We went to hike the Green Mountain trail today. It is about 9 1/2 miles off of Highway 33 near Driggs, Idaho. We did it a few years ago and the trail was VERY muddy. We only went to the top of the mountain then. Today, it was very dry and dusty, plus, it was a very warm day. We started hiking early when it was in the 40s (6:30 a.m.) and were back at our car around 12:30 p.m. when it was in the 80s. This is definitely a hike to do early in the day or when the weather is cooler. It has great views and wildflowers but not a lot of shade. The total amount we hiked was about 11 miles. We hiked clear to Green Mountain Lake this time. This was a hike that was on Melinda's list.
We just returned from a couple of days in Glacier National Park. We did three hikes while we were there: Highline Loop Trail, Avalanche Lake, and Hidden Lake (about 20 miles of hiking). The day we hiked the Highline Trail, we had low clouds for much of the hike (see picture on the left). We went back the next day to get some pictures with clear skies (see picture on the right). Highline Loop The Highline Trail goes from Logan Pass to the Loop. We took the park shuttle to Logan Pass from the Apgar Visitor Center. The shuttle picked us up at the Loop to take us back to the visitor center. The shuttle was a great help (plus, we had the best driver on the way up. I wish I could remember his name.) It was about 12 miles with our stop at the Granite Park Chalet. We were going to take a detour to see the Grinnell Glacier but because of our limited views we did not. (We didn't think it was worth adding 1 1/2 miles to see the clouds and fog from a different angle.) We definitely want to do the hike again without the clouds. The last few miles of the hike are on a different side of Glacier that a lot of people said was ugly. Trust me. It's NOT ugly. Besides, the ugliest views in Glacier are still going to be more beautiful than just about any other view. Many people asked us if we saw any bears, but we did not. We are always prepared with our bear spray though. Our shuttle driver told us about a hiker and a bear on the Highline Trail (check out the pictures and story here). Avalanche Lake and Hidden Lake Our last day in Glacier we got up early to do the Avalanche Lake hike. It is around 5 miles round trip. It was beautiful. The hike is not very difficult and the view at the end is awesome. You are in the shade for most of the hike so it can be a little cooler. You definitely have to get there early or use the shuttle because the parking gets filled up quickly. The other hike we did was to Hidden Lake, which starts behind the visitor center at Logan Pass. If you are not going to take the shuttle up, you must get there early to get a parking place. We were there just before 9 a.m. and got one of the last spaces (there were many cars waiting for us to leave as well). Hidden Lake is only about 3 miles round trip, but we had to cross a lot of snow. We were glad to have our hiking poles. Many people struggled on the snow but we had a much easier time. We also saw a couple of mountain goats on the trail as well. The view of Hidden Lake is wonderful and so are the views on your way back to the visitor center. Elisa had done this hike as a kid but had run out of film before getting to the top. (Film is what people used to need to take pictures.) It only took her 20 years or so to finally take a picture of the view. We were able to check a few more off of our list. We still have a number to do and our days of summer are running out. |
Two Trekkers
Elisa Gee and Melinda Gee, just two sisters who love to travel. We both work in schools and have summers to play. Archives
June 2017
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