We entered Glacier National Park via Two Medicine Lake, the mountains shrouded in heavy cloud cover. As we ascended, the clouds thinned, revealing the grandeur of Glacier. Shelley’s tears of joy mirrored the intense beauty. Londell, concerned, was mistaken; Shelley was experiencing her dream. We planned to hike to Running Eagle Falls, Appistoki Falls, and Aster Falls. Arriving at the park, we seized the opportunity for a photo.
We arrived at Eagle Falls around 11:00 AM and had a small snack before starting our day. (http://www.hikinginglacier.com/running-eagle-falls.htm) Eagle Falls was nice, but the low water level made only one of the two falls active. The “Trick Falls” was not flowing. This was a 1-mile easy hike.
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| Running Eagle Falls |
Shelley, always interested in the story, learned that Running Eagle was a Piikuni (one of the three nations of the Blackfoot Confederacy) warrior princess. The chief was her father who died when Running Eagle was a young woman. She had to raise her brothers and sisters. To provide for them, she quickly learned to hunt, and defend herself from aggressive competing tribes.
She carved and created her own weapons, as well as clothing for her siblings. Running Eagle accompanied the male warriors into battle with other tribes, as well as white man expeditions. She was highly regarded, even revered by her tribe, and therefore was buried just above these falls.
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We completed our hike by noon and made our way to Appistoki Falls, which was located near the main lodge. (http://www.hikinginglacier.com/appistoki-falls.htm)
We were beginning to lose interest, as the mist was cold, and Londell was not well-prepared for the rainy, freezing conditions. We went to the store and found some really nice rain jackets on sale and in each of our sizes. They were $19.95 each! We could not pass them up. We also picked up bear spray for the next journey to Aster Falls, as all trailheads warned of bears. "You are entering Grizzly country; you may encounter bears". Bear Spray, which is similar to intense pepper spray, is recommended as a deterrent for aggressive bears. We ate a light snack and headed out at 2:00 PM for the hike, which is 2.8 miles with about 400 feet of climb http://www.hikinginglacier.com/aster-falls.htm
On our way to Aster Falls, we stopped at Paradise Point. We took some pictures there, including one without our new matching jackets.
As we made our way to Aster Falls, both of us were experiencing the familiar sensation of “feeling the burn.” This wasn’t a political statement; our thighs were simply in pain! Shelley also had a blister on the inside of her foot, near her big toe, which was excruciatingly painful.
We arrived at the falls, nonetheless. This was well worth the hike, especially after the letdown we had on the last few hikes.
We returned quickly, arriving 10 minutes before the Two Medicine Lake boat tour. The 45-minute tour was informative, with the “captain” providing a historical narrative of the lake.
The boat, the oldest in the Glacier Lakes fleet, was built in 1923. Glacier National Park was established in 1910, and visitors arriving via the Empire Builder train would stay at the Lodge near the park entrance. Over two weeks, guests would travel the park’s miles on horseback and stay in lodges. Shelley agreed it was the perfect vacation. The history lesson was interesting, but we were chilled from the hike and the tour. After disembarking, we slowly returned to the car, feeling the onset of post-hiking stiffness and achy feet. Time for the hotel!
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It was 6:15 before we were in the car, headed to Summit Mountain Lodge, the digs for the night. We arrived at 7:30 PM and quickly checked in and went to the lodge to eat. It was 9:00 PM when we were getting prepared to call it a night. Although not without the Huckleberry Cheesecake. While this was a nice place, there was neither Internet nor any phone connections.
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