241:365 Glacier National Park

We spent the night in Cutbank, MT last night, and got up early to drive to Glacier National Park.  We decided that we would go to the northern route first, then head back south in a couple of days and travel on the Going to the Sun Road, which crosses the park from east to west.  We found a campsite in the campground, and then headed out to find something to do.  As we were leaving the lodge, we spotted a big black bear along the side of the road.  Of course, we stopped to take some photos, but I must have been too excited, because all of the pictures were blurry!!  Then we headed to the little village and there was a big group of people looking up at the mountain over the store watching a mama grizzly and her two cubs.  They were quite a ways up the mountain so we needed binoculars to see them.  On the way in to Many Glaciers, we had noticed a trail leading up to a waterfall, and we headed back out to hike that trail.  We parked along the road and I was inside the van getting my backpack ready and Jeff told me to come out and look across the road.  Here was another black bear!!  I was a little bit more prepared this time and the photos did turn out a little bit nicer.  We hiked the mile and a half UP to the waterfall even after seeing all of these bears.  I was a little nervous, but there were other people on the trail so that helped a bit.  It was great hike and the views were fantastic. 

Later in the day we tried another trail that was right in the area where we were camping.   It was supposed to go to a lake, but we never made it that far.  It was getting late and we had already gone about one and a half miles, so we headed back.  This trail was quite a bit easier than the first one though.  I went to the evening program at the campsite and learned quite a bit about glaciers.  The most interesting thing is that they expect the glaciers in the park to be completely gone by 2020.  Global warming is definitely having an effect here.