Glacier National Park has many facets, one of them being the lush rainforest-like environment on the west side of the park. Easily accessed from the Going to the Sun Road, the Trail of the Cedars boasts huge red cedar, hemlock, and cottonwood trees. Spongy moss and cold clear water cascades over colorful boulders enticing […]
mountains
Look No Farther Than Your Own Backyard
David and I took a leisurely drive into the heart of the Flathead Valley. Farms and ranches dotted the landscape, under a turbulent sky. Curious horses in fuzzy winter coats graciously posed for pictures, before we stopped at Fairview Cemetery, where it was incredibly cold. A […]
What is Alpenglow?
Alpenglow is an optical phenomenon. When the sun is just below the horizon a red, pink, or violet band of color can sometimes be seen on the opposite horizon. Because the sun is low, there is no direct path of light to the mountains. The light reflects off of snow, water, or ice particles that are […]
The Kalispell von Trapps on the "Oprah Winfrey Show"
The hills are alive with the sound of music With songs they have sung for a thousand years The hills fill my heart with the sound of music My heart wants to sing every song it hears. One of my laptops is getting older and slowing down. I thought by purging some old emails I […]
Proceed With Caution at Malfunction Junction
It was the same old ocean-like waves in the road heading up to the Jewel Basin. The rough and bumpy ride up the gravel road made the seven miles to Camp Misery seem quite long. It was beautiful weather, so it was a no-brainer that the trailhead parking lot was full. We found a spot, grabbed our packs, and headed off […]
A Hike on the Loop Trail in Glacier National Park
Hope you all had a great Father’s Day weekend….skipping stones and all! We were planning on driving the entire Going to the Sun Road, but persistent Pacific storms kept dumping moisture over the region. Weather conditions and an additional 6” of snow fell on the road between Triple Arches and Logan Pass preventing crews from completion […]
Crying Wolf?
Before taking M & E to their shooting match last Saturday, David joked about passing in front of Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. Hunters would be there protesting federal wolf management. In jest, he suggested we be cautious and roll up our windows against these supposed angry people. The protection of wolves has […]
Beaver Schmeaver!
About a year ago, Dad had seen an impressive beaver dam in Glacier National Park. Last Sunday, he wanted us to see it. Because it’s the middle of winter and the snow is deep, we needed to use snowshoes to get to the dam. After following a cross-country ski trail near lower McDonald Creek, we […]
Moon Over the Swan Range
Stately maple trees line our streets in town, and only a part of the mountain range can be seen through their bare winter branches. By the time I grabbed my camera, yesterday, and went the few blocks east to get an unobstructed view of the alpenglow on the Swan, it was gone. At sunset, […]
The Fog
The fog comes on little cat’s feet It sits looking over harbor and city On silent haunches And then moves on. Poem by Carl Sandburg The valley is covered in fog today, so I decided to go out and take some pictures. The nice thing about fog is the glistening hoar frost that […]