I'm going to try to catch up on the camping trip we took last week with friends. We had four fun-filled days and each one deserves significant attention! Warren and I are leaving on Thursday for our family reunion with my mom, so the pressure is on to get this caught up!
Summary:
Wednesday, August 1st: Hike to Shangri-la with Lynn, Dell and Gail
Thursday, Aug 2nd: Warren and Dell climbed Mt. Allen; Anna and Lynn bushwacked up Swiftcurrent Creek and Mount Wilbur.
Friday, Aug 3rd: Apikuni Waterfall
Saturday, Aug 4th: Anna and Lynn on Grinnell; Warren climbs the Ptarmigan Spire with GMS group.
My hiking buddy Lynn and her partner Bob went over to the east side of Glacier Park in their motorhome ahead of us to secure a camping space in the Many Glacier area of the Park. We came over Tuesday evening and camped in our tent with them the rest of the week. Wednesday morning we also met some of our friends from Cut Bank (where we used to live); Dell and Gail Meuchel came to hike with us for the day and we had a wonderful visit.
Shangri-la is a little gem in Glacier Park with no official trail, although we found a very good climbers' trail that took us most of the way. In this photo you can see Mt. Wilbur, Bullhead Point (pyramid shaped), the jagged ridge above Iceberg Lake and a darker horizontal "shelf" where Shangri-la is nestled.
Just to the right of the big snowfield in the crack is a waterfall. We climbed up to the base of the snow, and then proceeded to climb up the cliff face next to the waterfall. You can see it better in this photo:
 |
| we were on the grassy bank to the right, and then up the cliff. |
 |
| Looking at the chain of lakes down the Swiftcurrent valley. |
 |
| Gail and Dell Meuchel |
 |
| Lynn, Anna, and Gail at the top of the waterfall. |
 |
| Once we got above the waterfall the climbing got a little easier. |
Shangri-la is a lovely alpine spot with a cascading creek coming out of a snowmelt lake. We enjoyed lunch at the lake and more visiting. Found lots of gorgeous wildflowers as we climbed up above the lake and over to Iceberg Lake.
 |
| Wild chive was one of the blooms we found there. |
 |
| Indian Paintbrush and Purple Penstemon |
 |
| Ridge above Iceberg Lake |
 |
| Sliding down the scree slope to Iceberg Lake. |
Our hike out the Iceberg Lake Trail was uneventful, but it was fun reminiscing about our earlier hikes with our children. Gail and Dell stayed and had dinner with us in the campground, before heading back home. Stay tuned for Day #2.
No comments:
Post a Comment