Iceberg Lake 7/26/2016

We had never visited Glacier NP at this particular point in the summer season. Our forays here were always in the very beginning of July. One time here, we arrived a day after the Going to the Sun Road was opened. As a result, our hikes to Iceberg Lake (actually 10 miles roundtrip, we discovered) were always taken at the height of wildflower bloom time for the lower part of the hike.

So when we started out on the trail, we were somewhat surprised to see that while there were some wildflowers, there were not the eye-popping drifts of flowers we had witnessed previously. But, of course, the mountains never disappoint, and the views from the trail were, as ever, spectacular. What

Meadow near the lake. Photos can't capture how stunning it was.

we found out, though, was that the second half of the trail (past Ptarmigan Falls) which was never, for us, a wildflower standout, was, at this point in the season, crazy with flowers. As a matter of fact, the last part of the trail approaching Iceberg Lake had in past years been covered with snow. I have pictures of us walking on snow so deep we could touch the treetops. Not this year. Reds and yellows interspersed with drifts of white and purple were everywhere in the meadows in this part of the trail. This trail never disappoints.

When we got back to the RV, later in the afternoon, we relaxed for a bit with a beer or 2, then decided to treat ourselves to dinner at Johnson's restaurant. We brought back to the RV some Huckleberry Ice Cream pie for dessert--a satisfying end to a great day.

Iceberg Lake as you approach from the trail. Usually there is a much larger iceberg in the lake that persists. This year it was VERY small.