Glacier NP

If there is one thing that must go in the bucket of 'things to do before you die', then Glacier NP is there. Unfortunately though, for those not planning this within the next 20 or so years, there may be no glaciers left, with total demise expected by 2030. At Many Glacier, we saw the final stages.

The valleys carved out over millions of years remain, and are filled with metres of snow every winter. The top of Logan Pass was cleared of about 8ft of snow to allow access only after we arrived in USA. A huge amount remains, so allowed us to have some fun times in the snow. Necessity required me to create what the locals called a 'butt slide' to get down a small hill back to the Ranger station deck. Of course this looked fun for the kids, so soon it was a popular activity!

The drive up Logan Pass is..... indescribable. I spent much of it taking photos, as I found that the view through the lens of a camera was far less daunting than the real thing - that had me trying to lean over into Bill's seat, with jelly legs. I am told many women demand to drive, as this also gives a greater feeling of security!

Bear sightings have now become too numerous to count, with one crossing the trail we were about to walk yesterday about 20 metres away. Eek! Likewise deer, who seem quite comfortable with humans and graze quietly beside the trails. Other animals prefer to get out of our way, so walking through the bush talking loudly is the go here.... cougar, wolves, bears, coyote etc are no foe to be met on the way! We watched a bear circle a group of hikers up a mountain yesterday - wondering if they knew it was there!

Out of the Rocky Mountains, but always with them in sight we drove through Montana to Mark's cabin in Rimini, near Helena. The plains that are encountered almost immediately upon leaving the mountains are vast and virtually treeless. Hence the name "the big sky" for Montana. It is indeed a large expanse of sky. Rimini is a ghost town, once a thriving mining town with 13 saloons and a few brothels. Now it is a collection of cabins and some of the old saloons or brothels in which people live an extremely simple life.

Mark is an artist, creating and teaching his craft - as do most of his neighbours. We saw photos of some amazing wood carvings. The people here seem to live very much in tune with their environment and are truly cooperative with each other, being about 16 miles out of town. Of course they all know each other well. His two cabins are rustic, but comfortable enough.

While he, Laura and Bill cooked the meat outside on the barbecue last night, a pair of deer came down to see what was happening - obviously they have had the run of the place while Mark has been in Australia for the last year.

Global warming has been quite a discussion - particularly relating to glaciers. It is also interesting to note an impact in the forests around Helena, where the pine trees are obviously dying in large numbers. This is due to a pine beetle, which usually is controlled during the winters. With warmer winters it has flourished and 10 consecutive days with temps of -45 degrees will be the only saviour. Truly a tragedy and an impact for so much the environment.

Of course there is no internet out there, so I am sitting in the laundromat...one of those functional activities that must occur! Next post... who knows?