Glacier National Park Chat

Here's the video for the Glacier View hike



pete

That was fun watching you hike up Glacier View Peak. Good views and not much snow. I agree with you on the ACR rescue beacon. We got one last year too....same reasons that you mentioned. Thanks for posting!

Pete,

The Feb. 11 Hungry Horse News (page A7) has a picture of a raven perched on the back of a pickup near Lake McDonald Lodge. Is that Clyde or Bonnie?

Bill

calicotraveler wrote:That was fun watching you hike up Glacier View Peak. Good views and not much snow. I agree with you on the ACR rescue beacon. We got one last year too....same reasons that you mentioned. Thanks for posting!

Thanks!
The next nice day I have off, I may try to get to the top. I've only been to the top once and that was summer of 2005 or 2006.
It was really HOT and there is no water on that mountain as I found out that day.
And frankly, it's not a great hike in the summer unless you get a day after a good rain and/or cold front that clears out the air.
This coming Sunday may be a possibility if the wind lays down. Temps are forecast to be single digits. That ridge is not fun if it's cold and the wind blows.

Thanks

pete

MarxMN wrote:Pete,

The Feb. 11 Hungry Horse News (page A7) has a picture of a raven perched on the back of a pickup near Lake McDonald Lodge. Is that Clyde or Bonnie?

Bill

Hey Bill:
Thanks for the heads up on the Hungry Horse News.
I'll stop at the Interlake office and check it out.
It's impossible to tell them apart in a picture. However...
That is almost certainly "Clyde" as I've never seen Bonnie on a vehicle until she jumped up on my truck Valentines day weekend.

That doesn't mean she doesn't get on vehicles; I've just never seen her do it.
She generally either walks around a vehicle as Clyde "investigates" the vehicle, or sits on a nearby perch where she can observe.
Clyde very rarely vocalizes at any time...while Bonnie frequently makes various squawking sounds, her "kadoodling", and "clocking" noise.
She is Clyde's "lookout" while he raids a vehicle which is why I call them Bonnie and Clyde. They work as a team.

When they are near each other they make soft, low pitched "ruffing" sounds to each other.
And they both exhibit all sorts of "body language".
That's part of why I love watching them.

pete


PS
I talked to the winter caretaker, his wife and kids this past Sunday as they were headed to town.
Seeing Clyde on my truck, his wife said "You can take "Charlie" home with you if you want."
LOL!! They call him Charlie.
Charlie was a naughty boy last week. He went inside a big enclosed trailer a contractor used for tools and materials.
Whereupon he found a backpack, unzipped multiple pockets making off with undisclosed reward(s) of some sort.
Clyde is very strong and knows how to work zippers, clasps, camming type buckles, velcro enclosures.

dpratt wrote:Great photos, as usual. I explored the area around the Lodge last Thursday afternoon and met Clyde and Bonnie, albeit at a distance. I hung around for a bit to see if they would get closer, but they didn't. There was a pretty big crowd staged down by the outhouses at the "trailhead" that is GTTSR this time of year. It was really cool walking around the Lodge during this time of year.

Thanks
It is fun walking around out there. It'd be more fun if we had some actual winter weather.
I would gladly trade last months Boston weather with 8feet of snow for what we've had the last month.

I think B&C "hang out" around me because they see me out there frequently.
And many times I'm the only person around, especially if the weather is sketchy.
Once mating behavior begins in earnest, they will not come around the lodge nearly as much.


Bill
I got a copy of the Hungry Horse News and saw the picture of the raven on the truck.
For a second I thought he was on my truck(looks dark green in picture) since people have taken pics of him before sitting on my truck.
So that's almost certainly Clyde since 1) Bonnie rarely gets on a vehicle, and 2) that bird is too relaxed with the photographer "behind" him.
Bonnie is way too spooky to let someone get up behind her that close.....although I suppose it could be a long lens shot.
Thanks again!

pete

Pete,

I thought it looked like your truck in the picture too but figured I was not seeing enough of the truck to know.

It was neat seeing the picture in the Hungry Horse News after looking at all your pictures of the ravens.

Bill

Pete, the fat bikes have become really popular around here, and it look like the perfect way to get to Bowman. The extra fat tires provide a soft ride and they float over snow (which we have barely any). The fat tires also make for a slower ride which is good (windchill) in the winter. I believe this weekend is a fat bike race on the Birkie Trail. They've called it the national fat bike championships in the past.

Jay

Hi Jay!

No fat bikes for me. Hard enough to snowshoe

Winter continues to suck really big time around here.
"Winter Weather Adv" for today was for 1-3inches. We got none.
Winter Storm in effect since 11AM and NO snow...yet.

This weather pattern persists, it's going to be a nasty fire season.

pete

Look how much snow is NOT on Apgar.

Or how bare Mt.Vaught(I think) is. Crummy picture since the sky was cloudy and washed out.

The two knuckleheads followed me from the lodge to this overlook, landing as I opened the door. Clyde doesn't "vocalize" very much but when he does, it's loud. He startled me a bit when he cut loose in this sequence. I had zoomed in a little too much and I was just backing off when he made 3 sharp calls....Bonnie answering with two of her own. Moments later they took off towards Sprague Creek
1Minute clip

They're almost acting like pets. How can you which bird is Bonnie and which is Clyde? Males and females look ravens very similar.