Walk to the Waterfalls

     Stef posted some pictures from today's activities.  We took a fairly easy trail down to the falls.  It was really a beautiful spot, and I found myself singing a song that my friend Linda and I sang for a recent service at UUFSB, "Standing in this holy place, eyes open to the light, that I might see what you can only see in darkest night.  One thing I see for certain in the light of stars above, if we love this land that we walk upon, we've got to hold on, to what we love." (Greg Artzner and Toni Leonino)

     The water from St. Mary's Falls is the same beautiful blue that you see when you look down into crevices on glaciers.  Come to think of it, I saw that blue last winter while shoveling many feet of snow.  I am told it is the lack of oxygen in the snow that causes it to appear blue, but I don't know for sure.  

    I really didn't want to leave as quickly as we did.  This was the least crowded of any trail we went on here at Glacier National Park.  Logan's Pass and the trails leading from it look like Times Square on New Year's Eve.  The mountain goats and big horn sheep must be used to the crowds, because we saw a lot today and heard reports of many more nearby.  A small herd (I counted 14) of big horn sheep was on a slope right across from the Logan Pass Visitor Center. Very exciting. 

    I understand that Yosemite and Zion National Parks have banned cars from the parks and only permit access via shuttle bus.  I might not go that far here, but I would limit the number of cars allowed up on the Going to the Sun Road each day.  We have used the Shuttle Bus system exclusively.  Sometimes we have to wait for a bus, but it's probably no worse than the wait for a parking spot at Logan Pass.