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.