Moved over to the east side of Glacier NP today, camped in St Mary, then headed out to grab some lunch and do a part of the park. Bad news about lunch (and everything else for that matter). The season is over, everything is closing. Finding any services open at this point is a crap shoot. I did manage to find a bar open for lunch.
After lunch, I moved up into the Many Glaciers area of Glacier NP. Drove to the end of the road and went on a couple of short hikes, the highlight of which was a little downy woodpecker. Heard him before I saw him. I was walking slowly through a little stand of quaking aspens and heard the familiar tap tap tap. He posed for over 30 photos, and even gave me some time to change lenses. He stayed within about 15 feet of the trail and in the sun for the most part so I could get lots of chances. One of the first shots I took was the best. As a parting goodbye, he gave me that familiar woodpecker cackle as I moved on down the trail.
And this is the third park where I managed to find and walk on the CDT. First Rocky Mountain, then Yellowstone with Tracey and now Glacier.
On the way back to camp, hit horrid traffic. That’s what I get for being on the road in Montana right in the middle of rush hour . . .
Downy Woodpecker
CDT Trailhead
Montana Rush Hour Traffic
On Saturday, I head up the eastern portion of the Going-to-the-Sun road to site see and hike. I hike up the trail to view two outstanding waterfalls and get a lot more opportunities for some great landscape photos.
Wild Goose Island in St Mary Lake
Blackfoot Mountain
Going-to-the Sun Mountain
St Mary Falls
Virginia Falls
Virginia Falls
An Aster at Virginia Falls
Sunset over Two Medicines Lake
I took these photos as parting shots as I head south and east from Glacier National Park on Sunday morning.
I took these photos as parting shots as I head south and east on Sunday morning.