an early breakfast,” Mom answered, “so we can take our time on the long trek down to our car.”
“We’ll see you somewhere on the trail, then,” Greg replied. “We’re going to sleep in and start later. We’re staying two nights here at the chalet.”
The late Montana sunset lit up the sky as the evening began to chill. Morgan and James zipped up their jackets just as the sun finally dipped below the mountains.
The wolf pair trotted out to Two Dog Flats. They scanned the open plain and spotted a herd of elk
.
The wolves casually trotted toward the herd. The gray wolf still limped, but he managed to keep up with his new companion
.
The predators crept closer and studied the elk. They noticed a small calf on the fringe of the group
.
The wolves charged straight at the calf
.
The elk perked their ears up and saw the rapidly approaching predators. They immediately dashed away, disappearing into the nearby trees
.
The two wolves ran in and out of the forest, searching for the elk. They found them all bunched together with the calves in the middle of the pack. Eventually the wolves regrouped, worked their way down the slope, and crossed the road. Finally the pair left the Two Dog Flats area and St. Mary Lake altogether, heading toward the southern part of the park
.
The chalet visitors headed inside. The wooden guest quarters were cool and dark. Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad each turned on a flashlight, changed into pajamas, and climbed into their beds.
Mom pulled the blankets up and held them snug against her chin. “It’s certainly cozy in here!” she said.
“Good-night, everyone,” Morgan called out from her bed.
“Good-night!” James chimed back.
In the morning after breakfast, the Parkers began their hike toward Sperry Glacier. The trail immediately steepened, and as they trudged up it, James paused to see how far they’d come. “It seems like we’re hiking toward the sky,” he said with delight.
Morgan heard a pika whistle. She briefly saw the tiny animal dash away from the trail. “It does look like a little rabbit!” she called out to her mom.
James pointed to a cliff above them. “There’s a bigger animal up there!”
A mountain goat was perched on a rock.It appeared to be watching the Parkers hike.
After a series of steep switchbacks, the pitch of the trail eased.
The family now passed several mossy, gardenlike areas with trickling waterfalls and small ponds. Finally they reached a larger lake with a snowfield sticking up out of it. Its blue ice shone through the water at the lake’s edge.
Mom gazed at their surroundings. “And I thought yesterday’s trail was magnificent. This is unreal!” she cried, awestruck.
The trail steepened again. It soon led directly into a narrow slot in the rock wall. Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad peered up into the opening at a series of cemented rock stairs. A cable was bolted into the stones for hikers to hold on to.
“The rock staircase,” Dad recalled. “I remember reading about this.”
One by one, the family hauled themselves up the stairs. They regrouped at the top, where it was breezy and noticeably cooler.
The Parkers gazed in wonder at the massive slabs of ice and chunks of glacier to their left and right. In the distance, the largest of the ice fields loomed. “Wow!” Dad gasped. “This is even better than I expected.”
Morgan took several photos at Comeau Pass. The Parkers noticed small rock piles, or cairns, indicating the path to the main part of the glacier. Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad trekked on. They climbed a finger of rock, then dropped down to a tongue of ice, crossed it, and climbedagain. At the top of each mound was another cairn with a post in it. The Parkers kept hiking.
Finally, Dad noticed a small weather station, its anemometer, for measuring wind speed, spinning in the breeze. From there, the Parkers stared at the largest remaining part of Sperry Glacier. The mass of ice dipped down from the mountain
“We’ll see you somewhere on the trail, then,” Greg replied. “We’re going to sleep in and start later. We’re staying two nights here at the chalet.”
The late Montana sunset lit up the sky as the evening began to chill. Morgan and James zipped up their jackets just as the sun finally dipped below the mountains.
The wolf pair trotted out to Two Dog Flats. They scanned the open plain and spotted a herd of elk
.
The wolves casually trotted toward the herd. The gray wolf still limped, but he managed to keep up with his new companion
.
The predators crept closer and studied the elk. They noticed a small calf on the fringe of the group
.
The wolves charged straight at the calf
.
The elk perked their ears up and saw the rapidly approaching predators. They immediately dashed away, disappearing into the nearby trees
.
The two wolves ran in and out of the forest, searching for the elk. They found them all bunched together with the calves in the middle of the pack. Eventually the wolves regrouped, worked their way down the slope, and crossed the road. Finally the pair left the Two Dog Flats area and St. Mary Lake altogether, heading toward the southern part of the park
.
The chalet visitors headed inside. The wooden guest quarters were cool and dark. Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad each turned on a flashlight, changed into pajamas, and climbed into their beds.
Mom pulled the blankets up and held them snug against her chin. “It’s certainly cozy in here!” she said.
“Good-night, everyone,” Morgan called out from her bed.
“Good-night!” James chimed back.
In the morning after breakfast, the Parkers began their hike toward Sperry Glacier. The trail immediately steepened, and as they trudged up it, James paused to see how far they’d come. “It seems like we’re hiking toward the sky,” he said with delight.
Morgan heard a pika whistle. She briefly saw the tiny animal dash away from the trail. “It does look like a little rabbit!” she called out to her mom.
James pointed to a cliff above them. “There’s a bigger animal up there!”
A mountain goat was perched on a rock.It appeared to be watching the Parkers hike.
After a series of steep switchbacks, the pitch of the trail eased.
The family now passed several mossy, gardenlike areas with trickling waterfalls and small ponds. Finally they reached a larger lake with a snowfield sticking up out of it. Its blue ice shone through the water at the lake’s edge.
Mom gazed at their surroundings. “And I thought yesterday’s trail was magnificent. This is unreal!” she cried, awestruck.
The trail steepened again. It soon led directly into a narrow slot in the rock wall. Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad peered up into the opening at a series of cemented rock stairs. A cable was bolted into the stones for hikers to hold on to.
“The rock staircase,” Dad recalled. “I remember reading about this.”
One by one, the family hauled themselves up the stairs. They regrouped at the top, where it was breezy and noticeably cooler.
The Parkers gazed in wonder at the massive slabs of ice and chunks of glacier to their left and right. In the distance, the largest of the ice fields loomed. “Wow!” Dad gasped. “This is even better than I expected.”
Morgan took several photos at Comeau Pass. The Parkers noticed small rock piles, or cairns, indicating the path to the main part of the glacier. Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad trekked on. They climbed a finger of rock, then dropped down to a tongue of ice, crossed it, and climbedagain. At the top of each mound was another cairn with a post in it. The Parkers kept hiking.
Finally, Dad noticed a small weather station, its anemometer, for measuring wind speed, spinning in the breeze. From there, the Parkers stared at the largest remaining part of Sperry Glacier. The mass of ice dipped down from the mountain
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