Glacier Day 2

So for the next 3 days we have our “Going-to-the-Sun Road” vehicle pass.  Yay!!  Sun here we come!  Well, actually, on our first day we did the Avalanche Lake hike (which basically feels like you hike to heaven, not because it’s hard, but because it is so beautiful).

Parking was a struggle again, but we got Lydia a parking space miraculously and then Doug and I drove about a mile and a half to pullover area that had a few free spots.  We hiked back to Lydia and the kids.  We were actually happy with it…quiet chat time for the two of us and some extra exercise.  Lydia probably got the bummer end of the deal with having to entertain the kids for a half hour on a bench in the shade near the parking lot.  Ha!  But she of course had things completely under control and had the kids playing a game and was rewarding them with tic-tac’s.  I mean, really, who is this magical woman??

Then we headed into the cedar forest that started our hiking trail.  Magical.  Felt like it could be a great spot to film a movie and it smelled lovely.  The kids quickly all took off together.  It’s so fun to watch these cousins pick up right where they left off a year ago.

Quite quickly you come to gorgeous falls (actually I think they are called Avalanche Gorge!).  They are so powerful they have sculpted the rocks they charge through.

The boys found all sorts of fun features along the way.  Trees with holes…

Cool boulders…

And Doug pointed out a perfect spider web to Jansen.

Most of the trail you are under tall trees (wonderful shade, such comfortable hiking…this is the kind of hiking we love!), but at one point you come out and all the sudden there is a stunning view of the tall mountains. I believe there was an avalanche down this portion that cleared the trees (perhaps the reason for the hike/lake name?).  We stopped to take some pictures.

A bit later (I forgot to mention the whole hike in was about 2.2 miles) we arrived at the destination,…which in my opinion was a glimpse of what heaven will be like.  I mean, just absolutely stunning.  Huge waterfalls are cascading down the mountainside from the snow melt on their shoulders, running down to the crystal clear, frigid lake below with its turquoise hue.  We took pictures, ate our picnic lunches under the shade of the trees at the shore and let the boys play in the water until we were all refreshed for the hike back.  I could have stayed forever.

Finally we moved on and so I too will move on from posting the pictures of this perfect place.  But the hike back was also a joy.  The cousins shot out in front and Jansen and Doug were pals.  I got to chat with Lydia and just enjoy being in the forest, moving, taking it all in (a welcome relief from all the minivan time!).  Here’s a great shot of the six boys on the hike back.

We made sure to get some family photos at the falls on our hike back.  I love this one!

On the way back to our place in West Glacier, just an easy 30 minutes away we made a few quick pull-off stops to see the cascading falls on Upper MacDonald Creek.  The rush of water is just incredible!

That ended up being a full day and we got back to our place just in time to feed the kids and start the showers and bedtime routine.  Then we adults have a tiny bit of time to catchup and plan for the next day’s adventure!