Tonelli's Travels

Looking for another day of solitude, we ventured to the far side of the Going to the Sun Road to hike a trail recommended by a local. We parked easily at a glacier overlook and began the trail down to Florence Falls.

The trail slowly slopes down for about 600 feet until it flattens out at the base of the mountains. Narrow and overgrown with foliage, the trail winds along the creek for miles. Small waterfalls and swimming poles with ice cold water popped up every now and then. A suspension bridge guided us across the creek at one point. And majestic mountains rising above us peaked through the trees every now and then.

This part of the park is bear territory. Before you start to worry, no we did not encounter any. We were prepared though with our bear spray and voices. The most important thing to do is to let the bear now you are a human. So as we walked through the greenery, we called out various versions of “Hey bear!” At times it was sing-songy, at times in different languages, or at times with different greetings like “Howdy!” and “Hello!” My dad at one point started to feel like we were leaving the other creatures out, so every now and then we added in, “Hey moose” or “Hey ground squirrels” just to make everyone feel included. 😉

We weren’t the only ones making noise – the few others we passed were yelling their own variations of “Hey bear”, clapping, or simply carrying on slightly louder than usual conversations. And it worked – that’s not to say I didn’t jump or screech a little every time I heard the bushes rustle or a bird tweet. Haha.

At times the path widened and we caught a glimpse of the creek or a wide marshy area. Shiny, bright blue huckleberry bushes and velvety soft, juicy raspberry plants were a special treat along our hike, filing our tummies with sweet deliciousness and turning our hands all shades of blue and red. For most of the time, the it was a narrow one lane path directing us to Florence Falls. As we neared the falls, the flora and fauna grew lusher and taller, and we pushed through an overgrown trail.

At a few points I wondered if all this bushwhacking was worth the effort as it was tiring and uncomfortable, but before long we arrived at Florence Falls. And we were not disappointed. The water gushed over a steep rock face for hundreds of meters above us. It cascaded down a series of long steps to a relaxing pool at the bottom. And the best part, we were the only people here!

We dropped our packs, took off our shoes and dipped our feet in the refreshing water. They were quickly numb, but it felt so good as the sun rose in the sky and temperatures climbed into the 90s. Lunch was enjoyed at this peaceful spot with only the sound of falling water in the background. We had this little piece of heaven all to ourselves for almost an hour.

Eventually we started the long walk back to the car, which was relatively easy until the last mile. Remember that 600 feet that we descended to reach the trail? Yes, we had to climb that to reach the car. At this point it the day, it was hot, hot, hot and we were tired, tired, tired. But I kept thinking of the spectacular Florence Falls and cold water, and eventually made it to the top. It was a fantastic last day at Glacier National Park.