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On our way to Canada, we drove around Glacier National Park one last time and northward up the eastern edge. One tip was a salt lick near a bridge at a Route 2 turnoff along the southern border of the park where mountain goats could be viewed. We did see one walking on a bluff in the distance but there was a better photo opportunity right above the turnoff itself over the highway.
We had also heard that we shouldn’t miss Many Glaciers, an area in the northeastern side of the park, so we made a point to stop and walk through the valley of the Swiftriver Current Pass. Two off-duty women rangers recommended this hike to us a few days earlier when we met them on the Two Medicine Lake trail.
The Swiftcurrent Pass is richly rewarding because it’s set in a valley with mountains on both sides and several lakes along the way. Even though we knew we wouldn’t be able to complete it, we still enjoyed it as much as time allowed then retraced our route back to the parking area. The rest of the day was spent on the road up to the Canadian border
crossing at Chief Mountain, and leaving cell service behind (Thanks a lot, Verizon, for not offering a Canadian service add-on option to me as a prepaid subscriber)!
As the ranger at the Many Glacier Information Center boasted, “There is West Glacier and then there’s Best Glacier”. We asked him what he meant. He said that with the hikes in West Glacier you had to wait until the end to reach the view or lake. In East Glacier, you enjoy beauty all along the way. After our experience hiking in Swiftcurrent, we had to agree with him!
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Karen
non-member comment
outdoorsy words
Becks, I know you were meant to participate in this wild adventure because of the outdoorsy stuff you know about. I've heard the phrase "salt lick" before, but never knew what it was. Today I looked it up. Huh, who knew? It's a place where animals go to lick naturally occurring salt deposits. That was news to me! I'm enjoying learning by vicariously travelling with you! ;-) The lake looks spectacular!