.
This hike in Glacier National Park, Montana started just down the street from the Many Glacier hotel at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. The trail is very easy and climbs very gradually and only to the tune of about 1,200 feet over about 4.5 miles.
The trail starts in a wide-open meadow that is just the epitome of the terrain you see grizzly bears roaming around in on National Geographic Channel television shows. I definitely had my eyes and ears open for bears. I didn't see any bears, but we did see a bighorn sheep on a cliff above the trail.
Next, the trail entered a lush forest. Aside from an older couple from Great Falls, Montana that we passed, we didn't see anyone else on the trail until we reached Ptarmigan Falls, which was about halfway to Iceberg Lake. A ranger-led group and a number of other hikers were resting above the falls. We took only a short break and then passed several groups as we climbed out of the forest and hiked along the lower slopes of the Ptmarigan Wall far above Iceberg Creek.
Not before long, we reached the lake. Despite being July, there were still several icebergs floating in the lake. They were a strange, but beautiful site. Combined with the clear, cold, blue water, the icebergs made me feel like I was in Alaska.
After taking some photos of the lake among a throng of visitors, we hiked to a vantage point on the slopes southeast of the lake to take some more photos. As more and more hikers arrived at the lake, we started back toward the trailhead.
About 15 minutes after we started hiking back, I heard what sounded like someone banging a stick against a rock intermittently. I found it curious, but paid no attention to the sound. Shortly thereafter, however, I discovered why someone was banging the stick: the lady was banging the stick against a rock to make noise so as to not startle an adult grizzly bear about 30 yards uphill from the trail. I questioned the purpose of banging the stick considering that a group of a dozen people had already gathered and the bear was clearly aware of their presence because we could see it occasionally look up from its digging to curiously gaze at its audience.
Our grizzly bear encounter was decidedly tame, thankfully. It helped that we didn't startle the bear. It helped that there were a dozen other potential mauling vicitims there. (I figured that there had to be someone slower than Mindy and I in the group.) The bear just wanted to dig for food. And it did so impressively with its front legs, massive claws and strong shoulders.
Word of the grizzly bear had spread quickly down the trail. People hiking up to the lake peppered us with questions as we passed them. Most were thrilled that they may get to see a grizzly bear, a few were terrified, but no one turned around.
After a couple hours of walking, we finally made it back to the trailhead. We met Jen back at the Many Glacier Hotel. On the way back to Fish Creek Campground, which is on the opposite side of Glacier National Park, we stopped to eat dinner at the Park Cafe near St. Mary. Mindy and I ate there the last time we visited Glacier. Since last time, the service had not improved, but the buffalo burger with Long Island dressing was as good as ever.
An evening drive on Going-to-the-Sun Road was a new experience for Mindy and I (and Jen who hadn't been to Glacier until this trip). The evening light made the scenery even better. We also couldn't resist stopping for a drink at Lake McDonald Lodge, where we sat by the lake for a bit and then sat in the big wooden rocking chairs on the patio. The bugs were a pain, but the setting was idyllic. A relaxing campfire topped off a very active and enjoyable day in one of the greatest places on earth.