Glacier National Park

2018-09-12
Glacier National Park, MO

My friend Adam was enthusiastic about huckleberries during his time in Montana, so I really wanted to try some. If you've never tried huckleberries that is because so far we have been unable to cultivate them. They are all harvested from wild bushes. There must be a lot of bushes somewhere because up here there is huckleberry everything; pie, ice cream, coffee, even salad dressing.

Last night I saw the restaurant had huckleberry pie so I ordered a slice to go figuring I'd eat it later. It was still in the refrigerator this morning. And then it dawned on me: On the road there is absolutely nobody to tell you that you shouldn't have huckleberry pie for breakfast! Dilemma solved before it even materialized. As for flavor, the verdict is that I do like huckleberries but that they are more different rather than better than blueberries. Definitely give them a try if you're out this way. You won't miss them if you're in a tourist area.

Today was my full day in Glacier National Park. After packing in my morning repast, I headed around the park to the East site. It turns out that Google really nailed the directions; it managed to get me past some serious road construction. Unfortunately I discovered exactly how much it saved me by coming home with only a paper map. I can still use them, but even I had forgotten how annoying it is to read a map and drive at the same time. It's probably right up there with texting with your toes as to its impact on driving.

I finally made it to the visitor center where the Highline Trail starts. Part of the trail was closed, so I decided to do a portion of it as an out-and-back. It may not be the trail for acrophobics.

The hiker in me says that this hike was beautiful, moderately challenging, and thoroughly enjoyable. I heartily recommend it. However, the amateur photographer in me found it to be difficult. Besides the aforementioned haze, there were also low obscuring clouds, overcast areas, and areas of bright sun. This is a tough combination to try to get things to work. But our intrepid hero looked for ways to cheat:

My plan was to go 3.5 miles to Haystack Butte, but when I got out 3 miles I saw that the last half mile was up the hill into the clouds. Figuring that I wouldn't get any pictures from within a cloud (life has been a tough teacher) and itching to move to my next hike, I reversed course back to the trailhead and drove over to the Many Glaciers area. I'm not sure who came up with that name, but it's the sort of clever I can get behind.

The second hike of the day was to Iceberg Lake. It was supposed to be about 9 miles out and back. However, after the first mile it started to rain. I've hiked many miles in the rain, but looking up where the hike lead made me realize that the entire rest of the hike was in clouds. Thick clouds. The kind of clouds that thwart photographers. And as I looked out across the open field considering my options, there was a little rumble of thunder. So the hike ended up at 2 miles total, but I'm a little less crispy than I might have been. I have heard that the hike is great, but in this park things are simply too far apart for what I tried to do. Stick with hikes in one area per day.

I did manage to get a cool shot on the way past though. Apparently they let you take all the dam pictures you want. I'm guessing they have Swiftwater Lake this low for dam maintenance since the other rivers weren't the trickle that this would imply.

A final 2.5 hour drive back to my room (where I discovered how well Google had done on the way out) capped the day. When driving out here, be careful because the livestock is roaming free. This seems like a bad idea in an area primarily driven by distracted tourists, but in general it trims all that roadside pasture that we have to pay someone to mow in PA.

Hiking Distance: 8 miles