[at-l] Glacier NP & Canadian Rockies

[bluetrail at aol.com]

First day back from a trip to Glacier National Park, Waterton-Lakes Canadian National Park, Banff, Lake Louise, Icefields Parkway, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay.  The wildflowers were spectacular, the glaciers were amazing (though retreating), and the sissy hikes my knees allowed for were wonderful.  
 
Animals seen:  included 3 black bears, mountain goats, big horn sheep, hoary marmots, ground squirrels, chipmunks, bald eagles, elk, moose, coyote, various kinds of deer, and a WOLF.  We were driving south on the Icefields Parkway about 7:00 a.m. on a rainy morning; the wolf was sniffing his way north at the road's edge.  
 
Thoughts/opinions/points of possible interest
 
Most unusal campground:  Lake Louise.  Entire campground is fenced with a six-strand fence of electric wire to keep the bears out.  Even the cattle guard entrance is electrified.  There are gates for pedestrians and bicyclists to use.  
 
Best canyon:  toss up between Maligne Canyon in Jasper and Red Rocks in Waterton.  (Go very early or very late to avoid bus loads of tourists.)
 
Best glacier you can easily hike to:  Angel Glacier in Jasper.
 
Best lake hike:  really difficult to say; they were all so beautiful:  maybe Moraine Lake in Banff because I spotted some new (to me) wildflowers.  
 
Best state park we visited:  Farragut State Park in Idaho.  Was once the site of a huge WWII Naval training center.  The Boy Scouts once had an international jamboree there with 42,000 boys in attendance.  It's on a beautiful lake with some good day hikes.  
 
CDT hiker spotted:  Sidewinder.  He was relaxing at a road crossing.  We gave him a cold beer.   (Isn't it amazing how once you're into hiking you can easily tell a through or section hiker from a day hiker or overnighter? (Even when you're too far away to smell them.))
 
Best bakery:  Polebridge Mercantile at at the Polebridge entrance to Glacier NP--fabulous!
 
CDT hiker picked up at Kallispell bus station and dropped off where he wanted to start his hike:  Mags.  AT-L strikes again!  Just happened that we arrived at Glacier the day before he was to start his hike.  He & I corresponded a bit in the last couple of months, and the arrangements were made.
 
Later,
Joan
 
bluetrail at aol.com
 
 
 
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