Going West 2013

We slept in this morning, it was 9:15 before we moved, though we are still on Pacific time internally so we were awake until midnight here and got up at 8:15 Pacific time. Anyway, we’re awake. First stop was the visitor center to pick up some of the literature we didn’t get when entering the park. Usually a park brochure and map are part of the greeting, but I think I confused the ranger/volunteer at the gate. Normal practice is to present my annual pass and license for FREE entry. I inadvertently handed the ranger my license and Good Sam card. She politely asked if I had another card I would prefer to use, which of course I did. That’s what happens when I try to get out the cards and drive at the same time. I apparently don’t do either well. Anyway, we got our information and visited the several gift shops at Apgar. The village existed before the park, so there are several businesses and a hotel as well as several private residences in the park. This allows for adequate retail opportunities including huckleberry milkshakes and Moose Drool beer all the way from Missoula.

We met a Ranger for a guided hike around the upper end of McDonald Lake and along McDonald Creek. Part of the trail ran along the creek, much of it was through the pine forest. The actual destination was John’s Lake, named for the person who claimed the land in the 1800’s. The highlight was the creek and the falls on the creek. We walked about ½ mile along the creek as it flowed over layers of rock forming many cataracts. The largest is McDonald Falls, probably 40 feet high, but very turbulent. The water is a green color, we learned the color is from suspended particles scraped up by the glaciers that feed the stream. The trail crosses twice on bridges so we got many views from shore as well as up and down stream. On the way back to the campground we stopped at Lake McDonald Lodge to check out boat tour times and dinner at the lodge. Later in the week we will do both. It has been warm, 88 degrees this afternoon, so we decided to go swimming in Lake McDonald by the campground. The beach is pebbles smoothed by the glaciers and the lake is glacier fed. It’s also 470 feet deep, but the beach is gradual. The first two feet of water is cool and refreshing, but as you walk further out it gets pretty cold – not intolerable, but a reason to retreat toward shore and the sun.

While we were hiking the ranger suggested the evening program at the Apgar amphitheater by the campground. The topic was to be the Native Americans in the area presented by a local Native American. Mom asked if ranger Doug Follett was still active. He’s the person that sent Mom his poetry after our last visit to Glacier. We learned he was going to introduce the program that evening, so we had to go. He did introduce the program and was filling time waiting for the person who was to present the program. After a while it became apparent that the presenter was a no-show, so ranger Doug did a program himself. He’s 87, lived his whole life in the park area, and grew up with and later taught the Indians in this area, so he has personal knowledge. We learned more about both him and the Indians. His father worked at the East Glacier train station from 1927. Ranger Doug related stories of loading tourist cars on flatcars to transport them over Marias Pass while the people crossed on horseback because there was no road, and how Indians in full dress used to meet the trains to entertain the tourists. He ended the program with another poem, and Mom got to thank him for sending her his poems. He then recited a couple of more. We finished this educational and cultural evening by celebrating with more huckleberry milkshakes.