The Moose Hike

Friday August 21, 2015   Day 24     Glacier National Park, Two Medicine Campground, site 99, 2^nd day

Sat out with our coffee all bundled up and Tanny, our neighbor from the Airstream, brought her chair and knitting with her and sat with us.  Marsha was researching day hikes in Glacier.  I got too cold to sit out and went into the Oliver and worked on pictures and blog drafts.  Marsha came in later and made us some hot oatmeal to warm us up.  For the past two weeks, we’ve been experiencing mornings that are in the mid to high 30s. 

We participated in a ranger led interpretive hike to Aster Falls and overlook which started at the General Store at 12:30.   We walked over to the General Store from our campsite, which added ½ mile each way.  Aster Falls was 2 miles from the trailhead.  The ranger was about our age.  The hike was easy, but she went at a very fast pace.  There were about a dozen people on that hike from all over the U.S.  The ranger stopped at a lake, a stream, a bog, and beaver ponds.  Each time she would explain the ecology of the area and the life cycle of the feature. 

The ranger stopping at a marsh explaining the ecology of a marsh.

We stopped at a series of beaver ponds where moose are known to frequent.  There was none there at the time we passed through.  This was the area where she guaranteed a moose.  We walked down to the edge and she caught a frog and everyone was watching the tadpoles swimming around. 

Let's go look for frogs.

 

 

The ranger pointed out this is very rare.  A beaver

cutting down a conifer.  A lodgepole pine in this

case.  They like aspen and willow, but because of the drought,

there is no sap for them.  So they are trying anything they can.

You can barely see the mountain because of the smoke.

 

Later we came to a stream and she amazed a lot of people there.  She had us go down to the stream and turn over rocks and witness the larval stages (nymphs) of aquatic insects.  She had a chart identifying the silhouettes of the different species.  Nearly all the members of the hiking group were unaware of the amount of life that lives under the rocks in a stream.  I was aware because of my fly fishing knowledge and I’ve turned over rocks in streams many times.  But watching everyone become enlightened and excited like little kids was a lot of fun.  Then we moved on to the falls.

 

Marsha taking up the rear as they start up to the overlook.

 

Prior to starting the hike the ranger's supervisor warned her of the air quality due to the smoke.  She told us during the hike we would inhale the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes during the three hours of the hike.  It was her discretion to call it off if she thought it was having detrimental effects on the hikers at any time. 

After reaching the falls, the second part of the hike to the overlook was optional.   It was a .6 mile hike up 650 ft. of elevation to an overlook.  The group voted to keep going.  Marsha was having problems with the smoke and elected not to go, so we aborted the rest of the hike.

On the way back, we saw “the Moose” that lives in the beaver pond and took some pictures of it.  It was a cow moose feeding on underwater vegetation.  She did not have a calf with her. 

This is where the moose hangs out. 

She's the brown dot on the far shore.

What's the matter?  Never seen moose before?

Here's lookin' at you, kid.

 

Back at the General Store which was near the boat dock and South Shore Trailhead, Marsha bought a long sleeved T-shirt (it said Glacier National Park on it) and we treated ourselves to some ice cream.  Then walked the ½ mile back to the campsite through the picnic area and along the lake.  Got back at 3:30 in the afternoon.

 

Sat out with our crackers and cheese but got chased inside because it was 52^oout and we were getting cold.  It was also very breezy with 25 mph winds.  So we did what we do when we have to sit inside.  We document our day on the computer.  I also keep a logbook in the Oliver where I write in our activities.

Tonight we were going to have steaks on the grill.  I got it all set up, but couldn’t get it to stay lit in the wind.  The temperature was dropping also and it was too cold to stand out in the wind cooking.  Anything set on the table would blow away unless you weigh it down.  So we had to go to plan B.  Give up and put the grill away like any bear safety person would do.

.

Over about a 10 minute period the temperature went from 52^o to 44^o.  And the wind was howling. Clouds were gathering from the east over the mountain tops.  Then it started raining and thundering.  By 6:30 PM it was as dark as night outside.  But an hour later it was light again, but still raining.  We were all hoping the rain would clear up the smoke.  Will find out tomorrow.  Today was the smokiest day of the trip so far.

Ominous clouds gathering over the mountain tops

 

 

Looking west towards Sinopah

You usually associate thunder with hot, humid, summer days.  Not cold windy days.  But this is the Rocky Mountains.  It rained most of the evening, not heavy, but steady.  Glacier National Park is experiencing a severe drought this year.  One of the worst ever, according to the rangers.  You can tell by how low the local reservoirs are.

So while we were experiencing this weather event, as they say on TV, we made an indoor meal.  Spaghetti.  Marsha canned quite a few jars of cooked ground beef (grass fed beef from Grasfields Farm).  These are easy to use for situations like this.  They also are used in Marsha’s chili from which she canned some cooked kidney beans just to bring along. 

So we spent a cozy evening inside the cozy warm trailer.