Montana

Jul 8-10, 2016
UA1776 IAH-YYC, UA1607 YYC-IAH

West Jet has brought the price of travel from Houston to Calgary down considerably and we decided to take advantage of the cheap fares to enjoy the weekend.  I flew out early on Friday and caught up with my friend Marlene, who had moved from Toronto to Calgary for work when I moved to Houston.  She graciously hosted us on Friday night, and on Saturday we headed back to Montana and Glacier National Park.  The weather was a little iffy at high elevations, but we managed to have a few great hikes in our short visit and made it back in time for our evening flights home.

Jul 9

After staying over in Calgary, we headed out pretty early for Montana.  After a very silly delay at the border, we drove right to Glacier National Park.

St. Mary's Lake

Tiny island in St. Mary Lake

Further up the Going to the Sun road we find a couple of grizzly bears enjoying the berries

Thankfully, Tom's lens makes this look much closer than it is

Briefly clear of the bushes, we get an incredible perspective

The crowds surrounding the bears

Looking up at Piegan Mountain

Heading towards Logan Pass

We get closer to the sky than normal with the clouds and low ceiling at Logan Pass

Some mountain goats shelter from the rain

Clouds lifting a little around the pass

Mountain flowers just off the road

Great perspective on the road and mountains as we make our way down the other side

After a full day of exploring the park, we stayed overnight in Kalispell to the west of the park.

Jul 10

On our way back to Calgary, we headed back into the park and did a morning hike on the Avalanche Lake Trail.  

Early morning at Lake McDonald

McDonald Creek with Stanton Mountain in the background

Falls on Avalanche Creek at the start of our Avalanche Lake Trail

Morning mist on the trail

Avalanche Lake

Morning mist on the lake

Avalanche Creek falls on the way back from the lake

Making our way back up the mountain on Going to the Sun Road

The vast valley below

Waterfall views from Logan Pass

Heading back towards St. Mary 

After exploring the park, we drive back to Calgary for our evening flights back to Houston and Toronto