Day 51

Mountains, glorious mountains.

Woke up and ate flapjacks hot off the skillet. The morning was brisk. A good day for hiking.

My first true hike of the summer, and about time. Decided on a good long trail to a small lake tucked beneath some high peaks. Long enough to deter the crowds, but not too long to wear me out completely.  An even 12 miles.

Started out from the classy old hotel down by Lake Sherburne and hiked around the South side to a horse trail that led to a steep drainedge. Thick pine forest and dusty trail.

These mountains of Glacier are so incredible not only because of thier size, but because of thier abruptness. Not ten miles from the edge of the giant rock cliffs does the forest fade to grassland that continues for the rest of the state and beyond.

Missed these boots of mine. Smell of horse piss on the fresh mountain air. After switchbacks the trail ran along the lateral moraine of a now melted glacier, it's force evident in the sheered cliffs above. Crosssed a gurgling creek with cold, milky water and followed it up into an open alpine meadow. Windy and litered with color from wildflowers.

Before long the bright blue waters of Cracker lake appeared at the cirque's floor, a pearl in its mountainous shell. Calcium carbonate was responsible for its tropical color.

Mt. Siyeh rises even higher to the left. Impossible to capture the immensity of them. Read about the geology of this area before coming and was reminded of it while gazing at the exposed layers on the rocks above.  Sediments from an ancient sea, uplifted by the collision of the Pacific and continental plates, and then worked away by immense glaciers.  Curious magma intrusions between burgundy and key lime green layers.  Rocks are mind-blowing.

Ate lunch behind the shelter of a rock and observed this curious cloud formation. It has a name I used to know. Stratus something...

Met a nice australian man up there.  Talked for a moment.  The walk down was long but equally scenic. Found a lone huckleberry and ate it up. Felt extremely satisfied by the jaunt and capped the day off with a shower and fajitas for dinner. Breezey looked a bit lonely locked to the tree.  Don't worry, we'll be back on the road again soon.