{"id":5690,"date":"2023-08-08T14:54:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T18:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/steveandmarleneontheroad.com\/?p=5690"},"modified":"2023-11-17T20:26:13","modified_gmt":"2023-11-18T00:26:13","slug":"august-8-2023-trip-11-day-15-glacier-national-park-avalanche-trail-and-mcdonald-creek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/steveandmarleneontheroad.com\/?p=5690","title":{"rendered":"August 8, 2023 : Trip 11, Day 15 – Glacier National Park: Avalanche Trail and McDonald Creek"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We started our time at Glacier National Park today. The drive into the park changed to a dirt road because of a road rebuilding project. Driving on the dirt road was a bit of a challenge because the road was muddy from the construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We hiked the Avalanche Trail up to a lake. For the first part of the hike, we were following a creek that had several cascades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once we started up the mountain to the lake, we were in a gorgeous mountain valley that had lots of flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Avalanche Lake is a beautiful lake nestled in an amazing setting. No matter which direction you look, there are new things to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There were several long waterfalls pouring down the sides of the mountains. Some were wider, some were quite narrow. The steep mountain sides kept the water running fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There were also lots of animals including ducks, squirrels, and some fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The hike back down the mountain was mostly on the same trail we had ascended. Near the bottom, the trail turns into a loop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On the return side of the loop, the creek we had followed split off into a branch that ran into a narrow rock white water path with many quick turns and drops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our next stop after Avalanche Trail was McDonald Creek Overlook. We were surrounded by tall steep mountains all day long. McDonald Creek was no exception. The overlook started with a waterfall that lead to a cascade. Below the cascade was a tight passage through some large rocks. The circular wear patterns on the rocks indicate that, at times, there are some eddies and whirlpools when the creek runs faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The beauty and splendor of these settings makes it easy to spend a half hour or more just looking at your surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sacred Dancing Cascade is a short waterfall followed by a cascade. It was another stop where we ended up spending more time than we had planned just because of the peacefulness of the location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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UNTIL the peacefulness was broken while Steve was filming the waterfall. When he tried to move to a better filming spot, he slipped on a rock in the creek. Steve caught himself with his hand. As he got up and began to walk, he noticed his hand was bleeding. Strangely, there was no pain. A sharp rock in the creek had cut his hand very deeply. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After applying a handkerchief to his hand to slow the bleeding, he started walking toward the car. Then the shock of the injury set in. After a slow walk back to the car with Marlene’s help, she drove to the Visitor Center to find out where we could get medical care. Fortunately, there was an Urgent Care facility near by. A few stitches later, we were ready to go. Unfortunately, the only place we could go was back to the hotel for the day. The nurse had said to keep the bandage dry and to rest for the remainder of the day. She also said we should be able to resume our travels the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You never know what adventures you may have when you travel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We started our time at Glacier National Park today. The drive into the park changed to a dirt road because of a road rebuilding project. Driving on the dirt road was a bit of a challenge because the road was muddy from the construction. We hiked the Avalanche Trail up to a lake. For the 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