Today the group was scheduled to hike to Florence Falls and Virgina Fall over on the east side of the mountains in the St Mary valley of Glacier Nat'l Park. Since the last few days were rainy, and this morning was cloudy, most of the group didn't want to drive all the way if the weather was poor. So it was decided to hike along McDonald Creek here on the west side.
I checked the Glacier Park webcams on the internet and saw that it was partly cloudy and the sun was shining on the east side. So we could have hiked to our planned destinations. And had better weather as west of the mountains it was overcast. But I didn't push the issue as going east would mean a long day. This morning I noticed the grass in the NE pasture was eaten down fairly well. No more than a day of grass was left and I wanted to spend time today to cattle proof the fruit tree and garden area so I could let the cattle in there to eat the grass down.
I thought of skipping today's hike, but - nah - I enjoy hiking too much to miss my one day a week.
Before Bill and Joyce arrived to get me I worked on cattle proofing the fruit tee and garden area. I removed some of the fence and posts from my cattle proofing job in my front yard to use in the garden area. I had protected a few of the small berry bushes and was fencing the strawberry and rhubarb area when Bill and Joyce arrived after 9 am. Bill brought me a short section of barb wire he no longer needed. I can always use fencing material.
We picked up Sue Ann in Columbia Falls and drove to Glacier Park.
First we hiked the McDonald Creek trail. This trail goes along the west side of McDonald Creek starting near where the creek enters McDonald Lake. Many times I've seen the creek when driving or bicycling on the Going-to-the-Sun road. This is my first time on the west side. I hadn't expected much from the trail but I was pleasantly surprised.
The trail was lower than the road which gave me a closer view of the creek. The trees were tall and there were lots of moss for a quiet green feel.
We stopped at the wrecked horse bridge. The creek was higher than when my relatives visited me in May. Back then we had walked down to the horse bridge from the east side and Larry and I were able to walk next to the center rock support pillar. That would not be possible today as the water was running fast where my Uncle Larry stood to take the photo.
This photo, taken when my relatives were here, shows the branches and tree trunk on the bridge on the opposite side of the creek.
Bill kicked a few of the small branches off the bridge into the water and I got the idea to push the tree trunk off the bridge. I pushed it until gravity took over and the rest slid off the bridge and fell into the roaring creek above the bridge. Once the tree hit the water it was gone well downstream of the bridge within a minute. That fast!
We continued on up the trail. The creek no longer had falls and rapids along this part of the trail. We came upon a side channel where the water was still. There was a long beaver dam holding the water.
After about 2 miles the trail ended abruptly in the forest away from the creek. A very narrow trail - more like a deer trail - continued on. Bill, Joyce and Sue Ann had followed that trail last year and found it ended in a swamp. We didn't go on it this year.
We noticed on a tall pine tree where on one side of it, from about 5 ft above ground to 20 ft, leaves were stuck on the tree trunk with moss starting to grow from the leaves. It was quite artistic. A tall cottonwood tree stood next to this tree but the 'artistic' leaves were not cottonwood leaves. We surmised the leaves were blown in from the NW from the deciduous trees a short way away.
During the hike back to Bill's car we noticed three large rocks next to a man made walkway for the horses to walk along the creek then cross through a tunnel under the Sun Road. One rock was hanging from the side and had a look of being stuck on the side like a magnet to a refrigerator. Some day I'll have to go down there to see how that rock is attached there.
Oxbow trail
We drove to Apgar to hike along McDonald Creek as it leaves Lake McDonald and travels down to join the middle fork of the Flathead River.
Near where we parked the car in the Apgar village Bill and Joyce noticed the ice cream shop was open and both got an ice cream cone with Bill getting a double layer huckleberry ice cream cone. The young man serving had an Eastern European accent. I have read that the local tourism companies can't find workers so they are importing them for the summer from overseas.
We followed Oxbow trail along McDonald Creek. Two low spots had water. The first spot we were able to find a way around. The second spot Bill, Sue Ann and I were able to hop over. I had to help Joyce hop over as she is short.
We saw another beaver house in a side channel. This one looked abandoned as it was more mud than sticks and the sticks looked old.
The trail started to peter out by a newer sewage treatment plant that was fenced. Now who would want to break into a sewage plant, and what damage could they cause?
We walked through the brush around the sewer plant and after a bit came to the corral for horses and mules. The animals were out in the pasture and we climbed through the corral fence to continue on. We avoided the pasture as much as possible as signs warned that the sewer water was sprayed on the pasture. The animals didn't seem to mind, but we did. There was no smell so they probably hadn't sprayed yet this year.
Past the pasture we came to the gravel road that eventually led to Apgar Lookout and the Old Ranger Station trail, both of which we had hiked last year. We walked down to the bridge over McDonald Creek.
From the bridge we watched the water flow. A large tree was lodged under the bridge and stuck out each side. From the bridge we could see where the creek joined the Flathead River's middle fork. We lingered and enjoyed the view.
Out of sight to the south we could hear the horn of a freight train lumbering along its tracks.
On the walk back to Apgar we avoided the sewer pasture and walked along the gravel road until we came to the bicycle trail that goes from the park entrance to Apgar. We followed this back to the car.
We figured this hike was maybe 3 miles long.
It was after 3 pm by the time I got home. So much for a short hiking day.
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