Mexico weekly ledger., 1922-11-16

one Of your and my national parks.
In company with my brother, Gus, i
spent the first eight days Of Sept.
1922 hiking, scrambling, and some
times creeping, up and down on the
excellent trails Of the Rocky Noun
tains in Glacier National Park, Mon
tana. It's on the Canadian border
and an ideal place to try out "shanks
mares" The distances from chalets,
for night stops, are not too great
for a good hiker.
Arriving at the eastern entrance
Glacier Park station, IN the Great
Northern R. R. September list, we
got into hiking clothes next morning
and tramped on the trail over Mt.
Henry, ~ miles, to Two Medicine
Lake-a beauty spot 5l65 feet a.
bove sea level; mountains surrounded
it.
Being somewhat soft at ~tramping,
we took it easy next day, taking the
auto 40 miles to st. Mary Lake and
the boat 9 miles up the lake to Going
to-the Sun chalets. After noon lunch
we hiked 5 miles up to Sexton Glacier,
seeing mountain goats feeding high
on the mountain above US. What
they eat up there ! don't know for they
are wandering around on the rocky
cliffs and sometimes seem to be hang
ing on by their eyebrows, We hus-
tied down in time to hear the dinner
bell and didn't wait for the last str
oke-promptness at meals is the rule
when hiking.
IA good woman at the hotel desk,
tried to get me to use a horse for
the next days trip of 20 miles, to
Many Glacier Hotel on Lake Nc
Dermott. I told her that I'd ridden
a horse thru here 8 years ago and to
"please let me walk thru this time"
She said: "Oh, go on and walk it
then; but you'll be sorry"
Next morning we got an early
start and hiked up Reynolds Creek,
around Going-to-the-Sun Mountain,
,(note the Indian names in the park
on a good trail. AT noon stopped at
Piegan Pines to eat our lunch-we
had it all laid out on u poncho
lunch cloth on the ground, and the
gophers came by the dozens to help
us eat it. l kept them off the table
with a switch and they began a ring
around the rosy parade around us.
Gus and I had many laughs at that
funny sight.
Crossing the Continental Divide
over Piegan Pass-altitude, 10000 feet
above sea level-a strong wind was
blowing over the pass-cold when we
first struck it., but down the other
side it was blowing with us, and we
laid back against it and raising one
foot after the other, seemed to just
float along with it-touching foot to
the trial only nee in awhile, queer
sensation. My brother stopped sud-
denly and there close by was a bunch
of ptarmigan-grouse that live above
timberline-they are large as good
fat chickens and seem tame. Fur
Their down in the timber we saw ruff
fed ~grouse--tame also and larger than
chickens, a pretty bird too. Off to
the left was a big giacier-the green
tinted ice g~listening in the sun-and
Just below it half a dozen water falls.
roaring and dropping into a sky blue
lake-a more beautiful gem I never
saw.
Oh, but this is the life I like. II
fills ME full of the goodness of the
Creator, and the thousands Of beau
ties He has abundantly spread al
about for us to enjoy.
These big glaciers r W inspire
ing-large masses of ice flowing
slipping, creeping down,-ice rivers
they certainly make n think.
don't take any chances with them, blu
keep my distance, and look at then
with respect. I am also impressed
with what an Insignificant atom
am.
On down passed Grinnell Glacie
and Lake and beautiful Josephin
Lake-look, there's McDermott LAX
and our hotel, but it's 8 or a mile
away by the trial. Our feet are still
working good and we'll make it i
time for evening dinner-inner!-w
got there in time and / eat every thin
in sight, but the dishes and the wait
ress-she looked like one Of u Mex
leo girls and l could have--I mus
stick to hiking talk.
We walked up TO Iceberg Lake,
miles-it's a novelty-there's a gls
cier hanging on a rocky shelf abov
the lake and great chunks of ice, i
the form Of icebergs, slip off int
the lake and float around there /,
while then away down stream-or
there that day looked like an enlarf
ed swan Glacier grow from in
mense snow falls in winter.
Another day we liked along Swi
Current River to foot Of Swift Gu.
rent Mountain, here the trail ri,
Gags by over a dozen switch bacl
Nm To Rocky Point a charm nrniac