It’s been two whole weeks since we were last in Glacier, and as fall comes on, we felt like we should go back to see the trees changing color. Boy, did we make the right call– the aspen was spectacular, and we couldn’t have asked for a prettier day: sunny and in the 60’s. We headed up to Logan Pass, at the summit of Going-to-the-Sun Road, where Mount Logan towers over everything:
At the pass, we loaded our packs and headed out on the Highline Trail. This is a twelve-mile trail that winds along the mountainsides, with a couple of branches that lead to Haystack Peak and Glacier Peak Chalet. We were under a bit of a time crunch today, so we couldn’t do the full trail, but we put in about five miles.
It starts out along a sheer rock wall, with a drop of several hundred feet to the highway below. Here’s Pepper as we headed out:
And coming back, where it’s a little more clear how the trail drops straight down to the road. Way cool.
Here’s another view, further down the trail, looking down to the winding highway and, below that, the valley.
So yeah, it’s not for the faint of heart, but the views are incredible. Here’s the valley:
And a view of lines of mountains, ending in Heaven’s Peak (the snow-capped one in the distance):
The colors were breathtaking. I love aspen and larch in the fall.
After we’d covered about 2.5 miles, we had a snack and turned around. We agreed to do it again– this time the full trail— next week.
But you can’t just leave Glacier after only five miles of hiking! So we spent some time along McDonald Creek, which (not surprisingly) has only a fraction of the water it did in the summer. It’s like an entirely different place! Here’s a view upstream to a small waterfall:
We decided to test the glacial meltwater, so we took off our shoes and dipped our feet into the stream. Wow. I think the water was probably 40 degrees.
I just love the crystal-clear glacier water, and the gorgeous green tint. I also love my gorgeous wife.
Looking downstream:
A bit further along is Sacred Dancing Cascade, which was incredible at low water.
Naturally we had to stop near the southern end of Lake McDonald and skip some stones (now becoming a little tradition of ours every time we visit). Like two weeks ago, the water was incredibly still. Unlike two weeks ago, we could actually see things in the distance now that the smoke has cleared.
Yep, another incredible day at one of my favorite places on earth. On the drive home, there was a beautiful sunset over Flathead Lake.
Life is good.