Many Glacier Area, Continental Divide

The Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park fulfills the promise of, well, many glaciers. Dominating the area is Lake Sherburne, a dammed reservoir. As the damming of the nearby river caused the flooding of the many small lakes and wetland areas that once dotted this part of the park, there isn’t a huge amount of biodiversity here. The views, however, are amazing, the lake ringed by snow-capped mountains of the Lewis Range. 

Though the wetlands are gone, there are still the lovely alpine meadows. It is high summer now, and the sun is beating down. The light is an almost golden colour, and I notice, as I enjoy the warmth, a pika busily harvesting sproutings of glacier lilies and mountain bluebells. This small mammal, distantly related to rabbits, is mischievous and is known for being a bit of a thief. Pikas don’t hibernate, so they spend the summer gathering as much food as they possibly can, building caches of food known as ‘haypiles’. They build these carefully, even including poisonous plants that they know prevent mould. However, when a pika is out, another may break in and carry off part of its neighbour's larder. All’s fair in love and haypile making.

As I hiked up to the Ptarmigan Tunnel, I gained considerable elevation, and I caught sight of Grinnell Glacier and, looming above it, Salamander Glacier. These are two of the most famous glaciers in the park, and while not directly on my route, their constant presence and the turquoise meltwater lakes that lie beneath them create a scene of alpine grandeur. I felt the cold winds that come down into the lower lands from the glacial slopes; it was bracing and refreshing, and it spurred me on towards Chief Mountain, the great peak that delineates the border between the USA and Canada.