Glacier National Park

Peigan Pass

After Waterton National Park, we popped across the border into the USA to check out Glacier National Park. We thought we might have a chance at getting a camp site in the morning mid-week, but no such luck. So after driving almost to the other side of the park we drove out the way we had come and went to a campground nearby. Which had wifi, so it was kind of a win.

The first hike we did was to Okotomi Lake. I thought it was going to be a nice easy 8km walk, as a warm up for our main hike. It turned out to be 8km each way, so we were well and truly warmed up afterwards. So much so that we cooled off in the icy lake, while trying to keep the jumbo biting flies at bay.
We hadn't taken any lunch (thinking it would only be a couple of hours), so we were both kind of cranky when we got down, and just went back and chilled at the campground after eating.

 The next morning we headed out to do the Peigan Pass trail, an out and back hike. It can be done as a through hike, but that would need a car at both ends.

It was a glorious day, with no trace of the hail storm that hit us a few nights before that cracked our windscreen and gave us massive dints on the bonnet. I had to keep stopping to take multiple photos along the way.

We crossed two small, slippery snow fields on the way, and as we climbed higher the wildflowers grew thicker and thicker!

And I still could not stop taking photos of the gorgeous view!

When we were almost at the pass this large rodent started walking down the trail towards us... I had no idea what it was, or if it was dangerous. We stepped off the path, in case it decided to go through us. But it calmly climbed the bank before it reached us and started chowing into some leaves, not a care in the world. We ended up deciding it was a Marmot, and I remembered reading warnings not to leave belongings unaccompanied as they would eat anything they found.

After lunch at the top, we headed back again, very happy and very tired!