The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

I’m not sure why I  didn’t realize until the trip was underway that this was an international adventure. I think I may have taken my ‘let someone else do the planning’ a little too far?   I should at least read the trip descriptions more thoroughly.  

Adjacent to Glacier National Park, just across the US-Canada border,  is Canada's Waterton National Park.  The two parks were joined in 1932, honoring the relationship that the two countries share, and creating the world’s first International Peace Park.

photo.martinkraft.com from Wikimedia Commons

As we make our way through the Parks, some of the time we follow the continental divide--a natural boundary that splits river flows between east and west.   Frequently (though not always) the divide is a high mountain, like the Rockies.  

The Watertown Glacier International Peace Park not only celebrates the countries’ relationship, but it also celebrates an unusual ‘triple’ divide’.  Usually a continental divide has water flowing, via rivers, either to the east or west.  In this park,  precipitation on the west of the mountain eventually flows to the Pacific.  On the east, it goes to the Atlantic.  But a little further north,  waters move to the Arctic Ocean.

With waters flowing to three different oceans, the park has greater biodiversity than might occur in the area of a typical continental divide. The fire of 2003, which I will mention again in another post, affected many thousands of acres.  However, when I visit the park, there is evergreen forest and as we change altitude there are grasslands and meadows, wildflowers and wildlife, and the my usual sense of wonder.

This tour was with The World Outdoors before raging fires affected thousands of acres of the park in 2003.  For more information on The World Outdoors, visit  http://www.theworldoutdoors.com   

This trip was with a company called The World Outdoors.  For more information on their variety of exciting adventure travel opportunities,  visit http://www.theworldoutdoors.com. 

Arrival at Glacier National Park

This trip to Glacier National Park in Montana, bordering Canada,  turns out to be a beautiful challenge, and probably the most strenuous thing I've ever done.  As usual, I’m with a tour, letting someone else do all the research, planning, and organizing.  That’s even more important for me on a hiking trip,  because when it comes to  hiking, I’m a novice.  Having some people who actually *know* what they’re doing is a very good thing.  And this is a very good group.

Once the tour members assemble from our various points of origin, we begin with white water rafting.  Fortunately,  all we tourists have to do is ‘follow orders’--which we do willingly when we see the size of the wild swirling whirlpools. (I did not take the picture below.  I am the second woman on the left and I don’t think I look scared at all.  I’m smiling.  Yes, it’s a borderline hysterical smile, but I’m smiling.)

Whitewater Rafting on the Flathead River

Whitewater rafting is a great way to start a trip.  It's amazing how quickly you bond with people when you depend on each other to survive.  

Before I go on, I feel readers should know I took this trip a while ago, and  not long after,  a devastating fire burned nearly 20,000 acres of Glacier National Park. The photos I show you are from a time before that fire.   

On the subject of fire...

  We've learned some interesting things about forest fires, and I remember first hearing this in Australia.  We  thought that stopping the small fires would prevent large devastating ones.  So humans would try to stop (not control--stop)  any fire that might burn through the low-lying brush and dead matter piling up on the forest floor.  Unfortunately,  that material made great kindling.  By leaving it, a lightning strike could get a good start with kindling on the ground and then expand to burn out of control.  

This is one of those cases when we thought we could improve on nature. We can't. 

Not only do controlled brush fires prevent larger fires, they also enable growth some plants that need fire to get started.   Again, the lesson that continues to fascinate me comes to mind:  Life will persist. 

    Fireweed- one of the first plants to grow after a fire

Fireweed is one of the first plants to come back after a fire.  Some trees have seeds that will open to sprout only when when a fire heats them.   And as plants return, so do animals.  Life goes on.  The mountains and valleys may--or may not-- be much changed, but plant and animal life recover.

The End of Helihiking and on to Glacier National Park

At the start of each new series of blog posts, I remind readers that  I keep journals when I travel and write my blog entries from the comfort of my home, based on trip diaries and photos.  Sometimes I’m describing trips that took place a while ago.  

But places change.  Cities vary with the times. Wildfires alter natural terrain.  Volcanoes erupt, and change anything from the local area to world weather patterns (massive volcanic ash clouds have done that.) So I like to remind readers--- it may not be possible to duplicate these experiences.

Why Hiking?  

My last trip blog was about heli-hiking in British Columbia.  When I decided to hike,  I wanted to challenge myself in ways I had never had done.  I wanted a better perspective of the world and my place in it.

Many of the places I’ve visited have helped me toward that goal...

- the Grand Canyon

- Bryce

-  Pinnacles of Western Australia

- Olgas of Central Australia's Red Desert

- Rotorua geyser in New Zealand

Rotorua,

-  Churchill, Manitoba's polar bears

Resting Polar Bear

 Tundra of Churchill

... All of those places give me a sense of the grand scale of this planet and all its life, its age, wonders, and startling variety.  I want to continue building on that feeling, on that sense of awe and beauty.  When I look out at the world that stretches for miles away from a mountain or a flat tundra, when I think about the many millions of years it took to form all this, I feel a sense of order in the world, and a sense of wonder.

Hiking has heightened that perception. At the end of every hike, there is the reward of a spectacular view, of nature at work, of life overcoming every kind of obstacle.  From mountain peaks, the vistas are so big I could see the variations of cloud shadows and sun breaks for miles and miles.  At the same time, there are clouds that look like they’re within reach of my hand.

Nothing will ever compare.

And that is why my next vacation is to Glacier National Park.  Another hiking trip.  Still kind of pampered---no camping outdoors, but hotels with fine dining at end the day.  But the days....oh the days.... 

And we’re off.

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