We are trying to get the most out of our stay on the east side of Glacier National Park. On Thursday, August 30, 2016, we took a drive over to Two Medicine. We had to take a sort of round about route to get there because Great White is too big to drive on Montana 49 between St. Mary and Two Medicine. After yesterday's epic climb to Bertha Lake, we were looking for something a little scenic and short. We settled on the Aster Park Trail. Here are some of the lovely purple asters that line the trail.
Before Going-to-the-Sun Road was constructed, Two Medicine was a primary destination for travelers arriving by train. After spending a night at Glacier Park Lodge, visitors climbed on horseback to travel to Two Medicine for a night in one of several rustic chalets or canvas tipis built by the Great Northern Railway. From Two Medicine, a system of backcountry tent camps and chalets within the park allowed these adventurous visitors to live in Glacier's wild interior. This is our first view of Two Medicine Lake.
Our hike took us around the left side of the lake to the Aster Creek Valley. From there we headed up to a viewpoint at the base of Never Laughs Mountain. But first, we took a short side trail to the right to Paradise Point. From the lake shore, we watched several kayakers glide by.
The trail took us past several beaver ponds. While we didn't see any beaver activity, the still water reflects Rising Wolf Mountain.
Even at the end of August, we can still see patches of snow on the sides of some of the mountains.
We bypassed Aster Creek Falls on the way up, deciding instead to have our lunch at the viewpoint and then enjoy the falls on the way back down. Our total elevation gain was 780 feet in three miles, but it was 500 just in the last 3/4 mile. When Kathy reached the "End of Trail," she plopped down and refused to go any further.
Two Medicine Lake seems so far away.
We enjoyed our lunch in the shadow of Appistoki Peak.
Having rested and recuperated from our uphill climb, we relaxed and enjoyed the hike back down. Fall is definitely starting to show its true colors.
We missed a few views on the way up, which became obvious on the way down. We stopped to admire Flinsch Peak.
Kathy waits for Dave as he frames this photo of Pumpelly Pillar. (No, we are not making these names up.)
The upper part of Aster Creek Falls was fun to explore. The creek tumbles down a series of rock ledges. We climbed up and down several of them searching for the best falls photo.
Kathy learned the hard way that just because a rock doesn't look wet doesn't mean its not slippery. Luckily it was a hot day and her wet bottom dried quickly. Truth-be-told, she found it quite refreshing after that long, hot uphill hike.
The lower Aster Creek Falls are a tourist mecca. The shallow pools make for great swimming on hot summer days.
This little guy was very curious about all the human activity. At first we thought he was a chipmunk, but later learned he is a Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel. The way you tell the difference is that chipmunks have black stripes that start at the tip of their nose and move up their face. The ground squirrel has no stripes on his face at all. We learn something new everyday.
Tomorrow we plan to travel to Logan Pass and hike again across the Garden Wall. Stay tuned!
We camped on the West Side of Glacier National Park a few weeks ago. It was very expensive to stay at an RV park there. I think you did good by staying on the East Side of Glacier. Our next visit were camping on the East side. Happy Rving! Its a beautfiul National Park.
ReplyDelete