July 15 – 17
by Erin
Here we are enjoying supper at our site in the St. Mary Campground.
Mount Oberlin:
With its scrambling, climbing, and stunning scenery, our next hike was a favorite among the kids (and adults).
This is one of the unofficial trails that is known mostly to those who have worked in the park. I couldn’t recall exactly how to access the trail, so I asked a ranger, who gave me a very cryptic response that was just enough to jog my memory.
There is clear trail until you get on the rocky surface toward the summit, at which point we followed the instructions in the climber’s guide, which sounded something like – veer to the left of the gray cliffs and then look for a two foot wide cleft on your right, which you will ascend. The kids very much enjoyed the adventure of finding our route this way.
Here we are at the summit!
panorama from the summit
This method speeds up the descent.
Iceberg Lake
This popular hike leads to a very unique destination, as the name implies. It was a hot day for a hike, but the lake was still full of snow and ice!
Beargrass taller than Simeon on the way there
Five of the six of us are rather adventurous, and decided to surf the icebergs.
The 6th one, a bit of a wimp, was content with 32 degree water in the liquid state.
Surprisingly, there was a Grizzly on the snow at the far side of the lake, who successfully found a cool spot on a hot day. It was too far away for a photo and glimpsed briefly by a few of us, with the aid of binoculars, as it wove its way between large outcroppings of snow that blocked our view.
Matt, Abe, and Simeon rented a canoe and paddled around Swiftcurrent Lake, spotting a beaver and a bird of prey just after catching a fish from the lake.
Many Glacier Hotel across the lake.
There was a stunning double rainbow after a brief shower the evening before we left. It was vivid and clear across the entire sky.
Goodbye, Glacier!
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