Glacier National Park: Day 2 - Fire On The Mountain

Here was the plan for today. Take the 7AM Logan Pass shuttle up the Going to the Sun Road. At the top we would head north along one of the premier trails in the world - the Highline Trail. Yesterday Going to the Sun Road was closed late in the day as a small fire on the east side exploded into a 100 acre fire due to the high winds. Campgrounds on that side had to be evacuated and hiker were being located and the fire expanded rapidly. We still got up very early to queue for the first bus out just in case, but no dice, road was closed over the top all day.

So, let me tell you about the end of day 1, after we nabbed a campsite. We did a short hike up Avalanche Creek to Avalanche Lake. It is in a beautiful cirque fed from water exiting the Sperry Glacier. We counted five cascading waterfall coming over the headwall feeding the lake. Great hike, not to hard, just enough to let your legs know they were working.

On the return to the campsite we happened on a scene just on the road by our site. A couple about our age flagged down a ranger and gave him an earful. Playing the game of campsite roulette the arrived early (like us), tagged their site and then took off in their Mercedes motorhome for the day. WHen they returned someone was set up in their site. The woman was angry and frustrated, and the ranger was trying to figure out options on the fly. With all of the loops and other NP campsites full, it was going to be a long late drive to find something else. Her frustration was getting the better of the situation. I was teasing the young couple the next site over, by saying - watch this, I am going to go over there and tell  them that for $100 they can park on our site , but they have to sleep in our tent and we get to sleep in the Mercedes. With the situation escalating, it was not time for jokes butit was a good idea in principle. We ended up just making the offer of sharing our site through the ranger, they accepted, and things got immediately better for them. Until of course next morning at 6:15 AM while stuffing my car keys into the bottom of the pack to scoot for the early shuttle, I set off the car alarm and it took a few minutes to shut it off. 

The shuttles did not run up and over today, so the early up was a waste. Marsha just so a notice that it is now up to 2000 acres. Not a lot of hope for tomorrow, but we will try the early express. Back up plan is taking the time for huckleberry pancakes. 

We ended up doing a little biking, and I got to go fishing. First on the shores of Lake McDonald with spinning rod and fly casting into the wind. Later I got out onto the river outflow from the lake. No success except a few nibbles. I got one to follow a lure a few feet, had another rise to a fly and spit it twice, and on the river just one nibble but was in a good area as several small fish jumped near me. It was a windy day and you had to watch your casting but it was a real joy to fish in such clear water. The lake became tedious as the gravel shore line got into my sandals and the clarity masked depth. One false step and knee deep became chest deep and then swim time. The water was cold but not frigid Marsha got in for a lake swim before summer. 

On the river I was able to fish a hole just below a bridge and the water was warmer. I could wade across in water up to my belly button. I had great fun casting and floating flies and nymphs out in the middle of the river. It just amounted to a few hours of casting practice, which I needed. In the end I got much better at shooting the line and getting it where I wanted. Lots of wind but no wind knots and with t he clear water it was easy to figure out likely spots of cover to cast to, They were just not buying what I was selling. 

I am at the Apgar Visitor Center which actually closed a few hours ago. Marsha observed someone yesterday plugging a device into an outlet on the side of the building. Building has free wifi, is just down the street from the huckleberry ice cream stand. Charging and blogging, a pleasant way to spend a few hours. Here are the pictures: