Unfortunately, as soon as the paddle and saddle was over on Sunday, the weather turned on us. We had just enough time to get over to the Many Glacier side and get in one short hike before the rain started. But in the end the rain probably worked out for the best as we saw a lot more of the park than we would have through multi-day hikes. If you'd rather just look at all the photos, you can find them at: http://flickr.com/photos/86674201@N00/sets/72157607233218815/
On Monday, we saw a Grizzly and her cub about 5 minutes into our hike to Iceberg Lake. The lake had dozens of large blocks of snow from the surrounding snowfield still floating in it. As we got home a few clouds appeared to be coming in. Apparently they where the harbingers of 4 days of rain and cold temperatures. The rain started just as we ducked into the tents.
Unfortunately, during the night I learned that my 10 year old tent's rain fly is not as waterproof as it once was. It appears to be ok during a light drizzle, but during periods of a steady rain the water soaks through the fly, runs along the poles and then drips into the tent. Fortunately that spot was right on the center of my face, and woke me up in the middle of the night. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have noticed until my bag was soaking wet. Stick a rain jacket under the drip, move closer to Meg and I'm good enough for the night.
The next morning I bought a space blanket, some hair bands and a little rope and fashioned a backup rain fly that worked just fine. (Though it may have been a bit loud in the breeze.) Over the next couple days Eric, Jen, Meg and I hiked several waterfalls and many other day hikes along the Going-to-the-Sun road.
After 4 days of hiking and sleeping in the drizzle, we spent Jen & Eric's last night with us in a cabin at the KOA. (Showers, laundry and a nicer bed for a night were well worth it.) After they left, we headed over to Sprague Creek campground and got ready for a break in the weather and a 2 day backpacking trip.
Friday and Saturday were (as forecasted) nice and sunny. We caught the bus to the Jackson Overlook on the Going to the Sun road and started hiking the Gunsight Pass Trail. Day 1 was 11-ish miles, 2,000 ft of elevation gain and a lot of beautiful photos. After a while, I got a little tired of all the beauty around me. How many photos of waterfalls, beautiful ridgelines, mountain goats and trees do I really need? It's pretty ridiculous when you can point a camera randomly and get a fantastic shot.
We camped over night along side a beautiful lake and hiked back to Lake MacDonald lodge the next day. We saw a Pika, a Hoary Marmot and a bunch of horses along the way. We also got in some canoeing and had a good time by the camp fires.
We saw a lot of Glacier National Park, and had a lot of fun. We both highly recommend the area and will probably try to get back in the future.
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