Trip Report: Glacier National Park (Hiker) – August 2021

Far away in Montana, hidden from view by clustering mountain peaks, lies an unmapped northwestern corner- the Crown of the Continent. The water from the crusted snowdrift which caps the peak of a lofty mountain there trickles into tiny rills, which hurry along north, south, east, and west, and growing to rivers, at last, pour their currents into three seas. From this mountain peak the Pacific and the Arctic oceans and the Gulf of Mexico receive each its tribute. Here is a land of striking scenery. 
 -George Bird Grinnell, The Century Magazine 1901

Michael Wichman

There’s something eerie and beautiful about burnt trees surrounded by live flora. Death. Life.  Rebirth. The evening of day four takes us on a 1.7-mile roundtrip hike to St. Mary Falls, where we are treated to this juxtaposed scenery of burnt conifer trees and magenta fireweed. The impact on the trees is a result of the 2015 Reynolds Creek Fire, which burned 4,800 acres.

Snow-capped, towering matterhorns watch over us, with Little Chief, Almost-a-Dog, and Dusty Star Mountains in the background. The shots taken from this vantage point along the way are a pleasant surprise.