A brief digression: Lewis and Clark Expedition

In my last post I mentioned Lewis and Clark, who supposedly named bear grass and also were credited with naming the grizzly bear.

Lewis and Clark might not have had the successful expedition for which they’re famous if it were not for a young Shoshone woman named Sacagawea (Bird Woman). 

Sacagawea was the wife of a French trapper, and Lewis and Clark engaged the couple’s services in 1804 when they reached an area in what is now North Dakota.  Sacagawea helped them find edible plants and foods squirreled away by critters for winter; her presence made the group seem less of a threat, helping avoid conflict with the native population. She and her French husband could act as interpreters with the French and the Native Americans. And her link to the Shoshone facilitated the purchase of horses for the expedition.  Sacagawea’s life is, in many ways, a mystery, but her role in the success of the Lewis and Clark expedition is unquestioned.  There are statues, monuments, and landmarks named for her, but I’m not sure any are as beautiful as Bird Woman Falls in Glacier National Park.

Bird Woman Falls (taken earlier in the trip)

For more information on Sacagawea, please visit: http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/sacagawea 

And it's on to Iceberg Lake.

Back to the US side; Swiftcurrent Lake

At the end the day, we leave Waterton and return to the US side of the International Peace park, to Many Glacier Hotel.  The Great Northern Railway built this hotel, like the Granite Park Chalet, near the beginning of the 20th century.  On the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake, the surroundings are--as usual-- breathtaking.

Grinnel is the point to the left across Swiftcurrent Lake

After we settle in, we   end the day with a cookout.  Hardly roughing it, are we?

From our woodsman/guide/sommelier to our Chef/guide/naturalist, to all the rest of us (somewhat weary) travelers, there is a lot of laughter as we enjoy the evening, the wine, and talk about where we’ve been and where we're going.... and began to realize our adventure is nearing an end.  With that in mind, we have mixed emotions as we all say goodnight.

We rise to a beautiful sunny morning. The clouds have dispersed, and we’re up to a fresh challenge...sorta.  The options are a hike to Grinnell Glacier (eleven miles; 1,700 foot elevation) or a hike around Swiftcurrent Lake --  three-and-a-half miles with no significant elevation. 

While I want to see the ice caves and crevasses of Grinnell, my knee tells me I would be better to save it for the last hike tomorrow, to Iceberg Lake.  So I enjoy a short hike on the Nature Loop around Swiftcurrent Lake.

View from loop around Swiftcurrent Lake

As I approach the end of this series on Glacier National Park, I’m looking at pictures I have yet to share and information I have not yet posted.

Colombian ground squirrels make frequent curious appearances.  

Colombian ground squirrel

You may recall this was the Big Horn sheep whose appearance held me back for photos and awe... until I realized how far ahead of me the group was.

Fireweed (above) is one of the first plants to grow after a forest fire.

Bear Grass- first given that name by the Lewis and Clark Expedition

The Lewis and Clark expedition set off to explore the Louisiana Territory at the beginning of the 1800s. It was their expedition that first gave the name ‘Bear Grass’ to the plant you see above and among the trees below .  

Rumor is that they also were the first to name the grizzly bear ‘Ursus Horribilis’--Latin for ‘horrifying bear’.  While the description is accurate, the naming rights actually belong to naturalist George Ord.  L&C had based their ‘grizzly’ description on the bear’s fur.  In 1814,  Ord named it for its other charms.

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