Glacier National Park Day 4 August 29, 2024

 

When I woke this morning, I laid still and perked up my ears.  I heard nothing, no rain nor wind.  I listened again, intently, to make confirmation.  When I peeked outside I saw the moon and a sky full of stars!  I wondered what the mountain tops looked like.  That would have to wait until sunrise.  Back to bed I went to luxuriate a little longer.  

Today was check-out day so before loading up my vehicle, I strolled around the area to savour the morning sights of the new snow on the peaks.  The wind picked up and it was very cold.  Mitts and a wool hat would have come in handy.  

The sun was up and the alpenglow was in full swing.  I took this photo from the area in front of the store.  The peak is pink from alpenglow and is covered in snow which fell yesterday and overnight.  The clouds were rolling along behind it and the alpenglow turned them pink too.  

A little while later I returned to my home away from home and gathered up my belongings, loaded the car then drove to the Many Glacier Hotel to enjoy the views there.  It was here that I ran into the group of seven who I shared trail time with on Tuesday when I saw the black bear.  We chatted for a bit then they hit the trail to hike to Grinnell Glacier and I headed for my car to begin the drive home.  

After reading only about 100 pages in my new book, I gained loads of knowledge about Glacier National Park and there is still lots more to learn.  I have seen Chief Mountain many times from a distance and a few times closer up but never stopped to truly appreciate the Mountain not knowing the reason for the name and the history behind it.  Now knowing a little more about it, I decided to take the Chief Mountain Border crossing home.  It meant a bit of a longer drive but I felt the need to do it.  There were a few pull overs along the route before the US/Canada Border. I pulled off to admire the majestic Chief Mountain.    

The border crossing was uneventful and I was now back home in Alberta, Canada!  

It was snack time so this pull off place was perfect.  

I zoomed in as far as I could and if you look closely, you can see the Prince of Wales Hotel at tree line bottom left.  It's that tiny white spot with the green roof.  That hump above it is the hike called Bears Hump with I hiked up a few times  The lake is Lower Waterton Lake with the National Park Staff offices and equipment storage to the top right of the Lake.  This photo sure puts into perspective the vastness of the Waterton mountain range and this is just a very small portion in this photo.  

During this visit and my visit to Glacier National Park early this month, I was made aware about the closure of the Swiftcurrent Valley area during the summer of 2025. I did further investigation to find out more details.  

Swiftcurrent Motor Inn closes in mid September for the winter which it always does each year  This year it will close on September 11th.  It will not open up again until spring/summer of 2026.   The Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, the Many Glacier Campground, the Boat Launch and the Picnic Area will all be closed for the 2025 season.  When reading the details, trailheads will be open but access will be limited and there are many other access/no access notices in place.   I would like to return to the Swiftcurrent area as I feel I still have unfinished business to attend to. I will wait until 2026 to see what transpires.

I feel so fortunate to have had these two trips to Glacier National Park this summer and will cherish the adventures I had and the memories I created!