Glacier National Park Read Online Free PDF Page A

chunks of ice and their cracks,” Dad exclaimed.
    “And that waterfall below it,” Morgan added.
    “Well,” Mom concluded, “this trail sure is full of wonderful surprises.”
    The Parkers began a long trek down a series of switchbacks. Sexton Glacier, with its distinct chunks of ice, stayed in view.
    Soon the family was back among a few tiny trees. A short spur trail led toward the glacier. The Parkers took it, stopping to sit on some rocks with a view of the whole slab of ice in front of them.
    After eating lunch, the family returned to the main trail and continued to hike down. “I’m sure glad we’re not going up this!” Morgan mentioned.
    Finally, the Parkers worked their way back into the forest.
    The trail approached a red rock gorge containing several small waterfalls. Mom gazed at the cascading stream. “This place is amazing,” she said. “Every section of trail is so spectacular and full of surprises.”
    Eventually the sound of cars replaced the rushing stream. “We’re almost back to the road,” Dad said.
    Just before the highway was an overlook at Sunrift Gorge. Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad stared into the straight-walled canyon with a stream running through it. A few minutes later, pleasantly tired from their hike, they walked down and caught the next bus to their campground.
    Later that evening, the family drove a few miles east. Dad pulled the car into a small parking area called Two Dog Flats. The family piled out and stared up at a sloping grassland. Beyond the grass, the area turned to forest. On the other side of the road, St. Mary Lake stretched over several miles. Haze and smoke filled the air.
    Morgan scanned Two Dog Flats. “Nothing’s out there now,” she reported.
    The Parkers continued watching patiently. Mom started walking onto the grass with James, Morgan, and Dad following her.
    In his peripheral vision, James suddenly noticed a small, gray animal up the hill. “There’s something out there,” he called out softly.
    The doglike animal limped downhill from the flats toward the road. The Parkers stood still and breathlessly watched as he approached.
    Mom leaned toward her family and whispered, “I think it’s a wolf. It’s gray and larger than a coyote.”
    Morgan studied the animal with the binoculars. “It’s hurt!” she realized.
    The wolf hopped across the road right in front of the Parkers. Morgan tried to quickly snap a few photos. Once the carnivore crossed, he stopped and licked his injured paw, then carefully loped toward some trees.

8

    “Welcome aboard, everyone!” a ranger called from the deck of the boat. “We’re now crossing Lake Josephine. Do you notice how the water here is a little turquoise?”
    A crew member quickly walked up to the ranger. He whispered something to him and pointed to the forest next to the water. The ranger glanced in that direction, then looked again. He turned toward the passengers and announced, “Folks, we’re going to take a little detour and warn some hikers along the trail.”
    Morgan looked at James. “I wonder what’s going on.”
    The boat turned toward the shore. A crew member handed the ranger a microphone.
    Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad watched through the boat’s windows. Several bushes moved near the trail. James spotted the bulging back of a large brown animal. “It’s a bear!” he realized.
    Suddenly Morgan noticed that a group of people were hiking toward it. A shiver went up her spine.
    The ranger put the microphone to his mouth and waited until the boat got a little closer. “There’s a bear ahead of you!” he announced into the PA system. The ranger called out again. “There’s a bear up ahead! It’s below the trail, near the lake.”
    The hikers stopped and turned toward the boat. One person cupped his hands and called back. “What kind?”
    “A grizzly!”
    The hikers looked at each other and began talking. The people on the boat watched, wondering what they were going to do.
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