After the fun ending of the previous day, it was good to get back to hiking and touring Glacier National Park. We started with a short walk to see more of McDonald Falls. This spot was very close to where we had finished yesterday. It was a reminder to be careful today to keep the bandaged hand dry.
Johns Lake Loop Trail is just across the road from McDonald Falls. After a short hike up the hill, we found Johns Lake.
Red Rocks Overlook is a creek running through an area of red rocks. The water is unbelievably clear.
Where the water pools at Red Rock Overlook, the red rocks and the varying shades of the water create a surprising rainbow effect. When you see the setting of the overlook within the mountains the impact is stunning.
Going to the Sun Road goes east to west across Glacier National Park. During certain times of the year, you can only access the road with a pass that costs two dollars. The pass is required to limit the traffic on the road. If you do not get a pass, you can only access the park using a free bus. The system works well, but it has its limitations.
It is impossible to describe the experience of driving across Going to the Sun Road. The mountain peaks, the vistas, the flowers, and everything else defy explanation. We took 250 pictures in about two hours. That is a picture every 30 seconds. We could not capture it all. It is simply amazing.
Here is a sample of what we saw.
Our drive across the Going to the Sun Road led us to Hidden Lake Overlook Trail. Unfortunately, the pass system hit a glitch here. The parking lot was full. After a half hour of trying to find a spot, we decided to drive to the nearest bus stop, park there, and ride the bus back to the trail.
The trail is about a three mile hike up and back to an overlook of the valley on the other side of the ridge in front of us. We had checked with the rangers about the weather forecast. They had said there was a ten percent chance of rain. Still, those clouds look thick. Let’s go anyway.
Hidden Lake Overlook Trail has lots of flowers.
Oh my! It has grizzly bears as well. Fortunately for us, it is only a small one and sort of far off. Hopefully Mama Bear is not near by.
Here is a snow melt waterfall. Notice all the colorful stones at the bottom of the falls. The plants along the creek from the waterfall seem to thrive from the water. It looks like the creek flows down to the stream at the bottom of the valley. Does that stream feed into the lake at the base of those mountains?
There is the snow that feeds the waterfall.
We reached the pass next to the ridge. Look at how far we have hiked.
We found a mountain goat!
We have arrived at Hidden Lake Overlook. Look at the mountains out into the distance.
We found a band of Big Horn Sheep not far from the overlook. There are seven sheep in this band. They are resting and feeding. They do not seemed to be concerned about all the observers taking pictures.
We also spotted a Columbian Ground Squirrel during our hike.
There is a small plain near the top of the trail. As we were hiking back down across that plain, we got a different perspective of the trail. Here are some different views from the return trip.
As we walked back down the mountain, we could see and feel the coming storm. You could watch the clouds gather and feel the wind picking up. The race was on. Would we get back before the rain began?
By the time we saw this golden mantled ground squirrel, we were fairly certain we would get wet before we got back. The squirrel did not seem to be as concerned about the coming rain.
We did lose the race. Fortunately, we were prepared for rain. We unpacked our ponchos, put them on, and hiked down the rest of the trail. A light drizzle turned into rain. We got to the bus stop for our return to our car. Unlike the stop we arrived at, the stop for the direction we were now headed had no cover. No one was there yet. We were first in line. The bus was supposed to arrive within fifteen minutes.
As we waited, others joined us in line. The first to join us were a mother and her three sons. They did not have raingear. One bus came. It was headed in the wrong direction. The rain increased in intensity and the wind picked up. Steve asked the three boys if they wanted to hide under his poncho. Two said yes right away. The mother was too tall to fit under Marlene’s poncho. Another bus came. It too was headed in the wrong direction. Then the older boy joined his brothers under the poncho. By that time, Steve was trying unsuccessfully to keep his bandaged hand dry.
It started to get cold as the temperature dropped and the rain made us all get damp or wet. One more bus came for the other direction. Finally, after a forty minute wait in the rain, a bus headed our way arrived.
It only had four empty seats. Marlene decided she would wait while I went to get the car. That way the Mom and three boys could get on board. She headed off. They got on board. Then the driver said the smallest boy could sit in his mom’s lap. That made room for Marlene. She got back on the bus. We were still damp and cold, but we were out of the storm.
When we got to our stop, it was still raining. It was a short, cold, wet walk to the car. We threw our stuff in the car, started it up, and cranked the heat up. It was a rainy ride to our hotel at Hook’s Hideaway.
The lesson for the day is always carry raingear.
It was too cold and wet to take pictures while waiting for the bus. So here are some pictures from inside the dry car that show the rain.
We survived the rain and cold. The wet bandage did not do serious damage. It is good to be prepared.