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| Hiking | 7.20 Miles |
1,825 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.20 Miles | 7 Hrs | | 1.03 mph |
| 1,825 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I just wanted to add this log and pics so that you can see what a treat you would be in for if you chose this hike to Grinnell Glacier while in Glacier Park. Also, if I can do this hike, almost anyone else can. Many of you avid hikers could do this quite quickly along with many other awesome GNP hikes.
This hike is the first major hike I had ever done. It was a ranger guided hike that started at 9AM with the boat ride from Swiftcurrent Lake to the west end of Josephine Lake. There were probably about 25 hikers. It was a lovely day though it got into the 90s during the middle of the day. We were very fortunate for 2 reasons: we got to go on the glacier as sometimes you can't due to accessibility (sometimes you can't even get to the Overlook because of snow on the trail) and we missed the big Roberts fire (man-caused 110,000 acre fire) that started July 23rd and burned a lot of acreage, especially in western Glacier National Park (GNP).
You hike past the deep turquoise-colored Grinnell Lake but you're mostly above it. Half way through the hike up we observed a grizzly bear and her two cubs above us. Not too much later they had made it down the mountainside and were grazing at quite a distance but enough that we could see them. I saw her kick up some dirt as I had zoomed in. On this hike I had my very first digital Panasonic camera and my regular camera so the quality of the pictures is not so hot in many cases.
We had lunch just below the Grinnell Glacier Overlook (about 40 minutes). There is also an outhouse there which is nice so that you can enjoy the rest of your day. It's about another 20-30 minute hike up to the Overlook. Once on top, it is AMAZING. The Upper Grinnell Lake is very small but looks very cold. And of course, you can see all 3 lakes (Lower Grinnell, Josephine and Swiftcurrent). The ranger talked to us a lot about the movement of the glacier and different geological things.
Then we had to manage to get across these rocks where the water was flowing pretty fast. Many decided not to traverse it but if you didn't, you couldn't walk out on the glacier. Once the ranger said it's okay if you get your feet a little wet, I was able to get my mind over my feet to get me across. We then sat out on the glacier for about 20 minutes while the ranger gave us another presentation and showed some pictures he had.
We were on our own on the way back (2PM). Well I ran out of water, ran out of gum, my arms were getting burned from the sun (higher altitude it seems you burn faster), it was hot, there was no shade and I was on the trail mostly by myself and realized "oh ya, there's bears out here so I better talk to myself". And, of course, when I finally got to the bottom the 4:00 boat was full so I had to wait for the later boat which was stressful because I was so thirsty.
When I finally got back to Many Glacier Lodge, I went straight for the gift shop downstairs where I loaded up on huckleberry yogurt (soooooo gooooodddd) and orange pop. I had a good day. |
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Wildflowers Observation Substantial
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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