2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

[PeteE]

Pete,

I think the reflections in your first picture are great. There is more orange color in the water reflections than on the mountains.

I like the water flowing over the rocks too. But be careful around those wet rocks.

Interesting idea - a grilled steak at the Apgar campground on Christmas Eve.

Winter came to Minnesota Wednesday evening. Rain turning to snow as temperatures dropped. Strong northwest winds. The last two mornings were around 0.

Bill

Thanks Bill!
Yeah the reflections in the water don't reflect the same color as in the sky.
I was hoping for a "glassier" lake surface but that didn't happen.

Funny you should bring up about the hazards of the creek.
Turns out it isn't the creek I need to worry about; it's walking on a dry land concrete sidewalk (

As I wrote to a friend...
I gotta tell you what happened yesterday.
I had on my MicroSpikes ALL DAY, even driving wearing them.
Then after taking my last sunset shot at the Village Inn, I took them off and started to leave when I looked back and the sky looked really good.
So I started walking back for one last shot---and slipped and fell HARD on the ice covered concrete.
I landed flat on my back/tailbone--and my head bounced as well. Camera went one way and glasses went another.
Several people saw it happened and ran over to check on me.
The good news was I didn't break anything, including my camera, but my tailbone hurts and probably will hurt for weeks or months.
My head is just fine-not even a lump.
My neck is a bit stiff, but it'll be ok.
go figure

pete

[res]

Be careful out there Pete. A friend of mine and I were taking a hike a couple of days ago and she tripped on a thumb sized root and fell really hard on her shoulder. Very sore but no long term injury. "We" are all about the same age and have to be careful. On a positive note, thanks so much for all the great pics you share with everyone. They brighten up my day.

[PeteE]

Be careful out there Pete. A friend of mine and I were taking a hike a couple of days ago and she tripped on a thumb sized root and fell really hard on her shoulder. Very sore but no long term injury. "We" are all about the same age and have to be careful. On a positive note, thanks so much for all the great pics you share with everyone. They brighten up my day.

Thanks Kevin.
Yeah, it's pretty treacherous out there when it's iced up. And I'm pretty careful.
It was just a mistake to "hurry" back to get that "just one more" shot. Trust me, it was a hard lesson learned.
I was pretty sore Christmas day and didn't go anywhere. I've been taking ibuprofen all along and feel way better today.
Winter Highlights out for a little more snow today
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.p ... -dNYNhKiUn
I'm going for a drive out to the park and/or the North Fork. Maybe do some snowshoeing.
I would like to do some xcountry skiing tomorrow if there's enough snow and it clears up.

I got a NICE Christmas card from Craig
So Merry Christmas Craig!!!
Tell Tammy Hi for me.

pete

[paul]

Pete,

Did you get checked out by a doctor and get xrays? A long time ago I fell hard on my back while running. I was in pain for a long time and regret not getting checkout and xrayed.

Paul

[Jay w]

Pete, I like the sunset pics and that you're cooking a steak at Apgar. Nice idea.

Before checking out the chat, I was looking at traction devices. Seems appropriate. Glad you're mostly ok. About a month ago I was rollerskiing on a trail I know well. They put a 6" wide trench across the trail this summer but the dirt packed down hard enough that you could roll through if you're careful (on both skis). Well, they must have dug it up again and this time they filled it with large gravel. No way to get through that and it spun me around and I actually landed partially on my water bottle, which cushioned the fall on my butt. I was doing 9.4 mph when I went down. This is Jay. Don't be like Jay.

Crap happens fast and it takes a while to recover, but thank God the camera is ok. That's so common with cyclists. They take a hard crash, bleeding from three limbs and they want to know if their bike is ok.

I got Julie a Garmin watch for Christmas and she's swearing at me about her VO2 max. Hah.

Jay

[MarxMN]

Ouch - I should have said be careful on wet rocks and parking areas.

I am glad you are feeling better. Tailbone bruises can hurt for a while. I hope you heal quickly.

Bill

[PeteE]

Pete,

Did you get checked out by a doctor and get xrays? A long time ago I fell hard on my back while running. I was in pain for a long time and regret not getting checkout and xrayed.

Paul

Hi Paul!
No, I didn't go to the doc or ER.
I sat around for 10-15 minutes to see if I would have any immediate symptoms like blurred vision, headache, dizziness, etc.
No lump on my head which did surprise me. Maybe that's because I have a really HARD head? Who on the chat would have thought huh?
And I felt fine. My ass hurt but nothing could really be done about that.
I figured if I was good after the 40 minute drive home from Apgar, I'd be good to go.
Besides, I wasn't going to go to the ER on Christmas Eve and waste their time when they're busy with really sick people.

I feel fine this morning other than a slighter tender tailbone.
I may be old but I'm blessed with good genes and a pretty tough body.
I've never been admitted to a hospital other than a bunch of ER visits from car wrecks and cutting myself on sharp objects.

Cheers and hope you had a nice Christmas Paul!

Pete, I like the sunset pics and that you're cooking a steak at Apgar. Nice idea.

Before checking out the chat, I was looking at traction devices. Seems appropriate. Glad you're mostly ok. About a month ago I was rollerskiing on a trail I know well. They put a 6" wide trench across the trail this summer but the dirt packed down hard enough that you could roll through if you're careful (on both skis). Well, they must have dug it up again and this time they filled it with large gravel. No way to get through that and it spun me around and I actually landed partially on my water bottle, which cushioned the fall on my butt. I was doing 9.4 mph when I went down. This is Jay. Don't be like Jay.

Why not be like Jay?! You do just fine!

Crap happens fast and it takes a while to recover, but thank God the camera is ok. That's so common with cyclists. They take a hard crash, bleeding from three limbs and they want to know if their bike is ok.

Yeah crap does happen. I have good genes and have had good luck all my life. I'm just gonna keep on keepin' on.
I'm too old to begin hiding in the basement so to speak. Too many things I haven't experienced or done yet.

I'm thinking I should break out my old Sony camcorder and do some YouTube videos. Combine some basic "bushcraft" with photography.
I'm really tired of staying home because of all this covid-19 bullsh1t and "social distancing" nonsense.
Sad and it makes me angry because it's turned our country into a pathetic shell of itself.
So I'm just gonna GO, till I can't go anymore.
Later,
Gotta get going. The days are short.

I got Julie a Garmin watch for Christmas and she's swearing at me about her VO2 max. Hah.

LOLOL!! Yeah women supposedly have higher VO2 max numbers than men, but then you're not the typical guy.
Mine is probably OK for someone my age(73 in February). I know it's better than a lot of men I know.
Probably over 40. Just kidding!
Be fun to get it measured but I don't know anyone here who has the gadget to do it.
Telll Julie to not sweat it and focus on her cribbage skills!!
Yeeehaw!

Jay

Ouch - I should have said be careful on wet rocks and parking areas.

I am glad you are feeling better. Tailbone bruises can hurt for a while. I hope you heal quickly.

Bill

I'm doing well thanks Bill!!

[PeteE]

My day got cut short due to a call back to work.
I did get a little bit of skiing in out at GNP.
No pictures other than a couple snapshots from the Quarter Circle bridge. I made a few minutes of video.
It's kind of a hassle to take pics and video when skiing.

I ski'd from the stables out the road to the Apgar Lookout trailhead to the trail junction for the old ranger station--maybe a mile or so.
At that point I turned around and came back. I was beginning to feel some fatigue in muscles I haven't used in a year. LOLOL!!
And, I didn't want to risk falling and maybe screwing up the rest of the season.
I was going to drive out to the North fork to see how much snow there was around Great Northern Flats...but
Five minutes after getting back to the stables I got a call from work.
So that was the end of the day.

video is about 4:30 minutes
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-89f ... 9-1920.mp4

Taken from the Quarter Circle bridge



This is one of a couple slopes I was a bit apprehensive about coming down on the way back.
It's surprising how fast you can get going on a little slope like this.
I didn't fall on either one though!


Turned around here at this trail junction


I need to get in shape.
later
pete

[llholmes1948]

LOL!! I love that article/story Lyman. I assume that Christi is your daughter? Is she the one that did the AT a few years ago?

Yes Christi is our daughter and she hiked the AT in 2011 (March 20 to August 5, if I recall correctly). She works as a civil engineer but in her spare time she has become a registered Maine Guide and writes a monthly column in the Maine Sportsman magazine.

At the present time she is concerned that the warm winter so far in Maine will cause a delay in ice fishing since many lakes are not yet frozen.

Lyman

[Jay w]

Now we're talking. The snow looks great. Glad to see you're getting out and it makes me want to make the drive out. Are those skier made tracks? They look a little narrow, but the direction (lack of wobble) look like a track setter.

What happened to the hair? You should see me. I look like a mt. man.

Jay

We got about 3" of fluff last night. I finally raked the roof. This morning, traffic can't figure it out. Whadda ya mean I can't do 75? Maybe I'm spoiled with snow tires.

[PeteE]

Now we're talking. The snow looks great. Glad to see you're getting out and it makes me want to make the drive out. Are those skier made tracks? They look a little narrow, but the direction (lack of wobble) look like a track setter.

I'm doing my best to "get out there" and do some skiing.
The tracks in the picture of the "bald" me were made sometime the day before I was there.

The tracks in the bridge picture and the small hill are my tracks that I made going out and coming back.
They don't groom trails out at GNP.

There isn't enough snow yet in the valley in places for me.
Once you get over to Hungry Horse and beyond it's much better. We're supposed to get an inch or so today so that'll help.
I just can't be driving to West Glacier or out to the North fork every day.
I'm waiting on the WF Golf course to open for skiing, and even that will mean a lot of driving.


What happened to the hair? You should see me. I look like a mt. man.
I shaved my head a few years ago. I'm pretty sure it was shaved in June 2018 when you and Julie were here.
It was not long after the really cute Russian gal quit working at the shop in WF where I used to get it cut.
There wasn't much left anyway

Jay

We got about 3" of fluff last night. I finally raked the roof. This morning, traffic can't figure it out. Whadda ya mean I can't do 75? Maybe I'm spoiled with snow tires.
My former boss says I "drive like an old lady" when it snows (sorry old ladies out there)
I have studded snow tires Jaybird has 4x4. That helps a lot in some conditions, BUT...
Studs and computer assisted all wheel/4x4 drive in these fancy new cars aren't going to save some of these dumb asses the way they drive.
I pull over and let them go around me! F'em.

I'm going to try some winter camping soon.
I'll probably test some of my older gear, and some new gear I've bought recently, out in the woods at boss lady's house.
If I survive overnighters there , then I'll maybe start with making a camp out in a place like Great Northern Flats on the North Fork.
Take my snowshoes and skis. Maybe demo how to make a fire and cook REAL food on a fire, or my new "Firebox".
I need to go out there this weekend and ski or snowshoe around to see what kind of wood sources are out there.
Should be fun...if I survive!

[PeteE]

We've been getting a little light snow the last day or so.
I have to work for a couple hours tomorrow(1/1) from about 6AM until about9AM.
Then I plan to head out to the North Fork to look at potential places to camp a little later on.
The weather will be fine for snowshoeing and/or xcountry skiing, but not so great for photos.
Just have to see. Might be a good day for it since a lot of people will stay home because of covid and/or watch football.
So

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!
Be safe!
pete

[Carol Lynn]

And Happy New Year to you Pete! Here's to a new year filled with amazing photography and safe adventures!!!

Carol

[PeteE]

And Happy New Year to you Pete! Here's to a new year filled with amazing photography and safe adventures!!!

Carol

Thanks Carol!! Good to hear from you. I haven't been out much in a week or two. The weather has been crap.
I'm waiting now for a decent day or two to do something fun.

pete

[indiana hiker]

Hey Pete, The webcams look like good weather today in the park. ( for a change ) Maybe a chance to start your 2021 photos for all of us that love to visit thru your photos!