These posts seem to be getting longer and longer but the scenery is so great I just can’t resist a lot of pictures.
Another clear moonless night so another astronomy picture. Just as the sun appears to move across the sky due to the earth’s rotation, the stars do the same thing at night. If you point your camera at the north star, which is almost directly in line with the earth’s axis of rotation, and take a long time exposure, the other stars appear to rotate around it. These are called star trails.
This picture is made from 13 2 minute exposures put together by a free program naturally called “startrails”. You can even see the different colours of the stars as blue, yellow and some red.
The streak across the bottom was a plane but the streak in the upper right was a meteor.
As of today Jennie figures we have done over 250 km of hiking on our trip. Small potatoes for a lot of people but pretty good for us.
We were going to take a day off today but the weather was great and looked kind of mixed for the next few days. We wanted clear skies when we did the other trail at Logan Pass so off we went to brave the Sunday crowds.
The trail is 3 miles return, across an alpine meadow and up the pass a bit to overlook a lake in the next valley. This is a very popular trail and about the first 1/4 is a boardwalk. The hike goes up and around behind, on the left side of this mountain.
Lots of wildflowers.
A very long boardwalk to protect the plants.
For a change, we saw lots of mountain goats and big horned sheep. Some far away on the ridge.
And one real close. I heard this guy has a reputation for lounging on the board walk. No fear at all.
On past the end of the boardwalk.
Looking back.
The trail was getting busier.
Almost to the end of the trail.
We had lunch at and viewing platform that was under repair. You can see Hidden Lake down in the valley. At one time you could continue down to the lake but that section too is under repair.
We had a bit of of company.
Heading back there were lots of great mountain views over this small lake.
Since we are on the opposite side of the valley I just have to give another view of the awesome Highline Trail from Friday.
The scary part through the gouge in the cliff face on the right.
Since there is very limited parking along the Going to the Sun road the park service runs free shuttle buses up to Logan Pass from each side stopping at all the prime hiking locations. Since it was now busy mid afternoon we took the bus down the east side a bit to our next hike to St. Mary’s Falls.
Can’t have a day without a waterfall or three.
We loved the deep green water.
The hike continued to a few more falls.
She got really close to the bottom section.
On to one more waterfall before we turned around.
Back at the road, waiting for the bus back up to the car was not hard to take with this view.
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