Kent and I are up and on our way by 6:30 putting us at the Grinnell Glacier trailhead by just before 7:30. Yikes, it is cold, 37F and the sun isn’t high enough to warm this part of the valley.  We huddle in the warm truck for a few then put on everything we brought, fleece, windbreakers, wool hats, and gloves then head to the trailhead.

We take the trail along the north shore of first Swiftcurrent then Josephine Lake.  We spot moose tracks in the soft flat soil but no sign of the fellow(s) who might have made those tracks.  We have the trail pretty much to ourselves as we cross a boardwalk at the head of Josephene Lake then up a steep rock scramble to intersect with the Glacier Trail.   It is pretty much all uphill now to the end of the hike.  We hear a jumble of voices behind us.  No more wooded serenity, the first boatload of hikers just disembarked below us and are quickly overtaking us on the trail.  We’ll have lots of company on the trail for the rest of the day.  We are rapidly peeling off layers of clothing as we climb.  It is a fairly steep, long climb but we are urged on by the view of the glacier hanging high in the far end of the valley in front of us.  Its meltwater feeds first waterfalls then flows into blue-green Grinnell Lake below it.  We stop to check out the view and spot for mountain goals on the slopes.  Check it out. Mountain goat pic.  We get to a spectacular viewing spot and declare it the end of our climb.  The trail is very busy now with both overtaking and oncoming traffic, not so much fun.

Down is physically easier and traffic lessens once we get down off the switchbacks.  We get a bonus sighting, a large black bear along the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake.  It is a pretty quick look.  He has absolutely no interest in us.  Must be focusing on berry hunting.

We get back to the trailhead at the lodge just in time to see a band of big horn sheep ewes and their young.  Kent gets one of the most captured big horn pictures, butts!

Wild life sightings continue as we head out of the park.  First there is a fleeting look at a black bear in the trees off the left side of the entrance road. While we are gawking at it, a bear jam gathers.  Not for the black bear, for a big grizzly bear swimming toward us across Lake Sherburne.  She/he rises up out of the water as they come ashore then alternates snuffling about and trotting toward us.  By then a ranger has arrived to wrangle the watchers and clear a path should the bear keep coming our way.  It does, and he hustles all the cars and people out of the way.  We watch out of our rearview mirror as she moves on toward the road.  It is a fantastic grizzly sighting.  Quite close and within scurry distance of the truck!

We raid Carol’s kitchen, our first of several delicious cheeseboards.  Yum

For Kent and me the afternoon is all about resting up. Carol joins us to end the day with a tasty plate of nachos.