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Base Camp
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- Statistics:
- Date Hiked: May 28, 2001
- Miles Hiked: 5.0
- Elevation Gain: 505'
- Hiking Partner(s):
Rebecca, Taylor, & Kennedy Just (First hike of Kennedy's life!)
- Description:
- For Memorial Day weekend, the
Just's decided to head over to Glacier National Park and try and take in
a little of northwestern Montana. Neither Becky or I had been to
Glacier or the Flathead Lake area, so we figured there was no better
time than the present.
- We drove north to Bonners Ferry
and then went east through Troy, Libby, and Kalispell, MT. On the
drive, we made a brief stop at the Kootenai Falls and also at the
"Ski Haus" in Kalispell in order to pick up another child
carrier for the hike we were planning for the next day.
- We stayed at the Village Inn
which is located on the west end of Lake McDonald inside of Glacier
National Park. The view from the room was spectacular. On
the evening of the 27th, we all just relaxed while I had a Budweiser and
Taylor threw rocks into Lake McDonald.
- The next morning, we went and
had a big breakfast in the town of West Glacier before driving up the
Going To The Sun Road to the trailhead for Avalanche Lake. The
road was not open all the way to Saint Mary yet, but it was going to
open up early this year due to the light snow pack. Anyway, we
loaded Kennedy on Becky's back and Taylor on mine, and we were off.
- Avalanche Lake is probably one
of the most popular hikes in the park similar to Angel's Landing from
Zion National Park. It is only 5-6 miles round trip depending on
if you go to the foot or head of the lake, and the elevation gain isn't
too difficult either. I would have to say that the scenery that
you see once you reach the Avalanche Lake probably draws a lot of people
too. We didn't spend too much time at the lake because of Taylor
and Kennedy, but we did take a few photos and were there long enough for
Taylor to feed a small squirrel a couple of Pringles. We don't
know why, but she named it Chubby and wanted him to come back with us.
- In conclusion, Becky did great
carrying Kennedy, and this was a perfect family hike. I would like
to get back to Glacier some day in order to do the Garden Wall hike or
get on the Highline Trail.
- Maps:
- Here is the park map of the area
we hiked in. Avalanche Lake is northeast of the large Lake
McDonald. We stayed right by the Apgar Visitor Center.
- Click here to view a 2D map of
the area where this hike is located.
- Photographs:
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www.
just
hiking
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