Running Eagle Falls

Do Not Point Your Camera Toward The Sun.

It is a rule recited so often that it is almost a mantra.  Still, sometimes we don't have an option. 

My first day in the park I spent midday and early afternoon exploring areas on the western side, and in the late afternoon I made my way around the park to the south, then worked my way in to the Two Medicine area, my next camping destination.

Near there is a trail and waterfall, Running Eagle Falls.  I set off in pursuit of another great sight in a day that had been filled with such.  I walked past the Grizzly warnings, whistling or singing to be sure I was making "people" noise.  Approaching the falls, my first view showed them in shadow, backlit by the sun.  Oh well.  It was still nice.

I crossed an upstream branch and got some closer shots.  The mist from the Falls might generate a nice rainbow in the morning, but not now, not with the sun behind the falls.

 

As I recrossed the stream and was leaving, I decided to try for a last shot, making the mist and backlighting work for me rather than against me.

Yesss!

Dark days, rugged mountains

I got to Glacier on Thursday afternoon after a long, fatiguing day behind the wheel.  Friday dawned cloudy but cleared by late morning.  I headed into the park and came out 9 hours later with over 250 photos after the first round of cuts.  Lots of work ahead of me.  With rain in the forecast, I will have time for editing.  Those pics will be the subject of future posts, once I have gotten through them.

Three days later, the rain continues here at Glacier National Park.  Still, the views can be awesome.  A long drive on a muddy, potholed single lane road a few miles south of Canada brought me to the south end of Bowman Lake. 

Had it not been so wet, I would have walked at least part of one of the trails. 

I returned to the main park area.  Wandering about, I wound up at the Apgar Visitor Center, at the south end of Lake McDonald, the largest lake in the park.  The air was relatively still, but thunder boomers echoing behind me assured me that I was NOT going to do much walking today.  Not a problem...

If I ever get sunshine, this place will be awesome.

The Going To The Sun Road is still closed but may open tomorrow.  If it does, I am off for 50 miles of spectacular mountain driving.

Farragut Parting Shot

My stay at Farragut State Park in Idaho was at an end.  I had been there 14 days and had had three days when the sun was out for at least part of the day.  My last evening, I was thinking about dinner when the air took on an unusual color.  I hopped in the car and got to a viewpoint of the lake just as the sun shone through a hole in the clouds, spotlighting a part of the mountain on the far side of the lake.

That was a nice afterimage for me to carry away.  On to Glacier National Park!

How To Find Big Game

I have done a fair amount of hiking up here in northern Idaho.  Everyone tells me I am surrounded by all sorts of big game, yet I see nothing on these hikes.

Yesterday I took a 90 mile drive up to the Canada border, just looking at scenery.  On the way back, atop a cliff near the road, I saw a white spot.  I stopped and looked closer, then got out the camera gear.

A Walk In The Woods

In the east, one of the nation's older trails is the Appalachian Trail, a trail that has been described as a 2000 mile walk in the woods.  It has been described that way because it is known as a trail that traverses woodlands, but with few vistas.

That was the case with yesterday's trail, the Scout Trail.  While the part I walked is about 1/1000 the length of the Appalachian Trail, it has a similar feel.  For most of the length that I walked, it is a walk in the woods.

In many places the trail skirts the base of rock walls that rise out of the forest.

Reaching the top, there are a few vistas to reward the effort. 

It would be really great to be up there when the light was right, near sunset, but the descent is on very uneven terrain.  It would be easy to get hurt in fading light.  I won't be up there in late afternoon.

Descending, part of the way the trail is paralleled by a small stream that makes me wish I too could just flow down the grade.

Farragut State Park, Idaho

Waaaay up in the Idaho Panhandle is one of the deepest lakes in the northwest.  Lake Pend Oreilie is 1200 feet deep in places.  It is surrounded by rugged mountain peaks.

Geologically, this area was formed in part by the rupturing of an ice dam in Montana during one of the ice ages.  The resulting flood is estimated to have been 500 feet above the lake level, and the flood waters were strong enough to carry boulders the size of houses.  These boulders are scattered along the shores and mountain slopes surrounding the lake.

Trails, ranging from paved, almost level paths to rock scrambles, are spread through the park and surrounding wilderness.  Again, native wildlife include grizzlies, wolves, black bears, mountain lions, moose, elk, deer, mountain sheep and goats, and a variety of smaller critters.  Again, I saw squirrels - and a few deer.

It has been raining on all but two of the days I have been here.  On the first of those two days, I hiked a trail that was extremely steep and rocky, with uncertain footing.  At its top, I had some really nice views of the surrounding area.

Finding the trail, through the rocks, was often a case of looking for slight discoloration on the rock surfaces where others had scuffed off the lichen.

The second nice day, I walked an easier path that bordered the lake shore.

I finally found a waterfall

Where I have been at Dworshak State Park in Idaho, wilderness is abundant but waterfalls have been hard to find.  Per my last post, I found one on Freeman Creek, all of 1 foot high.  Pretty, but not too impressive...

I did my research and found Elk Creek Falls, a recreation area only 13 miles from me - and a two hour drive.  You know the down east expression - "Ya cahnt get theyah from heeyah."  Like that.

It turns out it was a challenging hike for me, with distance, terrain, and a LOT of elevation change.  I first hiked down to the overlook for the Lower Falls.

After watching the shifting rainbow for a while (and gathering some energy for the long uphill climb ahead of me) I headed for Middle Falls.

Finally, I headed uphill again for the Upper Falls overlook.  It turns out that I had to climb up, then drop down to the base of the falls.

I then had another long climb to get back to the car.  I got there tired, but very satisfied with my day.