Rainy Days

Well, my good weather was bound to give out, and that it did while I was in Glacier.  Luckily I knew it was coming, so I was still able to do some of the things I wanted.

A View of the McDonald Valley.  My camp is down there!

Bob Posing

     As I expected Glacier has some of the best scenic views in the country, more so than any of the other parks I have been to so far.  Unfortunately, everyone else  seems to agree.  All the campgrounds filled up by late afternoon each day, meaning I always had to secure a spot before doing anything else.  So, for the first couple nights I bounced around and did a little bit of exploring around the Lake McDonald (West Side) of the park.  In the Apgar Campground, where I spend one night, I did manage to make a friend who was actually a little obnoxious as he wouldn't stop asking for food.

The North Fork Road

     The highlight of my trip was my second day in the park where I took the North Fork Road to a more isolated part of the park.  The road itself was purposely kept as an unpaved, single lane dirt road to discourage visitors and keep the area "rustic".  Well, I wasn't discouraged, and it turned out to offer some amazing views.  I camped at Bowman Lake, which had an unreal view of the lakes with the peaks behind it.  With the good weather added on to the views and fewer people, this was the best day I had in Glacier.

Lake Bowman

The Continental Divide

     Knowing a storm was coming and not wanting to move down to the middle of the park to stay at Avalanche for the final two days.  All day the dark clouds threatened, but I took the chance and went up to Logan's Pass.  The road up there is a marvel in itself; with a shear rock wall on one side and a cliff on the other, the road barely fit two cars it seemed.  Not to mention the views on the way up, especially of Heaven's Peak, were spectacular.  At the top, standing at the Continental Divide, I had a moment of profundity:  the raindrops that would soon be falling within feet of each there would end up in two different oceans thousands of miles away.

Heaven's Peak

The rain did create some cool mist in the peaks.

     With that I headed back to camp to wait for the storm to break.  Which it did around 10:30 pm.  And it rained continuously for 24 HOURS, when it finally took a short break before picking up again.  So, pretty much grounded for the day, I caught up on reading and tried to stay dry as best I could.  Saturday morning I took advantage of a lull in the rain to pack camp (not that it mattered as everything was already soaked).  Tomorrow it is off to Yellowstone and Grand Teton, where I may not get rid of the crowds but at least will be drier (*knock on wood*).