#ProjectAlaska: Back Into the USA

After thoroughly enjoying my travel on the Alaska Highway, it was time for me to discover a few new (and old, for that matter) places in my own country. I originally visited Glacier National Park in 2008 after a failed attempt to visit there in 2006. The 2006 attempt failed due to the Red Eagle Fire and the road going to the entrance on the east side of the park was closed.

My visit to Glacier NP in 2008 was one of sheer joy. At the time, I didn't realize just how quickly the glaciers here were melting. At the time, it was believed that the glaciers would be gone by 2030.

Fast forward to 2016. To now realize that most if not all the glaciers in Glacier National Park will now be gone by 2020 was a shock, to put it mildly. Areas which were covered in snow in 2008 had no snow whatsoever in 2016. Areas which were lush and green in 2008 were full of gray, dead trees; killed by pine beetles and other invasive insects or burned out by wildfires. Upon arriving in St. Mary the night before I was to traverse the park, there was a haziness caused by wildfires burning hundreds of miles to the south (which I would get to experience firsthand as I made my way south). You can see it here in this picture:

Luckily, no fires were burning at the time near the park; and the winds shifted overnight clearing the skies somewhat the next morning. Still, the pictures here contain a lot of haze that isn't usually here during times of calm with no wildfires. Here is a picture of Saint Mary Lake showing Wild Goose Island:

Just a couple of pictures of what wildfires have done over the past decade:

Finally, a couple of last pictures for today. I will save for tomorrow the bulk of the pictures in the high country near Logan Pass.