{"id":2619,"date":"2014-07-07T23:26:40","date_gmt":"2014-07-08T04:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=2619"},"modified":"2014-07-07T23:26:40","modified_gmt":"2014-07-08T04:26:40","slug":"big-sky-vacation-day-4-adventures-with-rams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=2619","title":{"rendered":"Big Sky Vacation Day 4: Adventures with Rams"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is our first day for hiking in the park.\u00a0 First, we had to start out with a good breakfast.\u00a0 Zerah, Alex, and I cooked up bacon, sausage, and eggs with toast.\u00a0 I tell you, Owen can really eat for a 2 year old!\u00a0 He had several pieces of sausages with his egg and toast.\u00a0 Then came the inevitable clean up.\u00a0 Luckily, there is a dishwasher in the house.\u00a0 I loaded up while everyone was preparing for the day.<\/p>\n

Zerah has proven herself to be the ultimate in picnic lunches.\u00a0 She is officially in charge of that task.<\/p>\n

We loaded up a couple of cars and headed out to Two Medicine.\u00a0 Turning onto 89 from East Glacier, we passed the Glacier Lodge.\u00a0 I\u2019ll have to get some pictures of the place.\u00a0 Some of the lodges are celebrating 100 years in business this year.\u00a0 They are wonderfully architected with great detail.\u00a0 We passed through the other side of East Glacier.<\/p>\n

Once we arrived at the gate for Two Medicine, it was a matter getting a pass to enter when the park is open.\u00a0 The annual pass is great because it good for a year and we can get into any park in the country.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it probably doesn\u2019t work when we go over to the Canadian side to Waterton Lake Park.\u00a0 Oh well, we are supporting the park system.<\/p>\n

We met at Running Eagle Falls parking lot for our first hike.\u00a0 This is a short .6 mile hike round trip.\u00a0 The path takes you down to the Two Medicine River where a two-tiered falls comes down from the mountain to join the river.\u00a0 With winter just fading from memory, the falls are pretty full as well as the river itself.<\/p>\n

Rich couldn\u2019t find a good place to cross, so he began to ford at the point where we could from the trail.\u00a0 The rest of the group began to follow.\u00a0 Once reaching the other side, they made their way to the viewing platform directly opposite the falls.\u00a0 Me?\u00a0 I waited on the dry side of the river.\u00a0 This is glacier water we are talking about.\u00a0 I just couldn\u2019t take the cold water.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t even try to dip my toes in.\u00a0 Pretty soon, the group forded the river again to come back on my side.\u00a0 Good thing.\u00a0 I\u2019d hate to leave anyone behind when darkness returned.<\/p>\n

Rich really wanted to climb the Appostoki Falls trail.\u00a0 The parking lot was jammed with vehicles, but we managed to get into a couple of spots.\u00a0 Funny, because we hardly saw anyone on that trail.\u00a0 The trail started easy enough.\u00a0 However, we hit a steep and rocky patch as we climbed beside the river.\u00a0 I had to stop and wait for everyone at one point.\u00a0 I figured I could make it up, but coming back down would be too tricky for me.<\/p>\n

I decided to move a little further down the trail and was negotiating a slick set of rocks when I heard a voice from high above me.\u00a0 It was a woman\u2019s voice so I figure it wasn\u2019t God.\u00a0 Zerah was on a trail above me and letting me know that I should return to the fork in the road and come up the scenic trail.\u00a0 I did this happily.\u00a0 I met an older couple coming up the trail.\u00a0 I stopped to tell them what was ahead and what I was doing.<\/p>\n

As I was approaching Zerah, she was talking toward me saying she heard a growling noise and \u2026..There was a ram walking down the trail behind her.\u00a0 Apparently, this was his highway and he didn\u2019t like sharing.\u00a0 Seeing me, he decided to take the shortcut over the side.\u00a0 We could see him bounding through the underbrush down to the trail below.<\/p>\n

We made up to the top of the trail where the rest of the group was waiting on a rocky outcrop with a great view of the valley that lead to Appostoki Falls.\u00a0 Down in the valley, you could see a few mountain sheep coming down the mountain and watering in the river.\u00a0 Pretty cool to see.<\/p>\n

Then it was time to go back down the trail to the parking area.\u00a0 Now, I don\u2019t walk all that fast and I take my time.\u00a0 It\u2019s better than getting hurt.\u00a0 This tends to leave me at the end of the group.\u00a0 The older couple had decided to follow the scenic trail to the outcrop.\u00a0 They were so excited to have seen the ram as well.\u00a0 She was showing me pictures on her phone.\u00a0 Thank goodness for camera phones.<\/p>\n

When we reached the fork for the falls trail and the scenic trail, I turned around in time to see a herd of rams coming down the trail behind us!\u00a0 Oh my gosh!\u00a0 How cool.\u00a0 They stopped and crashed into each other to turn around and get away for us.\u00a0 I did manage to get a picture of one very wooly, molting ram though.<\/p>\n

Back into the cars and we headed to Two Medicine Lake for a picnic.\u00a0 I went straight for the store and office area to look for a table and found the perfect one.\u00a0 It was located on a deck on the side of the building.\u00a0 It was very long and had the perfect view.\u00a0 We unloaded a cooler and loaded up plates with sandwiches and chips.\u00a0 But the table came with a price.\u00a0 There was a ground squirrel who was very interested in us.<\/p>\n

Owen came down to my end of the table after finishing his lunch.\u00a0 I was trying to show him the squirrel, but he really had no idea what to look for.\u00a0 Finally, he saw the squirrel and literally jumped into my lap.\u00a0 I assured him that the little guy was harmless and only wanted food.\u00a0 I taught Owen to say, \u201cScat\u201d to the squirrel.\u00a0 But as you can image, the squirrel paid no attention.<\/p>\n

With lunch finished and all necessaries taken care of, we decided to hike out to Paradise Point on a trail around one side of the lake.\u00a0 The ferry boat was filling up as we were getting things together.\u00a0 All of the boys, and I do mean all of them, were skipping rocks along the shores.\u00a0 The gravel was all flat and perfecting for skipping.<\/p>\n

Tearing them away from the shore, we head up the trail.\u00a0 About .2 miles in, we followed the fork that lead to Paradise Point.\u00a0 Zane and I were bringing up the rear.\u00a0 Poor Zane was tired and running on low.\u00a0 Me?\u00a0 I was following his lead and just keeping him company.<\/p>\n

Paradise Point is a piece of land that juts out into the lake.\u00a0 You can get a good view up the lake into the mountains at the back.\u00a0 Looking toward the store and boat landing, you could see where you had just come from.\u00a0 We hung out at the point for a while.\u00a0 The boys skipped more rocks.\u00a0 We watched a couple of people in a row boat fight the wind and waves to get back to the landing.<\/p>\n

Alex found something very shiny on Lone Wolf Mountain directly across from us.\u00a0 That lead to a ton of speculation on what exactly everyone was looking at.\u00a0 Joe said it was something alien.\u00a0 Alex thought it was tailings from a silver thread in the mountain.\u00a0 There was no way to tell what it was.\u00a0 It definitely was shiny and took up a lot of attention.<\/p>\n

Pretty soon, we made our way back.\u00a0 This time, Zane took the lead with me following a close second.\u00a0 We were determined to get as far as possible before the others overtook us.\u00a0 We did stop to look at the downed tree by beavers.\u00a0 That was cool enough to stop and look at.\u00a0 Sure enough, the rest of the group found us and passed us up.<\/p>\n

Zerah decided to get Zane signed up for the Junior Ranger program.\u00a0 She was able to secure a package for Zane and to get a older Junior Ranger package for Joe.\u00a0 It\u2019s nice to be remembered.\u00a0 We headed back and Joe started filling his booklet out in the car.<\/p>\n

Back at the house, it was time to clean up.\u00a0 Showers and baths were taken and it was good to be a little dirt-free from the trails.\u00a0 Zerah and Sean were going up to the lodge to look around.\u00a0 We all decided to go.\u00a0 But as fate would not allow this, their vehicle wouldn\u2019t start.\u00a0 This meant figuring out that the battery was dead to the world and would not accept attempts to revive it.\u00a0 We found an auto parts place and Alex with Sean went out for a battery.<\/p>\n

Now replacing the battery in a Dodge Journey is not an easy thing to do.\u00a0 Alex changed into total orange shorts and shirt and started to work.\u00a0 I managed to get tools from the owners of the house and this helped a great deal.\u00a0 They got it apart, replaced and put back together without the use of many censored content for this blog.\u00a0 In the meantime, Rich was grilling steaks while Zerah and I prepared other parts of the meal.<\/p>\n

I managed to have a conversation with Wendy, who owns the house.\u00a0 She was setting a sprinkler to water the yard and garden.\u00a0 Did I mention the beautiful gardens at this house?\u00a0 I asked her about the garden.\u00a0 She started on it 8 years ago when she bought the house.\u00a0 Each year, she adds to it and it grows.\u00a0 From a gardener\u2019s perspective, it is such a nice project in progress.\u00a0 I told her I might take out some therapy and weed for her.\u00a0 She was OK with that.\u00a0 I miss my flowers at home.<\/p>\n

So this evening, we gathered on the front porch again with our drinks of choice.\u00a0 I assure you that Joe just had tea.\u00a0 We talked about our lives and situations.\u00a0 We laughed a lot.\u00a0 It was good to enjoy the company of family.\u00a0 Sunset was coming to the Dancing Lady and Calfrobe Mountains, but it was not going to paint them the colors I had hoped for.\u00a0 Time to move inside and figure out day for tomorrow.<\/p>\n

St Mary\u2019s has several good hikes, but we need to remember the little guys will be with us.\u00a0 So I guess I can end now and wait for more tomorrow.<\/p>\n

\"View<\/a>
View of the Dancing Lady and Calfrobe Mountains this morning.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sign<\/a>
Sign for Running Eagle Falls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Sean<\/a>
Sean getting sprayed down for bugs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rich<\/a>
Rich planning to ford the river to get his pictures.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rich<\/a>
Rich and Alex heading for the other shore at Running Eagle Falls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Joe,<\/a>
Joe, Rich, and Alex wading to the opposite shore.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Everyone<\/a>
Everyone returning from the opposite bank at Running Eagle Falls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Running<\/a>
Running Eagle Falls taken by Joy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Great<\/a>
Great shot of Running Eagle Falls by Rich from the other side of the river.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Another<\/a>
Another great shot by Rich of Running Eagle Falls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Zane<\/a>
Zane gets a piggyback ride across the river.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Zerah<\/a>
Zerah and Owen enjoying the river side.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Not<\/a>
Not sure of the name, but it towered over the parking lot at Appostoki Falls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The group heading out for the trail to Appostoki Falls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Beargrass<\/a>
Beargrass is in full bloom throughout the park.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Beautiful<\/a>
Beautiful blue flowers growing everywhere on the trail at Appostakic Falls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"View<\/a>
View of Appostoki Falls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"That's<\/a>
That’s the trail back down at Appostoki Falls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ram<\/a>
Ram on the trail at Appostoki Falls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rams<\/a>
Rams on the mountainside at Appostaki Falls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The groups stopped for lunch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Uninvited<\/a>
Uninvited ground squirrel trying to join us for lunch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"View<\/a>
View of Wolf Mountain from our picnic table.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The boys skipping rocks at Two Medicine Lake before we take off for a hike.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Joy<\/a>
Joy and Rich with Lone Wolf Mountain in the background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sean,<\/a>
Sean, Zerah and the boys at Paradise Point.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Standing<\/a>
Standing at Paradise Point looking back at the boat launch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lone<\/a>
Lone Wolf Mountain stands majestically.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Great<\/a>
Great hiking buddies before heading back down the trail.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"View<\/a>
View from Paradise Point by Rich.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Guys<\/a>
Guys working on getting a new battery into the Dodge Journey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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This is our first day for hiking in the park.\u00a0 First, we had to start out with a good breakfast.\u00a0 Zerah, Alex, and I cooked up bacon, sausage, and eggs with toast.\u00a0 I tell you, Owen can really eat for a 2 year old!\u00a0 He had several pieces of sausages with his egg and toast.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2619"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2656,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619\/revisions\/2656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}