Now, here's the rest of the story about my backpacking trip last weekend:
Our weekend trip started in St. Mary, where we slept over with staff from the East Side. Of course, our morning had to start with a hearty breakfast, which Eric kindly prepared for us: vanilla almond pancakes and spinach, cheese, and herbs-de-provence scrambled eggs. Caiti helped Eric cook the pancakes, and decided to make animal shapes. Here she creates a ptarmigan (an alpine bird):
Here we are enjoying breakfast outside, on the lawn in front of Eric's house. Left to right, Heather, Caiti, and Amanda.
Then we got on the road and headed north towards Canada. Just as we could see the Canadian border and the Customs officers, we took a left and entered the trailhead parkinglot, literally in view of Canada. 
This is the Belly River. It flows north, from Helen Lake in the Many Glacier Valley, up to Elizabeth Lake, and then up across the border and into Canada. We followed the river upstream as it led us deep into the Valley, which you can see off in the distance here.
This is the Gros Ventre Falls, or "Big Belly" and as you can see, the water is raging this time of year with all the spring melt.
Travelling through the valley was beautiful. The trail is mostly flat as it meaders through meadows and aspen parklands. Here, the trail cuts through a horse pasture belonging to the remote ranger station. There is a ranger couple who live out here all summer. They spend their days maintaining trails, hiking up to backcountry campsites and checking permits, and just taking in the scenery. What a job!
The trail wasn't all just mountain meadow, though. It also took us over the river a number of time. Here, we cross the longest suspension bridge in the park.
But we also had to cross some places that didn't have bridges! Here, Heather wades through the deep, and incredibly cold water:
The other excitement on the trail was wildlife. We started seeing signs of bears in the area from the very beginning. Here's a grizzly bear footprint in the mud:
We can tell it's a Grizzly by the shape of the print, and the fact that you can draw a stright line between the palm and the toes without intersecting any of the toes.
And then some really gross bear scat! Looks like it just ate something with fur, entrails, and vertebrae.
And final proof that there are plenty of bear in the area: a bear rub tree. Bear researchers put bits of barbed wire on trees that a frequented by bears: they use them to scratch their backs. In the process, bits of fur get stuck in the wire, allowing the researchers to get the DNA of bears in the area. This research has helped scientists estimate the number of bears in the park: 350 Grizzlies, and about 700 Black bears.
Again, amazing vistas throughout the day. Here you can see Chief Mountain, an icon of the park.
Here is our campsite, set up by Cosley Lake. It started to rain as we got into camp, so we set things up quickly and scarfed down dinner.
But then, a patch of sun pushed through the clouds and alighted on the slopes in the distance.
And gradually the clouds began to lift just as the sun was setting.
And a rainbow came out! Reflected in the lake! So amazing!
And finally, on the way home, taking a last shot with the mountains behind me!
This is the Belly River. It flows north, from Helen Lake in the Many Glacier Valley, up to Elizabeth Lake, and then up across the border and into Canada. We followed the river upstream as it led us deep into the Valley, which you can see off in the distance here.
This is the Gros Ventre Falls, or "Big Belly" and as you can see, the water is raging this time of year with all the spring melt.
Travelling through the valley was beautiful. The trail is mostly flat as it meaders through meadows and aspen parklands. Here, the trail cuts through a horse pasture belonging to the remote ranger station. There is a ranger couple who live out here all summer. They spend their days maintaining trails, hiking up to backcountry campsites and checking permits, and just taking in the scenery. What a job! 
The trail wasn't all just mountain meadow, though. It also took us over the river a number of time. Here, we cross the longest suspension bridge in the park.
But we also had to cross some places that didn't have bridges! Here, Heather wades through the deep, and incredibly cold water:
The other excitement on the trail was wildlife. We started seeing signs of bears in the area from the very beginning. Here's a grizzly bear footprint in the mud:
We can tell it's a Grizzly by the shape of the print, and the fact that you can draw a stright line between the palm and the toes without intersecting any of the toes.
And then some really gross bear scat! Looks like it just ate something with fur, entrails, and vertebrae.
And final proof that there are plenty of bear in the area: a bear rub tree. Bear researchers put bits of barbed wire on trees that a frequented by bears: they use them to scratch their backs. In the process, bits of fur get stuck in the wire, allowing the researchers to get the DNA of bears in the area. This research has helped scientists estimate the number of bears in the park: 350 Grizzlies, and about 700 Black bears. We ended up seeing three different bears, all grizzlies, during the trip, but they were too far away to get a good photo... Anyone want to give me a camera with a telephoto lens???
Again, amazing vistas throughout the day. Here you can see Chief Mountain, an icon of the park.
Here is our campsite, set up by Cosley Lake. It started to rain as we got into camp, so we set things up quickly and scarfed down dinner.
But then, a patch of sun pushed through the clouds and alighted on the slopes in the distance.
And gradually the clouds began to lift just as the sun was setting.
And a rainbow came out! Reflected in the lake! So amazing!
And finally, on the way home, taking a last shot with the mountains behind me! What a wonderfully weekend. My first ever backpacking trip. I'm hooked. And I'm already planning the next one! Whoo hoo!
Love,
Emilie
Emilie
I know the feeling, EM!
ReplyDeleteYahoooooooo!!!
You look like an experienced backpacker already~
Go, girl!