I headed out of camp about 8 for the long drive to Glacier National Park via Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone which is near the north entrance to the park. I finally arrived there around noon and walked to the upper shelf which is the best. It was very impressive and I got some good pictures and moved on. I didn't arrive at my campground near Glacier until a little after 8. It had been a long drive and I was glad to be here. I am staying in Hungry Horse, MT which is so small that is why they did not call it Hungry Horses. I slept until 9 and finally got going. I headed for the park visitor center at the West entrance and got all the scoop on the best hikes. Since I started late, I didn't have time to go to Iceberg Lake, which I want to hike, so I went down the Going to the Sun Road up to Logan's Pass. Almost immediately a bald eagle swooped down in front of me and landed in a tree. I stopped and got a quick picture. It was a good start to what was to be an unbelievable day. All I can say about the views up to the pass is WOW!!! This place is amazing. I knew right away that I should have booked 10 days for this place instead of 5. For the first time I didn't mind being stopped by road construction. They stopped us at this amazing spot on the side of the mountain with a waterfall cascading down and indescribable views of the mountains. There were lots of these type waterfalls coming from the melting snow up on the mountains. We had to wait ten minutes so everyone got out of their cars and we all took pictures and just reveled in the glory of Glacier. If you believe in the Garden of Eden then I have to believe this was their playground. I know now why everyone has been telling me that Glacier would be my favorite stop and it's only the first day. I stopped at Logan's Pass and hiked the 1-1/2 miles to Hidden Lake. This is where I got the pictures of the bighorn sheep and the mountain goats. On the way up I met a local who had moved here from Maine 23 years ago. We talked for almost an hour and he told me about all the great hiking and fishing. He knows more about the park than most people and has hiked a great deal of the back country. He gave me his number in case I ever come back and want to go exploring and fishing in parts most people never see. We had to walk through the snow quite a bit to get to Hidden Lake. It was worth the 1-1/2 mile uphill hike to get there. I came down and headed further down the road to Sun Point to do a 6 mile round trip hike along St Mary's Lake to see Baring Falls and the St Mary's Falls. The views of the crystal clear lake and the mountains behind it were awe inspiring. I met a deer on the trail that did not want to move. It was feeding on plants on the trail and I virtually had to make it move. St Mary's Falls was the better of the 2 falls so I stopped there to rest, drink some water, and eat some trail mix. I was enjoying the cool mist from the falls as I had worked up a sweat. A bird had a nest in the rocks just above the rapids caused by the falls. This bird jumped into the water at the edge of the fast flowing water which was also fast flowing and went underwater and swam upstream a little way and then jumped out somehow and took off. Another lady and I saw this and we could not believe it. This bird was about the size of a sparrow and how it could not be swept away by the current amazed us. I made my way back to the bike for the ride home and a good steak on the grill. It had been a great start for my time in Glacier. Tomorrow I plan to wake up early and hike to Iceberg Lake. It is about a 9-1/2 mile hike. My skydiving plans had to be moved to Monday because of a conflict with the pilots schedule but this actually works out better for me. Sunday I plan to do a 12 mile Ranger guided hike into an area where there have been a lot of wolf sightings. It is supposed to be a beautiful area which seems to describe everything about this place. Everyone I met today that were first time visitors here, were just in awe of the beauty. I look forward to the rest of my time here.
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