Yellowstone: Old Faithful and the classic sights

West Yellowstone is just outside the National Park, so our routine here was to pick up lunch at the decent supermarket close to the hotel, and then be driven for about an hour into the centre of the park. On our first day, it made sense that we did the big tourist thing and hit the geyser trail. We did this as a whole group, rather than splitting into 'harder' and 'easier' routes. Our guide here was Dave, who is about our age and, it became clear, knowledgeable about the park but somewhat introverted.

We parked near the Old Faithful Inn - built in 1904 and a stunning wooden construction. The Old Faithful geyser is so-named because of the predictability of its eruption schedule - between 45 and 125 minutes apart . We'd arrived in good time for the next one, so were able to sit on one of the benches and wait with the crowds. This felt similar to a show at Disneyland, without the pre-show entertainment. There were lots of children around - all very well behaved despite the longish wait.

Old Faithful obliged and was duly spectacular. We then had a brief visit to the Visitor Centre (and its loos) and re-assembled for our walk. After a short while on a boardwalk. passing a spectacular hot spring, and then ascended through woods to Observation Point, looking down on Old Faithful and the Inn. Dave had worked this well, because we were just in time for another eruption. we then descended to the boardwalks and followed Dave to a series of geysers, hot springs and mud pots. 

We took a break in some shade, and most of us ate our lunch. Rosie made a little friend here and allowed it to crawl on her hand. This was put to an end when Dave pointed out that she'd have to have a rabies shot if she were bitten.

We'd worked out Dave's approach now - after a detailed and engaging description of a feature, during which he'd answer any questions (usually including one about pine trees) and then move on to the next feature at a fast pace, with no attempt to wait for the group. I think this was in order to avoid any 'small talk'. His descriptions often included details of the different ways that people and animals had died in the park. My favourite was the one about the bison that ventured onto the thin material surrounding a hot spring and fell in. The water in these hot springs can be close to boiling point so, even though the bison got itself out, it staggered over and died nearby. This was noticed by a bear that quickly came over and claimed a ready-poached dinner. In Dave's telling, the bear stood on top of the carcass in triumph.


After a few more geological features, we rendezvoused with Bo and his coach and headed back to the hotel. The Holiday Inn had a pool, so Rosie took a swim while I explored the town a bit - looking for souvenirs or a decent bar for later use! It's small, and clearly just a tourist town. It's easy to forget this is 'The West', but there were some reminders, not least the sign on the right - in the window of a photographers.

Dinner met our expectations - it was poor and once again featured carrot cake. A few of us joined Mike on his venture out on the town in search  of a proper bar. We eventually found The Slippery Otter - a large selection of beer, sports on the TVs and a large contingent of bikers ordering pitchers. I think that counts as a real bar. Both the beers I had were good. No-one else wanted to stay for a third!

To Yellowstone, via The Great Falls, with a tour guide

It had been fairly cloudy as we descended from Grinnel Glacier the previous day but, even so, we were surprised to wake up to very low cloud and drizzle. However, we didn't mind too much as this was the day we were to make a 400 mile coach trip to Yellowstone.

Our driver was Bo, who'd driven up from his home town of Bozeman the night before. We had plenty of space in the coach. We headed East out of Glacier National Park, and then started South.  We stopped before long at a service station with attached  (not so) supermarket to pick up sandwiches for lunch. These were something of comedown after Clay and Andy's lunches.

Our lunch stop was due to be at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Centre at Great Falls. I had let it be known that Rosie is something of a Lewis and Clark expert, so was pleased when Mike asked Rosie to say a few words about the expedition. So she took the microphone at the front of the coach and did the engaging and professional job that you'd expect from a one-time guide from Kew Gardens, setting out the historical context, as well as the story of expedition itself.

The centre itself was very good, with detailed interpretation, and reconstructions of a Mandan hut and its contents, and of the portage of the canoes over the Great Falls (see photo). The only downside was that there's not much too see of the actual falls - most have been flooded by dams. However, this was a great way to break a long journey. Several of the group commented how much Rosie's talk had helped them appreciate their visit.

We broke the rest of our journey at 'Montana Wheat: Bakery and Deli', which couldn't have been more different from the morning's stop. There were enormous cakes that looked very appetising. I wasn't really hungry, but couldn't resist a cinnamon and apple danish. I estimate that it was about 8" in diameter. Still - it was fresh and  delicious, so I managed to eat most of it.

The route to West Yellowstone took us along the lovely Gallatin Valley, but we were very pleased to arrive at The Holiday Inn. When we're visiting our sons, Holiday Inn is our hotel chain of choice because their rooms are very comfortable and a decent price.  We weren't disappointed on that front. As usual on this holiday, we'd got used making our dinner choices the day before so that Mike could phone them through, and had done so again this day. The main courses arrived after the usual "chef's salad". From the texture of my chicken, I think it must have been cooking from the time Mike phoned the order through. Awful. This was followed by a large slab of carrot cake.

Our driver, Bo was on our table at dinner. It turns out that, before doing this for a living, he was a professional musician, playing various instruments, but mostly guitar, in Nevada. Conversation over dinner was better than the food! At least the bar had a decent selection of beers.

Last day in Glacier National Park: Grinnel Glacier

This was our last day in the stunning Glacier National Park. I decided that I could manage the longer 11 mile route, which would head along the North West bank of Lake Josephine and up to the two Grinnel Lakes. We'd walked parallel to the South East bank a few days earlier.

By this time, it was clear that it was pretty much the same group of people doing the harder walk each day, so we were spending a lot of time together. Thankfully, this group did not include Sheila, so we did not usually need ear defenders. But it did include Glenys - another Australian, probably in her mid-seventies and both a strong walker and an  interesting and engaging character.

After a short drive to a car park on the edge of the Swiftcurrent Lake we'd past the previous day, we climbed steadily in a mixture of wooded and open landscape, with views up to the glacier and back to the lakes. At one point, the path went along a cliff face that had a small waterfall coming down it. Staying dry was not an option.

At around a dozen, our group was quite large for a narrow track, but we were pretty good at letting faster hikers past. However, there was a very much larger group led  by a park ranger. This group had a mixture of fast and slow walkers, and they stopped frequently for a little talk from the ranger. This meant that there appeared to be more people around than most hikers would like.

We reached Grinnel Glacier in time for lunch. What a stark but stunning location. None of our party dived in today. Some people nearby seemed to be about to do so, but eventually just had a paddle.

On our drive from Kaslispell to the park, we'd passed the Flathead Valley, and I'd noticed lots of places advertising Flathead Cherries. Today's lunch supplied by Andy and Clay was excellent as usual, with the special treat of some of these delicious plump cherries.

After exploring the edge of the glacier, we retraced our steps down - this time with the string of lakes laid out ahead of us. We were treated to a display by a large Big Horned Sheep.

As we got onto the trail that goes around Swiftcurrent Lake, we passed a group who had apparently just seen a Grizzly Bear. I think I was jealous.

It was good that Clay and the people from the shorter walk were at the car park when we got back. It gave Mike the chance to say a nice 'thank you' to Andy and Clay, who had been excellent - informative and really nice guys.

We had some consolation for  missing the grizzly on the trail.... When we got back to the hotel, a man with a spotting scope (a telescope on a tripod)  had gathered a crowd. He was pleased to allow any of us that wanted to to watch a grizzly  track across the mountainside. Maybe that's the best way to see one.

And then to packing.....


View Grinnel Glacier in a larger map

Glacier National Park: Swiftcurrent Lake, with a moose and her calf

I was still incapacitated the next day. After some debate, I decided not to make the 176 mile round trip to the doctors, but to skip the programmed walk to see if it improved. Rosie decided to stay with me, at least in part to have a rest after two tough days.

We had a late-ish breakfast and caught up on some email, which was not a quick exercise using the wet string internet connection. The gift shop needed to be explored too, and soon the morning was gone. We had a light lunch, and a couple of medicinal beers in my case, in the hotel bar. By the time this was done, the sun was shining brightly so we decided to take the short walk from the hotel around Swiftcurrent Lake.

Almost as soon as we left the hotel, we came across a group of Big Horn Sheep seemingly putting on a show for the hikers.

We were surrounded by fantastic mountain views that demanded to be photographed, and also got glimpses of the hotel across the lake. It really is very large - no wonder it took a us long time to get to our room.

Being so close to the hotel, this was a popular and well-trodden path. However, there were 'beware of the bears' notices as we entered a wooded section. We didn't meet one that day, but as we approached a bridge over a wide stream, we could see a small crowd with cameras had gathered so it was clear that some wildlife was around. We were delighted to see a female moose cooling down in the stream. After a while, a calf emerged for a paddle. Cue even more photos.

At one point, we reached another bridge, with a queue at both ends because a family was posed in the middle, and the father was setting up his tripod in the middle of the stunning view, pointing at the bridge. He eventually stood with his family, used his remote control and then , very quickly, went back to his tripod and fiddled around - in the middle of the view that everyone else wanted to photograph. Hmmm. Still, there were plenty of other views.

We met the others in the bar, and then played the 'avoid sitting at the same table as Sheila' game. At this point, we only thought the younger contingent was aware of the issue and therefore playing this game. How wrong we were. More of this later.

Apparently, our guides had a fixed allowance for the 'keep' while with us. Understandably, they minimised their expenditure by camping nearby and eating simply. As a group, we decided to treat them to dinner on this last night at Glacier.  Over dinner, we heard how good the harder walk to Iceberg Lake was that day. The highlight was Clay's dive into said icy lake.

I was feeling more comfortable by bedtime and was confident that I could do one of the programmed walks the next day.

Glacier National Park: over the Piegan Pass to Many Glacier Hotel, with some obstacles

We checked out of the Lake McDonald Lodge and would be staying on the Eastern side of the park for a few days. Even through it was 13 miles, there was no doubt that we'd choose the harder walk once we learned that it would cross the Continental Divide and take us on foot to the next hotel - the Many Glacier Hotel.

Once again, we drove along the Going to the Sun Road and gained a lot of height. I suggested that we needed a butch guide (who would save us from the bears) to pose in front of the Piegan Pass sign. Clay took my feed line and asked whether he would do instead.

The path gained height gradually through a mixture of woodland and lovely flower meadows, crossing a few fast flowing streams. We had a little rain, but it only lasted long enough for us to put our waterproofs on before stopping. We also came across a mule deer.

Just as we could see the open mountainside ahead, we passed through a final meadow. This was the best of all, with a profusion of gentians and plenty of other colour. We could see the pass in the clouds in the distance, with the path going diagonally across the mountain, requiring us to cross a couple of patches of snow.

 

This was quite a long stretch and, although not steep, we were at 7,600'. By the time we got to the Continental Divide at Piegan Pass, Rosie was feeling a little queasy. This was the planned lunch stop, so it was a good chance for Rosie to rest. And what a place - glorious flowers, massive  mountain vistas, and a clear sky. There was even a humming bird. Perfect.

We duly went Across the Great Divide and started to descend. We could soon see a large waterfall, and the path gradually zigzagged its way close to, and then past, it. The path followed the growing stream into a wood.

By this time, I was feeling uncomfortable in a way that I won't expand upon, and Rosie was tired.

After a few stream crossings on crude bridges, we came across our first hikers coming in the other direction who told us that we would need to wade across the stream. Apparently, the stream had rerouted itself. When we got there, it was clear that we'd need to remove boots and socks, roll up our trousers and go for it. Rosie was in the first batch across and, from the expletives I could hear from her direction , the water was obviously very cold. I was one of the last across, and found the sharpness of the stones on the stream bed more of an issue than the cold.

After that excitement, we had a long walk in the woods alongside a couple of lakes (that we couldn't see).  Rosie's left knee was hurting by this time, and my gait was becoming 'interesting'. However, Swiftwater Lake and the Many Glacier Hotel came into view, then gradually more and more of the surrounding mountains. Wow - what a situation.

When we got to the hotel. Rosie immediately laid down on a bench. Despite being 'inconvenienced', it was clearly my job to get the room key so I climbed the steep stairs to reception and was given the key. But there was great confusion about the location of the luggage, so we trailed around the ground floor trying to locate either the luggage or the buses. I got fed up with this and took the long walk to our room in the annexe on the second floor. I then dumped my rucksack and other stuff and went back to the front of the hotel to find Rosie. She wasn't there, and I wasn't impressed. We eventually found each other and the luggage in reception. We just had time for a shower before a late dinner.

Dinner itself was interesting.... Luckily, I managed to get a decent IPA before it. The menu was similar to Lake McDonald, and looked promising so we duly ordered. After a while, the started (soup or salad as usual) arrived. A couple of minutes (honestly), the mains arrived and were placed on stands behind us ("our kitchen is very quick"). We asked for them to be kept warm while we had our starters. By the time they got to us, they were either rubbery or cold. A lot of food was returned uneaten that night.

However, no hotel or dinner hassles could have detracted from the joys of this walk, which was one of the best we've ever done - the stream crossing even added to the adventure.


View Piegan Pass in a larger map

Glacier National Park: The Highline Trail, Granite Park Chalet and the Loop Trail

Most days on these holidays, there’s a choice of a harder or easier walk. So, after a decent breakfast, the sorting hat was deployed for the first time. Both walks started at Logan Pass, where the Going to the Sun Road crosses the Continental Divide at 6,600 ft. This road runs West to East across the middle of the park, hugging cliff sides as it gains height.  By the time we got to the car park, we were in the clouds so had to don almost all the clothes we were carrying.

The first stretch of the walk was on a path cut out of the side of the cliff. Although the path isn't too narrow, the drop is so steep that there's a handrail along the cliff. Several of the group found this a bit challenging. We were fine, and the path soon got wider, although the drop alongside it was still there.

We soon found out why this stretch of mountain is known as The Garden Wall - there was a profusion of flowers, including some lovely yellow Aquilegia. Unfortunately, the gentians were not open. We also saw our first marmot of the trip, and plenty of ground squirrels.

The trail has a few ups and downs, but generally stayed at the same altitude. It wasn't long before the cloud lifted above us and we got great views down into the valleys. After a few miles, we reached a group of large rocks that was to be our lunch spot. Each day, it was part of Clay and Andy's job to provide lunch for the group. We each had a sandwich, with plenty of filling on decent bread, a home-made cookie, some fruit and some nibbles. Lovely.

After lunch, the 'easier' group turned around and headed back to Logan Pass. The rest of us continued on the Highline Trail, which soon started to ascend. By this time, I'd got into a conversation about music with Andy, who plays guitar, banjo and other things in a band in Missoula. He was leading the group, and I kept up with him, forgetting my duty to stay behind Rosie on the uphill stretches. This is especially necessary at altitude, where she suffers from loss of breath. The sorting hat should have assigned her to Hufflepuff (and pant). I was not top husband at this time.

Before long, we reached the end of the Highline Trail at the Granite Park Chalet, where we could buy soft drinks, and queue for ages for the 'pit toilet'. The cloud was lifting and breaking all the time, opening up even more spectacular views.

From there, we joined the Loop Trail (AKA the Granite Park Trail) for a 2,400' descent to rejoin the Going to the Sun Road. This was done over 4.2 miles, and was a fairly gentle gradient. The path took us through an area that was densely wooded until 2003, when a fire swept through the area. Some of the burnt trees still stand, and make a striking sight with their almost-silver  trunks. By now, it was hot and sunny, and there was very little shade.

Both buses had been left at Logan Pass, so some shuffling was involved before we could set off back to the hotel. We only had a short time before a 6:30 dinner (we both had the steak dish we hadn't tried the previous evening), and then used the hotel wifi to connect to the outside world. Unfortunately, the wifi there seems to be connected to the internet with wet string, so uploading photos was a very slow process. I also had to attend to a work problem that involved a small amount of programming. This took me back to the days of dial-up!

The Rockies: Kalispell, Avalanche Lake and the Lake McDonald Lodge

This was an HF group walking holiday to three US National Parks: Glacier, Yellowstone and Grand Teton.  It started with a three flight trip from Heathrow to Kalispell. I hadn’t heard of Kalispell either – it’s on Montana, close to the Canadian border and just outside Glacier National Park. The legs to Chicago and Denver went without incident, but our plane from Denver to Kalispell was late arriving in Denver. By the time it had arrived, some thunderstorms had too. We feared an unplanned overnight stay in Denver, so were relieved  to finally take off around 9pm. We finally got to the Hampton Inn at around midnight local time after around 25 hours of travel. We slept well.

Over breakfast the next morning, we met two Australian women who’d booked on the HF holiday individually but were breakfasting together. One of them, whom I’ll refer to  as Sheila, had an exaggerated and strident Aussie accent and was doing all the talking. I said to Rosie that I hoped I’d be able to filter that frequency out before the end of the fortnight.

We met our Glacier hiking guides, Andy and Clay, after breakfast. They are in their mid-twenties, laid back and, I’m reliably informed, somewhat cute. They drove the 15 of us, including Mike, the HF tour leader, in two small buses up into the park. We popped into Lake McDonald Lodge, our home for the next two days, to drop off Jayne from New Zealand, who wasn't feeling well, and her Mum Iris.

The rest of us set out in the buses for a short walk to Avalanche Lake. The parking area around the trail head was full to overflowing so, Clay, who was driving our bus, tried to find roadside parking on the ‘main’ (these things are relative) road. However, all the  roadside areas in the direction he’d headed were closed because of road works so he needed to turn around. He chose a straight stretch and started a three point turn. Soon the rear wheel  was grounded and spinning in the dirt just off the road. Even with us all off the bus and the men pushing, he couldn’t get back onto the road. By this time, there was a significant tailback, but Clay stayed cool the whole time. The guy at the head of the tail back suggested that Clay reverse further off the road and approach the road diagonally. We were all mightily relieved when this worked first time. Clay dropped us off near the trail head with our packed lunches and went off to park alone.  Soon after sitting down in the shade, a large mule deer wandered by.

Andy and Clay eventually parked their buses and found us and each other  (not so easy when there’s no mobile phone coverage), and we set off for our introductory hike to Avalanche Lake. This was a couple of miles uphill alongside a lovely wooded mountain stream. This gave us some time to chat with the other members of the party. As usual with these HF holidays, most of the group are retired, so we were amongst the youngest.  We were relieved that there was another ’50-something’ couple, who’d brought their daughter. It turned out that John had been a Cambridge contemporary of Rosie and, what’s more, had been at Corpus.  As Rosie sang in the Corpus choir, they knew a lot of people in common.

Avalanche Lake was a lovely spot, and the ‘beach’ was alive with chipmunks and butterflies. Many photos were taken, especially of the chipmunks, but some of the humans too. We retraced our steps to our lunch spot, Andy and Clay fetched the buses and ferried us back to Lake McDonald Lodge.

The lodge is one of the early buildings in the Park, very stately and in a fantastic setting. However, we were in the ‘motel’ area, a series of two-storey buildings with wood-panelled rooms.  Ours was a little dark, but quaint and comfortable enough.  The restaurant didn’t take reservations (apart from for regulars apparently), so we waited patiently for a table. Our deal included anything from the menu. We both chose steak-based dishes (when in Rome….), which were good. The Going to the Sun IPA and Spiked Huckleberry Lemonade were pretty good too.