destination of a hike in Glacier National Park (Montana) in August this year--This is upper Grinnell Lake below Grinnell Glacier and Salamander Glacier.
"...a man who keeps company with glaciers comes to feel tolerably insignificant by and by."
~Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad
Grinnell Trail is 7.6 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 1600 feet. First we took a boat across Swift Current Lake, hiked a short distance to Lake Josephine and took a boat across that lake. This trail had just opened a couple days before our hike, having been closed due to bear activity. (grizzlies!)
This is an amazing hike! Stunning are the vistas of the surrounding mountains and alpine lakes. Yellow, pink, violet, and creamy white wildflowers abound against the iron-and-chloride-rich red, green, and buff-colored rocks. Milky turquoise lower Grinnell Lake nestles startlingly into the surrounding mountains below cascading waterfalls. Bears, mountain goats, and big horned sheep graze contentedly.
Grinnell was at its largest in1850 at the end of the Little Ice Age, measuring 710 acres. Today it's probably around 400 acres or less.
Around the world, a few glaciers are increasing in size, but most are decreasing. This is an indication of climate change. A number of organizations monitor glaciers using photography (on the ground and aerial), remote sensing, and on-glacier surveying.
LINKS:
◄Glacier National Park information
◄Glacier National Park information
◄Shawn Coggins' site (information and photos) including USGS photos from 1938 - 2006 showing the melting of Grinnell Glacier. Predictions say that most of the glaciers in Glacier National Park will be gone by 2030.
photo by me © 2011
Gorgeous! Alaska is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful :)
ReplyDeletehttp://carabossesbedchamber.blogspot.com/2011/09/alphabet-thursday_23.html
What a beautiful place to hike! I think that elevation gain would do me in though!
ReplyDeletesorry to see our glaciers disappearing... like some of the animals, etc. on the planet. Water was my alphabet pick too! {:-D
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a beautiful place to visit!
ReplyDeletexo Catherine
great picture
ReplyDeleteSo lovely, and I've been here!
ReplyDeleteLovely photo & story, we didn't do this hike when we were there a few years back because I thought it might be too steep for me. Then later we met an 80 year old man who had just finished it. I'm sorry I didn't get to it, but hopefully we'll be back as I have 2 sisters in Montana. Everyone should try and see them before it's too late.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1950's, the Columbia Ice Fields in Alberta came right to the edge of the highway. Now, one must walk over two miles to reach the edge of the ice fields.
ReplyDeleteThe glacier-fed lakes are always so beautiful with their turquoise water!!
This is a beautiful shot! Looks like a great hike.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting Blueskies!
xo
lynn
Great photo! Sounds like a fun trip!
ReplyDeleteWondered where you went. This is lovely!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, a place must impresioonante desertion as you describe.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!
ReplyDeleteGrizzlies? Oh my!
I think I forgot to leave a grade for you!
ReplyDeleteBlogger is being a bit difficult this week for me!
But, of course...
A+
Aaaah! Alaska! I can only dream of wandering there! It sounds exciting!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for letting me know about Erika's "It's a Wrap". It's now on my Monday post for Meme-Aholics!