Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

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MarxMN
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Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

Post by MarxMN »

Because of some medical issues Candy and I did not get to Glacier at the end of July when we usually go. Instead we had a shorter three day trip in mid-September. It was an interesting time to be in Glacier Park. There were many fewer people than in July and August. The Park already had snow – enough that the Going to the Sun Road was closed from Jackson Glacier Overlook to Logan Pass for several days before we arrived. And both park facilities and east side businesses were closing for the season. There were certainly fewer plants in bloom than in late July but I found a few as well as fruit on plants.

We arrived at the Great Falls airport Saturday, September 16, in the early evening and drove to Dupuyer. We spent the night at the Buffalo Wallow Motel, a new place behind Buffalo Joe’s Eatery and Saloon. Staying in Dupuyer got us more than halfway to the east side of Glacier which was important because we were meeting some folks from the Chat Page for breakfast at Swiftcurrent at 8:00 am on Sunday morning. We left the motel shortly after 6:00 am on Sunday

We arrived at the Buffalo Wallow Motel after dark on Saturday and left before sunrise on Sunday. This picture was taken a couple days later when we were headed back to Great Falls.
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Sunrise on Glacier from the Duck Lake Road
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We arrived at Swiftcurrent shortly before 8:00. Pete and Toddnick were already at breakfast, Teapot57 (Tina) joined us shorty after we arrived. Todd was on his way to the airport as he wrapped up his trip. Pete had come over to meet Todd and to hike. Tina was in Glacier for the weekend and had hiked with Todd the day before. After breakfast Tina, Pete and I decided to try hiking to Appikuny Falls and perhaps climb above the falls and hike in that valley.
The day started out with clear skies but some clouds and haze moved in by mid-morning. The temperature was crisp but not at all unpleasant for hiking. While there was snow in some areas of the park we did not encounter any on the Appkiuny Falls hike. The falls had water but not at lot.


Appikuny Falls
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Appikuny Falls
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A juniper with berries near Appikuny Falls.
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Mountain Ash
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After the falls we started on the trail that goes up on the rocks to the east of the Appikuny Falls Trail. Soon we came out into the area that looks like a giant rockfall.


Area to the East of Appikuny Falls
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Area to the East of Appikuny Falls
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Pete near the top of the rocks.
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After climbing up on the rocks we started back into the valley on the obvious trail.


Bearberry
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Tina on the trail.
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The trail is mostly in the open with some places where we walk though short trees. We walked about one half to three quarters of a mile. At that point the wind had gotten much stronger, so strong that it was difficult to stand at times. We decided to turn back.


Tina and Pete on the trail.
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A dead tree.
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Tina and Pete descending through the rocks.
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Perhaps the most photogenic dead tree.
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The Appikuny Falls area from the Many Glacier Road. The snow-capped red rock in the background is part of Appikuny Mountain.
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After the Appikuny Falls hike Tina headed back to Calgary. Pete and I decided to drive to Logan Pass. The Going to the Sun Road had been closed from the Jackson Glacier Overlook to Logan Pass because of snow but had re-opened the day before. I picked up Candy at the Many Glacier Hotel and we met Pete at Logan Pass.


Piegan Mountain from the Logan Pass parking lot.
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Pete and I hiked to the Hidden Lake overlook. The snow from a few days earlier had melted except for snow in a few shaded areas along the boardwalk.

Garden Wall
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A few flowers were still in bloom.


Paintbrush
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Yarrow
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Red Leaves and Grass
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From the Hidden Lake Trail, Going to the Sun Mountain in the right center, then Matahpi Peak to its left, then Siyeh Mountain left of Matahpi. Siyeh has the most new snow.
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Going to the Sun Mountain and the Small Pond near the Hidden Lake Overlook
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The new snow really highlights the features of Mount Reynolds.
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On Sunday and Monday nights we stayed at Thronsons in Babb. The room was quite comfortable although as advertised there was no wi-fi access and only one channel on the television. It was a good time to read a book.
On Sunday evening we had dinner at Two Sister’s. Two Sister’s was closing the next weekend and the waiter had to tell us that a couple items on the menu were no longer available. After dinner we drove back to the Many Glacier Hotel for the last Native Speaks presentation of the year with Jack Gladstone. The Many Glacier Hotel would be closing on Tuesday.
Last edited by MarxMN on Sun Jan 27, 2019 6:23 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

Post by teapot57 »

Staying in Dupuyer got us more than halfway to the east side of Glacier which was important because we were meeting some folks from the Chat Page for breakfast at Swiftcurrent at 8:00 am on Sunday morning. We left the motel shortly after 6:00 am on Sunday
I'm just now realizing that you and Candy drove all that way, and I was the one late for breakfast! :oops:

I really enjoyed exploring the basin above Appikuny Falls with you and Pete, and look forward to hearing more about the rest of your trip.

Your photo of the pond near Hidden Lake Overlook with snow-capped Going to the Sun Mountain in the background is AMAZING!

Tina
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Re: Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

Post by mattB »

Nice trip report, great pics!! Looks like a fun trip, I like the Park in September but the weather is always a surprise!
Fun times when Chatters can meet up!!
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Re: Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

Post by Jay w »

Todd and I did a similar hike (Appikuni) trying to find a route up to Natahki Lake (?). Also, the area "east of Appikuni Falls" is where I liked to go with the 4x5. Rocks as sharp as razors. I always wore jeans going up there and when I thought of it, gloves. I'd get lost for a few hours shooting the deadwoods.

Thanks posting a trip report. I love the snow pictures with the telephoto.

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Re: Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

Post by Ear Mountain »

Thanks for the photos. Looks like a good time for September.
The plant labeled in the photo as Alpine Wintergreen is actually Bearberry.
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Re: Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

Post by PeteE »

Nice photos Bill!
I'm glad we could all get together for breakfast(with Todd) and that lil hike.
Bummer that the wind was so fierce above the falls.
As said, that area is very interesting. I'm looking forward to checking it out this summer.
Hope Candy is feeling better and stay warm feeding those cows. 8)

Cheers

pete :wink:
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And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

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Re: Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

Post by MarxMN »

Ralph - Thanks for the plant identification. I changed the label. While the two plants appear similar the leaves are that of a bearberry.

Jay - I know you like that area east of Appikuny Falls for both the rocks and dead trees. Pete and I talked about posting some dead tree pictures for you.

Matt - Thanks - yes the weather can be unpredictable. And it is fascinating how the snow level changes by elevation and terrain.

Tina - You were not late for breakfast - we had agreed on 8:00. We arrived early. The picture of Going to the Sun Mountain in the distance and the Hidden Lake area pond in the foreground was with a 300 mm telephoto. Having both areas in reasonably good focus can be a challenge sometimes.

Pete - Thanks. I think the only other place I have encountered wind that strong was one year going across Siyeh Pass. Candy is feeling better. Feeding the cattle that last couple weeks has been "refreshing". Our weather is forecasted to moderate a bit in the coming days.
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Re: Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

Post by MarxMN »

Monday, September 18

The forecast for Monday was cloudy with a chance of rain. I decided to walk to St. Mary and Virginia Falls. I had not been there in a number of years and especially since the 2015 Reynolds Creek Fire. I was surprised at how much more open the trail was. Between the road and St. Mary Lake almost every tree burned. With no shade from trees a lot of vegetation had grown. That was now mostly brown.


St. Mary Falls Trail.
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A dried fireweed bloom along the trail.
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Snowberry.
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Pearly Everlasting.
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Harebell.
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This dead burned tree was along the trail.
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The tree's stump is not going to hold the tree upright much longer.
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Fern.
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St. Mary Falls.
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Looking across the St. Mary River on the way to Virginia Falls.
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A short way past St. Mary Falls the forest had not burned. The rest of the way to Virginia Falls was in the more mature and green forest.

Virginia Falls.
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Virginia Falls.
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The water in both St. Mary Falls and Virginia Falls was low but that was not a surprise in mid-September following a dry July and August.


Arnica.
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A huckleberry remained.
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A cherry.
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St. Mary Lake from the trail back to the road.
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We drove to Brownie’s in East Glacier for lunch and used the Wifi. We also were able to visit with Rosie. Then we drove to the Two Medicine area. Candy joined me for a walk to Running Eagle Falls.

A caterpillar on a thimbleberry leaf.
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Rose hip.
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Running Eagle Falls - the water was flowing only through the lower falls.
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That evening we had a good pizza at Rising Sun Pizza in St. Mary. Rising Sun Pizza is in the building next to the Park Store gas station. Rising Sun Pizza may have been there before 2017 but this was the first time I noticed it.
Last edited by MarxMN on Sun Jan 27, 2019 6:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

Post by tibber »

Sure fun to read Glacier Park trip reports during the winter (altho I really shouldn't have any nerve calling our temps down here winter; however this weekend I'll be hiking a passage of the Arizona Trail starting in below freezing temps in southern AZ).
I enjoyed your pictures as well and your plant ID. Gotta love those snow berries. I've only seen them one time and believe it or not, it was on one of the Sky Islands by Tucson (The Catalinas). Never been to Appikuny Falls but have always wanted to go and looks like the area around there is pretty cool too.
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Re: Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

Post by MarxMN »

Appikuny Falls is a great short hike (about 1 mile each way) with the potential to do more exploring off-trail.

I enjoy finding and identifying the plants. That was bit more of of a challenge in Mid-September than in July. Many of the plants were still there and some had fruit instead of blooms.
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Re: Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

Post by MarxMN »

Tuesday, September 19

On Tuesday morning we decided to check out Fischercap Lake On the way into Many Glacier we stopped for some pictures as the sun was shining on the mountains though breaks in the clouds.

Many Glacier Road and Swiftcurrent Creek
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Sunrise along the Many Glacier Road
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Sherburne Lake with Grinnell Point in the background.
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Sherburne Lake – the water level was very low.
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Sunrise on mountains to the north of Lake Sherburne.
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Our vehicle was the first one parked in the Swiftcurrent parking lot that morning and we did not arrive until around 8:20 a.m. (The Swiftcurrent complex had closed for the season the day before.) The air was cool but no there was no rain this day.

Candy on the trail.
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Deer between Swiftcurrent Pass trail and Fishercap Lake
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A second small buck showed up and the two would intermittently challenge each other – more playing than fighting. We and a few other people who came up the trail watched these deer for 20-30 minutes.
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The lower end of Fishercap Lake.
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Ducks on the lake.
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The side of Grinnell Point above Fishercap Lake.
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Many Glacier Hotel from the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake. This was the day that the Many Glacier Hotel closed for the season.
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After leaving the Many Glacier area we drove north through Babb to see Chief Mountain. We passed the Hun’s Den Restaurant (which was closed for the season) which is next to the Post Office in Babb. (The Hun’s Den was discussed in summer 2017 in a thread here about Babb.)


Hun’s Den (to the right) and the Babb Post Office
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Hun’s Den
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Chief Mountain
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Chief Mountain
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Then we headed south to St. Mary, on to Browning and back to Great Falls.

Part of the Blackfoot memorial on hill south of St. Mary.
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Sunflower field along Highway 89.
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We arrived in Great Falls, checked into our hotel and had about an hour to visit the Charlie Russell Museum. An hour was not enough time but we did get to see some of the Charlie Russell artwork. The museum has Charlie Russell paintings and sculptures as well as western type art by other artists. Our Wednesday morning 6:00 am flight back to Minnesota was on-time. That was the end of our first trip to Glacier in 2017.
Last edited by MarxMN on Sun Jan 27, 2019 9:09 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

Post by paul »

Thanks for the report, Marxman. I really liked the pictures from the last day. The teepee with the mountains behind it, Chief Mountain, and the sunrise at Lake Sherburne looked very appealing.
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Re: Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

Post by MarxMN »

Candy and I also spent Thanksgiving week in the Glacier area at Crestwood Resort in Whitefish, Montana. We knew that hiking in Glacier was unlikely in late November but planned this trip as an opportunity to explore the Flathead Valley. While I have been to Glacier Park every year since 1981 I have spent very little time west of Glacier Park and I have never been to the area in November.

The Flathead Valley already had a substantial snowfall on November 1 and 2 – as much as 1.5 feet in some areas. However, the weather had been milder after the beginning of November. When we arrived in Kalispell on November 18 the snow was gone except for places where it had been piled up. We spent time in Bigfork, Eureka, Polson, Ronan, Columbia Falls, Whitefish and Kalispell. We drove all the way around Flathead Lake. We drove along part of Lake Koocanusa and the Libby Dam. We drove on some forest service roads that did have snow and ice and we probably should not have been on them with the vehicle that we had. We visited the Hockaday Museum and the Conrad Mansion in Kalispell. The Hockaday Museum is a great place to see Glacier related artwork. We had a nice visit with Dave and Deb Parker.

The weather was cloudy and rainy most of the week. Sunday was the one nice day – on that day Pete picked me up, we drove to Glacier Park and hiked on Glacier View Mountain. Glacier View Mountain is at the junction of the Camas Road and the outside North Fork Road.


Lake McDonald.
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From a short distance up Glacier View Mountain – with the Camas Road Bridge over the North Fork of the Flathead River and then the Camas Road into the Park.
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Dried yarrow.
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Oregon grape leaves.
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Snowberry.
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The author and the North Fork area.
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Huckleberry Mountain and Huckleberry Lookout.
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Huckleberry Lookout.
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We hiked up the mountain for a couple hours and about 1,500 feet. Where we started the trail was mostly clear with some snow patches. As we climbed the snow gradually became deeper, We stopped for lunch at a point where the snow was about a foot and a half deep. At that point we decided to turn around.


Glacier View Mountain at the point where we turned around.
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Pete.
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Pete descending.
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After the hike we stopped back at Lake McDonald Lodge. While on the dock here we talked with a couple who were diving to observe salmon spawning. They said this was great place to observe because the water was clear.

Lake McDonald Lodge
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Mount Stanton across Lake McDonald
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The mountains past the head of Lake McDonald.
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Candy and I did drive into Glacier Park again on both Wednesday and Thursday. The Going to the Sun Road was open to Avalanche Creek.


Along McDonald Creek in the Avalanche Creek area.
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Along Lake McDonald.
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The road into the Fish Lake Campground was still open. Lake McDonald from the Fish Creek Campground.
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Last edited by MarxMN on Tue Jan 29, 2019 11:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Marxmn 2017 Trip Report

Post by MarxMN »

Thanks Paul. The Blackfeet Memorial has two tepees of different designs a short distance apart with a concrete path between them and and a statute of a rider on a horse adjacent to the parking area. I don't know how long it has been there - this is the first time that I recall seeing it but I often take the Duck Lake Road between Browning and St. Mary.
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