North Fork elk

Saturday when driving up the North Fork Road to go to Bowman Lake, Patti, Joyce and I came across these three elk along the Flathead River.  After a bit they decided to cross the river.

Bowman Lake sounds

Saturday Patti, Joyce and I hiked to Bowman Lake.  Yes, I said 'hiked'.  No cross country skis.  No snowshoes.  We just needed Yak-trax the last third of the hike when we got into the trees and the road got a little icy. Prior to that we were in the burn area from the 1988 fire which is mostly open.  There the road was mostly snow free except for shaded areas.  It is six miles from the park entrance to the lake.  The road is closed over the winter.

A new experience for me was...  the lake made sounds.  From under the ice.  As we got near the lake, and before we could see the lake, we thought we could hear the sounds of a dull boom-boom of music from a stereo or boom-box.  Huh?!   Once we reached the lake we learned it was the lake making the deep booming or thudding sounds.  Wow!

The sound was loud enough to be unmistakable.  And consistent.  The sound, which came from all around our end of the lake, lasted the entire time we were at the lake which was over an hour.  It was not the sound of ice cracking.  I don't know what was causing the sounds. Maybe the lake water was bumping up against the ice?  I never have heard anything like it before.

The view of Glacier Park from Polebridge, MT.