Montana Photo Safari!

The drive from Kalispell (the nearest airport) to our lodging at the Rising Sun Motor Inn typically takes a little more than two hours. Somehow we were able to stretch that a bit with a stop for photos at Singleshot Falls and a mid-afternoon coffee/snack break in East Glacier.

Our first morning began with a cloudy sunrise over St. Mary’s Lake and was eventually washed out while photographing Virginia Falls… a two mile hike from the road. Our hike into the falls had offered fleeting views of a Black Bear with cubs, so we were cautious throughout the trek. The rain would have been of little concern, however, the first clap of thunder created a scramble to put our gear away and head for the safe cover of our vehicles. Rain was off and on the rest of the day and into the next. But that didn’t stop the fun! We enjoyed the many sights and sounds and smells as we explored the east side of the park.

They rain lessened and the photography turned up a notch the next morning as we visited the Two Medicine area of the park before continuing south and west to Goat Lick and Apgar. It was cool and breezy, but each area offered its own inspiration. We practiced exposure and composition techniques… getting back to basics.

On day four the sun rose bright as we drove north to the Many Glacier region. We arrived at our “reflection lake” in a heavy fog. Slowly the mist dissipated and all were shocked to see a mountain rising from the far shore… not so far away. We took advantage of the wonderful light and majestic scene, which included a visit from a female Common Goldeneye… difficult to ID in the fog, but our photos confirmed it. The nearby falls offered a great chance to enjoy the American Dippers during breeding season.

Day five offered a new habitat in the morning… the Trail of the Cedars. A piece of forest out of the Pacific northwest. Lush green moss, ferns and trees bathed us in a pine-scented freshness as we followed Avalanche Creek to its rushing, tumbling gorge. More dippers fed along the rocky shoreline. After lunch we drove up… and up to the crown jewel of the park: the Highline Trail. This trail becomes exhilarating as it meanders along a high mountain pass — rising toward the peak on one side, dropping a thousand feet to the Going-to-the-Sun Road below. A cable held fast to the rock wall offered some comfort for the faint of heart. The trail and the meadows surrounding it, held Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep, marmots and ground squirrels… and thousands of colorful wildflowers.

Our final full day in the park was open for options. A local had mentioned a wonderful hike along a true wilderness path, away from the crowds. They had seen breeding loons on a pond two miles off a logging road. It was unanimous… we hiked to the pond in hopes of also seeing a moose that had been reported there. The hike was a bit more difficult than expected as we clambered over many fallen trees. A fire had swept through this area in 2003 leaving a skeleton forest. The understory of this fire ecology was springing back with young spruce and lodgepole pines, paintbrush and fireweed. The colors were inspiring! We watched quietly as the loons on the pond fed their young.