Glacier - Hike to Avalanche Lake

This week's hike in Glacier is to Avalanche Lake.  We get an early start as the parking lot for this hike fills up early.  We get there around 8:30 and get the last parking spot.

It starts with the beginning of the Trail of the Cedars

The size of some of these trees are really amazing

 Uh Oh!  The start of the Avalanche Lake trail is reminiscent of Minnesota - stairs!

A portion of Avalanche creek

A most beautiful walk in the woods

Can you see the forest for the trees?

 a river runs through it

Looks like some boulders got rolled down in an avalanche at some point

Someone snuck in a photo of me.

 

The mountains come into view 

The back to the thick forest

 A cool spider web catches the sun and my eye

The trail changes to thick vegetation

and then the Lake come into view

Quite the log jam at the mouth of the lake

We move on further to get to the water

 Zoom in to the waterfalls coming off the snow melt from the mountains

 We decide to continue on to the very end of the Lake.  Along the way we see some buck walking along the shore line. We stop because I figure they wouldn't go far because of the people on the beach.  Sure enough they make the turn up to the trail.

They grab a couple of bites and then mosey on down the trail.

End of trail?

I don't think so

There it is!

What a view!

I am always amazed at how crystal clear the water is

Time to make our way back

Almost back to the beginning

We didn't see any bears but a couple weeks later in talking to a guest in the hotel that did the hike, they could not walk to the end of the Lake as it had been closed due to bear activity

 On the way home we decide to detour and see the Hungry Horse Dam

 It is pretty impressive.  Built in 1953, it is made from almost 3.1 million cubic yards of concrete.  It is 564 feet tall, 2,115 feet wide, 39 feet thick at the top and 330 feet thick at the bottom.  It is the 11th highest dam in the United States and along with 19 other dams on the Columbia River produces 5 billion kilowatts of power a year

Hiking the Big Mountain

It's going to be hot so we decide to hike up Big Mountain - the Ski Mountain just north of Town.

The Danny On Trail goes to the top

 You can take a gondola up and hike down or vice versa

However, we brought Tucson and no dogs on the Gondola so it looks like it will be a round trip

 Tucson is fascinated by something . . .

 It's the Gondola going up with some mountain bikes.  

Guess they'll be taking the mountain trails back down.

 Wildflowers are coming out.

 The trail goes through woods

 and then back out into the open sun.

 Tucson finds a few streams to cool off in.

 The views are breathtaking

 About 2.5 miles in we run into a group heading back down and they ask if there are almost to the end.  We say no and figure that doesn't bode well for how much further we have to go.  A short while later we come across another hiker coming down and ask her how much further.  She says the trail is 5 miles one way and the last 1/2 mile is a scramble up the hill.  We have just about finished our water so we decide to pack it in and try the summit another day when we don't have Tucson and can take the Gondola one way.

 We treat ourselves to a wonderful seafood dinner at the Stillwater Fish House

I had the Thai Curry Seafood - Shrimp, Black Cod, Halibut, Trout and vegetables in a red coconut curry broth over Jasmine Rice.  Gary had the Tuna Steak special and we shared the best Calamari I have ever had.

 Would have liked this bottle but had just two glasses instead. 

They did have interesting oyster shooters made with raw oyster, saki and various herb and spice flavors - maybe next time.