Winds Howling

On the third day of our recent trip to Glacier National Park, we hiked the Iceberg Lake Trail, which takes you up to a lake nestled in a shady crook of a mountain, riddled with gradually melting icebergs.

Starting from the Many Glacier Hotel, it was about a 12-mile hike and took about 7 hours in all. Here it is from beginning to end, photographed and timestamped.

10:25: On the way to the trailhead, we crossed a bridge over a waterfall outside Many Glacier Hotel.

11:30: About an hour into the ascent, here’s our view.

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12:28: A Columbian ground squirrel sneaking around the humans taking a breather by the waterfall. See this post for the rest of the wildlife we saw on this trip.

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13:40: Our first glimpse of Iceberg Lake.

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13:43: The air was significantly cooler on the shore of the lake.

13:44: We got to see several people dip into the lake and walk on the icebergs while we sat on the shore. The water seemed a bit warmer than it had been at Grinnell Glacier the previous day. People’s reactions to getting into it weren’t as strong as I’d have thought.

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14:28: Up on a hillside behind us, I saw this hollow in a snow patch formed by a stream and stuck my camera inside.

14:55: Ominous, unforecasted clouds spurred us to get on our way back home.

15:00: This is where I really went a bit crazy taking pictures. Our group didn’t talk much on the way down, and not much happened, but the views were just as good.

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17:35: A welcome sight — Many Glacier Hotel is back in view. And there wasn’t a single drop of rain, in the end.

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Just like the previous night after Grinnell Glacier Trail, I ordered a bison burger, this time from the Swiss Lounge at Many Glacier Hotel. This one was tastier than the one from Snowgoose Grille at St. Mary Village, though I don’t recall the price.