Glacier NP – Seize the Moment

With a 3-day break in my work schedule, I took the opportunity to travel to Northern Montana in hopes of capturing some great fall color in and around Glacier NP.  In addition to the seeing the great color the Aspen trees offer, this was also an opportunity to scout out what the park had to offer for a later visit.  I elected to base out of Great Falls, drive up to the park for the day and return to Great Falls in the evening for the night prior to returning home.

Lake Sherburne

Since this was a last-minute plan, I wasn’t fully prepared with a list of places to go and things to do.  To get some ideas, I went to the Glacier NP website, checked out the map of the park and formulated a plan for where to start.  I also noted the website mentioned the potential for seeing the Aurora Borealis (northern lights) and offered a link to another website for more information.  After a little web surfing, I must admit I didn’t have a good feel for whether or not the lights would be visible that evening.  With cloudy skies and the uncertainty of the Aurora Borealis being active, I chose to sleep longer and plan to arrive in Glacier NP before sunrise in the Swiftcurrent Lake area.  To make the sunrise schedule, I set my phone alarm to get up at 3:45 AM for the 3-hour drive from Great Falls to Glacier NP.

Fortunately, an early lights out allowed me several hours sleep before the hotel alarm clock went off unexpectedly at 12:00 AM.  Wide awake, I checked the Glacier NP weather and the skies had cleared.  Taking a chance, I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed out the door and up I-15 towards the park.  This decision paid off with my first opportunity to see the lights in person.  I wasn’t planning any night photography when I left the house, so the top of the car had to serve as the tripod for the 30-sec exposures used to capture this image.  I was grateful to get my first glimpse of the Aurora Borealis but this experience only served to motivate me for better planning next time and hopefully some incredible pictures of the phenomenon.

Aurora Borealis and the Big Dipper

After seeing the northern lights, I headed to the Many Glacier Entrance of Glacier NP to enjoy Swiftcurrent Lake at sunrise.  Driving up the park road, a few miles from the lake, a couple of bears wandered on the road in front of the car and casually trotted across the small bridge and off into the trees.  Being 5:00 in the morning, it was too dark to capture any pics, but there were more to follow.  Having rarely seen bears in the wild, I was pretty excited and the sun was still well below the horizon…great start to the day!

The sunrise was fabulous.  The mountain peaks on the west side of the lake lit up nicely and the waterfalls downstream of the lake were surrounded by aspens in full autumn color.  The facilities in this part of the park had just closed for the season so there were only a few folks in the area, many being photographers.  By noon, I had eight bear sightings.  Quite an amazing morning.

Swiftcurrent Lake at Sunrise

Initially, I was looking at a few trails to potentially hike to get some pics with a little more back-country flavor and possibly some shots near an alpine lake or two. The abundance of bears looking for a last minute meal prior to hibernation and the lack of other hikers in the area made me rethink that plan. So, I headed south to pick up the “Going-to-the-Sun” road through the main part of the park from the east entrance near St. Mary.  The scenery along the road was simply breathtaking with beautiful views of the majestic glacial-carved canyons.

The Logan Pass Visitor Center, located near the tree line offered great views of the surrounding peaks and valleys.  Additionally, several trails are easily accessed from this area including a nice 3-mile round trip hike to a beautiful overlook for Hidden Lake (6-mile round trip to go all the way down to the lake).

Hidden Lake from the Overlook

My wife questioned the wisdom of such a short trip.  I figured that I only have a limited number of opportunities to see the leaves turn.  Glacier has been on my bucket list for quite a while and fall was a great time to get introduced.  Having merely scratched the surface, Glacier NP definitely remains on my bucket list for a longer stay and the tripod is a must.  Next time, I may approach the park from the west side and base camp from the Kalispell, MT area.

This quick 3-day trip left me both tired and completely re-energized and grateful for the opportunity to seize the moment.

Here’s some links:

http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/index.htm

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast