A day of hiking

Today we set the alarm at 4:30 to beat the crowds up the Going to the Sun Road as it is much easier to drive without cars in front and in back of you.  I did learn that sunrise in the mountains arrives much later than sunrise in Minnesota.  It takes a long time for the sun’s light to hit higher elevations.

Our first stop was Logan Pass to hike to Hidden Lake Overlook which was a 2.6 mile hike with a 608 ft elevation gain from our starting point of 6646 ft.  Needless to say, for me breathing was tough going up, but well worth the climb because the views were breath taking, literally and figuratively.

Following that hike we hiked to 2 falls, St Mary’s Falls and Baring Falls, a total of 2.8 miles but it was a much easier hike with level little elevation gain.  The views of Lake Mary were stunning. The color of glacier lakes is a brilliant bright turquoise blue, which is not really captured in the pictures due to the lack of natural lighting. The landscape shows how the earth can replenish itself with new growth after a wildfire. In 2015 4,000 acres around St. Mary Lake, were burned in a forest fire, but the land is coming back to life with colorful flora.

Throughout the hikes we did see a little wildlife including, birds (Mountain bluebird and Red Crossbill), a mountain goat and the always present chipmunk.  We have yet to spot a moose or a grizzly bear.

Being mountain hiking novices, we were ready to replenish our bodies and had a great lunch at Rising Sun Resort.  It was interesting to note that some of the campsites there were closed due to bear activity, but thankfully we were staying in the valley.  We returned to the valley for another great nap in the hammocks.  We have needed to shift our cooking style because the fire danger is extreme so we cannot cook over the campfire.