Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter 2016-17 Around GNP

[paul]

Happy Birthday Pete! If you get a chance say Hi to Tim and Laura for me.

[PeteE]

Happy Birthday Pete! If you get a chance say Hi to Tim and Laura for me.

Hey Paul!
Thanks and I will certainly tell them you said hi!!
We'll be having dinner tomorrow. Thats the plan for now.
Funny I saw them today out at Lake McDonald when I was leaving.
I'm hoping I can do some snowshoeing with them this weekend.

Not much to report. Just wanted to see what the place looked like after this last snow.
The lake is pretty much frozen over, but not too solid from the looks.
Here a few snaps and there are a couple short video links coming a little later.
first 3 mins

second 5 mins

pete

Important place for backpackers


Apgar Camp Ground entrance.


Another important stop. Glad they had it dug out


Plenty of snow for skiing or shoe'ing


Clyde


Raven is my "Co-Pilot"

[nkrainywindlg]

Pete, happy birthday to you! Thanks for sharing pictures and videos. It is so nice to see how glacier looks like after the snow. It seems the park will receive another 12 inches snow today. Keep warm and safe at home!

[davidwayne]

Pics and videos of B & C always brings a smile to my face!!

[PeteE]

Pics and videos of B & C always brings a smile to my face!!

Thanks, Seeing those two always makes me happy too. It really is hard to not like these two birds once you see them "in person".

Pete, happy birthday to you! Thanks for sharing pictures and videos. It is so nice to see how glacier looks like after the snow. It seems the park will receive another 12 inches snow today. Keep warm and safe at home!

Glad to see you back on the chat. Coming out this year?
It's a long way to mid July. Anything can happen weather wise.
That said, with all the snow we're getting, this year could look like 2010.
I found one of my first pocketlint "lame videos" from July 15th 2010.

Runs 9:47


And for you late June visitors, check out another one of my old "lame videos" from July 1st 2011.
You might see the popular Iceberg Lake trail looking like this.
runs 12:50


And it's ok to make fun of me. I don't care much anymore in my old age LOLOL!!

pete

[Ear Mountain]

Here's a link to a short video by BNSF showing snow clearing operations along the southern border of Glacier this past week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxEMXlq ... e=youtu.be

[PeteE]

Thanks for that link Ralph!
A customer friend of mine retired from the railroad. We were just talking about the plows the RR uses.
He was telling me when things got really bad, they used their big rotary snow plow.
That behemoth was steam powered originally but is now diesel powered he said. They keep it now in Havre he said
Incredible machine! Here's one like it.


pete

PS

If you want to laugh, go here
http://www.glacier.nationalparkschat.co ... 62#p100562

[nkrainywindlg]

Glad to see you back on the chat. Coming out this year?
It's a long way to mid July. Anything can happen weather wise.
That said, with all the snow we're getting, this year could look like 2010.
I found one of my first pocketlint "lame videos" from July 15th 2010.

Runs 9:47


And for you late June visitors, check out another one of my old "lame videos" from July 1st 2011.
You might see the popular Iceberg Lake trail looking like this.
runs 12:50


And it's ok to make fun of me. I don't care much anymore in my old age LOLOL!!

pete

Hi Pete, I am following your post since last year! Can't live without Chat and the park webcams. I am so ready to get out.
I watched both videos. Can't believe that on July 1st, there were still so much snow on the iceberg lake trail.

[PeteE]

Hi Pete, I am following your post since last year! Can't live without Chat and the park webcams. I am so ready to get out.
I watched both videos. Can't believe that on July 1st, there were still so much snow on the iceberg lake trail.

That's very nice of you! Yeah, I'm sure we'll all be ready to get out when Spring comes and things warm up a bit and melt out some.

I posted those videos because, while it's still too early to know what anything will look like in July, those videos show what's possible.
And the snow remaining in those videos on those dates isn't all that rare of an occurrence from what I've been told by long time residents.

I like to see years like those. Makes life and hiking more interesting.

Put on your spikes and hike on!

pete

[nkrainywindlg]

I went to Glacier in August in the past two years. Hope I will be able to arrange a July trip to glacier this year.
It looks like the weather starts to warm up. looking forward to see more trip reports, pictures, and videos from you.

[PeteE]

I went to Glacier in August in the past two years. Hope I will be able to arrange a July trip to glacier this year.
It looks like the weather starts to warm up. looking forward to see more trip reports, pictures, and videos from you.

Than you for the compliments!

I would have loved to have gotten out last weekend to Polebridge.
The road was very icy. Tim and Laura ( heff936 and MissGuinness ) said they barely made it.
They said the snow was awesome in the Polebridge area.
They did some xcountry skiing and snowshoeing.
I'm glad the trip worked out for them.

As I recall, you like flowers?
Personally, I like middle two weeks of July for flowers.
But that's very subjective. People's taste and interest flowers vary a lot.

Flowers bloom over a large range of elevations and many micro habitats throughout the mountains.
Some flowers bloom as the snow melts back--like glacier lilies. Some need a warmer soil temperature.
A lot of variables involved.

One day in mid August I was hiking on the far side of the Hidden Lake outlet creek. The flowers were spectacular.
However, I like July for flowers because by the time August comes, it's often very hot. Heat usually not good for flowers.

That doesn't mean there aren't good flowers in August, there are. I just believe that there might be little more variety earlier.
Please someone correct me if I'm way off base!

As for trip planning. Mid July can be great for flowers but risky if you are planning to go over the higher passes.
So keep that in mind.

Maybe this year I can time a mid June trip up to Siyeh Pass and get a better shot of Jones Columbine.

pete

This is a spectacular flower when you see it "in person". Jones Columbine June 20th 2015. Taken on the "hated switchbacks" on the way up to the pass.

[nkrainywindlg]

Yes, I loveeee flowers. Thanks for remember it!
I visited the park in August in the past two years. In August 2015, I didn't see many flowers because of the drought condition. Last year I planed to do a backcountry hiking on the north circle route, so I visited again in early August. I was so lucky to see so many flowers over the higher passes, like highline, fifty mountains, and stoney indian pass. The bear grasses were amazing. Fifty mountains blanketed with flowers, but no glacier lilies. I would definitely arrange a mid-July trip to see more variety of flowers. I will probably do day hiking next time since my husband was complaining about the backcountry meals last year. I personally love backcountry hiking and don't mind about food at all.

Love the flowers in the picture.

[PeteE]

Well another season winds up on this thread February 28th and new season begins March 1.
Another grim day around the Flathead and Glacier Park. Brisk! Single digits this morning with a 10-15mph breeze.
The slush had frozen into nasty ruts. Light snow on top of the ice made for treacherous spots.
I had a hard time just standing in the parking lot at Lake McDonald.
We're supposed to get some new snow tomorrow afternoon into the night.

Not nearly as many people out this weekend, but then it was pretty raw today.
Last weekend was nice by comparison. Lots of skiers and shoers' last weekend.

pete

This ice fisherman looked kind of lonely out there on the lake all by himself.


He was out a good ways too. Click for full image. He is almost dead center frame.


Both Bonnie and Clyde had been been feeding on a carcass recently.
You can see the frozen blood and grey/white hairs from the carcass around Clyde's bill on his "rictal bristles".
Normally those specialized feathers lay flat against his bill. Poking around in the carcass has yukked them up.
You'll be able to see it better in the video. Yeah,I know that's kind of morbid, but it's real life.


Me and my lil buddy.
Amazingly, Clyde stayed pretty still where you see him here as I clicked off a half dozen "selfies".
I liked this one best.

[PeteE]

I lied.

My new thread for 2017-18 will begin tomorrow, March 3rd---with DaveParker and the moderators OK.

I forgot to post this video clip from Feb 28th.
It won't interest many of you anyway since it's about Bonnie and Clyde.

For those who are interested in B&C.

runs 9:24


At 3:50 listen as Bonnie makes 3 calls as Clyde flies in and lands on the tailgate.
Her three calls are, to my ear, perfect mimics of a call Clyde makes at times.
They are much lower in pitch than her normal "voice".
She has done that in the past and I always find it interesting.

Then at around 5:00 there is a stretch where B&C engage in a sort of "colloquy"--a back and forth dialog of sorts.
Since Clyde doesn't vocalize much, it always makes me wonder what their "conversation" is about.
Clearly their "talking" is meaningful to them. Ravens are very intelligent animals.
I doubt those vocalizations are just random utterances

Next time out there I'll have to have a talk with Clyde about "manners".
He pooped on Jaybird twice!!

Last, thanks to all of you for making this thread FUN over the last year!

pete

[MarxMN]

Those two are fascinating. i do wonder if they were only communicating with each other or with others in the neighborhood.

I think it is good to see all that snow.

Bill