St. Mary, Mt
Glacier NP
August 8-9, 2013
Thursday did turn out to be a cold, drizzly, dreary day. We stayed inside all day. Brian, a camp worker, stopped by while we were out with the "tan clan" and asked if we had seen any bears. NO! was the answer. He suggested our chances would be real good if we took a ride on Many Glacier Road around 6:00 pm.
I am very happy to report...I saw a grizzly! I was so excited...of course we were safe in Pearl and a Park Ranger was on hand to keep the bear safe!
At first glance...I thought the white spot was a rock. No telling how many bears we really saw and didn't even know it!
The grizzly bear is a North American subspecies of the brown bear.
Grizzly bears are typically brown, though their fur can appear white-tipped, or grizzled.
Grizzlies tend to be solitary animals...with the exception of females and their cubs.
Even though these bears are at the top of the food chain predators, much of their diet consists of nuts, berries, fruit, leaves, and roots.
They also eat other animals...and aren't picky. Any size from a small rodent to a large moose will do.
Most adult female grizzlies weigh between 290 - 440 ponds and the adult male anywhere from 400 - 790 pounds. Even though they are very large, they are quite fast and have been clocked at 30 miles an hour.
Friday was our last day. We did manage to get in one last hike. Destination...Ptarmigan Falls. This trail begins at the end of Many Glacier Road behind the cabins near Swiftcurrent Motor Inn.
The trail starts out with a fairly steep climb...185 feet in only a quarter-of-a-mile.
The first part of the trail passes through open terrain.
In front of us was the Ptarmigan Wall...
...and to the left we could see Salamander Glacier and Mt. Grinnell.
At one point, I found myself singing " The hills are alive" from the Sound of Music. Another one of those spectacular trails when you don't know whether to look up or down.
I wish we had counted the water flows from the melting snow that we crossed over. Somewhere between 8 - 12 we think. Some were a trickle...
...and some were not.
The last part of the trail was through a dense pine forest with the sun peaking in and out of the trees. The cool air sure was a nice reprieve from the sunshine.
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| Ptarmigan Falls |
There is a very nice spot at the top of the falls for a water and snack/lunch break.
It was another wonderful day. Words just don't do Glacier justice...to say it is beautiful is an understatement for sure.
I do hope in a few years we can return. Pam, we didn't take the time to stop by the Many Glacier Hotel to check out the history and pictures...next time. Thanks for the suggestion.
The White Model 706 Tour bus was developed specifically for sightseeing in the National Park System of the US. These are the Glacier Park "Jammer buses. The park purchased 35 of them between 1936 and 1940. In 1989 the fleet was upgraded to modern specifications like power steering and automatic transmission.
In 1999, the fleet was temporarily removed from service to be completely refurbished and returned to service in 2002. The drivers/tour guides have come to be called "Gear Jammers".
Judy...is this an Osprey or an Eagle? I hope you can tell.
Before we knew it, our time in Glacier was over.
We are headed back to Moab, UT to get in some more hiking and jeeping.
Our pups sure know how to enjoy a rainy day! Sally was having a very bad hair day! Jack is always snuggling up to somebody. And Dover was checking to make sure I wasn't getting out the snacks!
Until next time...have a great week!
Jan and Martin were at Portal too. They stayed an extra two days so we could have dinner and visit before moving on to Nevada this morning.
OK...it's been awhile...about 7 weeks since we have been here. What a beautiful sight these red rocks were!
It's an easy trail with switchbacks and ledges with heart-rending vertical cliffs. 
