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Two Medicine Thursday, June 28, 2001 (Click on the thumbnail pictures to see a larger view) |
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Two Medicine Thursday, June 28, 2001 (Click on the thumbnail pictures to see a larger view) |
| A couple of doughnuts and a single cup
of coffee only take us as far as West Glacier, as we grab a real breakfast
while we watch the morning train unload. The day is trying to clear
as we head up Route 2 towards Marias pass, then up the east side of the
park to the Two Medicine area. It's cold and spitting some rain at
us as we get our bearings and info from the ranger station. Carol's
been worried about meeting bears on the trail, fearful she wouldn't be
properly introduced and might say something regretful, so we got some pepper
spray to avoid embarrassment. It was windy enough that we decide
to inhale a couple of sandwiches in the car rather than picnic on the trail.
Then we take the Aster Park hike for our warm-up. The hike was just the
right size, stretching our dormant muscles, warming our bodies. It
had nice waterfall and a great view from the top of the lake and surrounding
mountains, that warmed our hearts, too. By the time we made the top,
the wind had died down, but we were soon hoping it would pick back up because
of the swarms of bugs! The hike back down seemed to have shorter
switch backs (surprise!).
We drive back down the canyon, then up toward US 89 on MT 49. This road is closed in winter, and the long, steep curves and tight switch backs make us wonder if it stays open all summer! As we head toward the intersection of highways 49 and 89, we're greeted by some spectacular views of the open prairie. We then go north, past St. Mary's and Babb, and back into the park through the Many Glacier entrance to the Swiftcurrent hotel. After dinner (bleech! - this resturant was truely the low point of the trip!), we join the "Ask a Ranger" session, which consists of scoping the mountainsides for wildlife. We quickly spot a couple of mountain goats and have no trouble following them. Returning from the 8 pm ranger talk on birds up the road at the Many Glacier Hotel, we again follow the goats until darkness falls and slumber beckons. |
| Pictures from Two Medicine and the road to Many Glacier - (Click on the thumbnail pictures to see a larger view) |
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