Glacier National Park Mountain Goat Waterfall

Continuing with my "5" Star Photos in general and Mountain Goats in particular we come to a photo taken in Glacier National Park, Montana.

Sometimes on the way to a specific place where you expect -- well, hope -- to see a particular animal you see it "unexpectedly." 

Such was the case while traveling over the Going-To-The-Sun Highway. It's not that I wasn't expecting to see a Mountain Goat. After all, they are in the area. It's just that the road is so traveled that I didn't expect to see one so close to the road. 

But, just over the summit, there were three Mountain Goats, feeding on the grassy hillside. But what got my attention was they appeared to be head toward a waterfall. So, I am thinking that would be a great photo.  I was traveling with my in-laws and asked them to drop me off while they looked for a parking place. They thoughtfully and graciously did so.

I set up my tripod pointing the camera directly at the waterfall. Then I waited. And, once again I was not disappointed. 

I mean how cool is this?

Glacier National Park White Tail Deer

When you think of Glacier National Park you think of mountains, and well ----- glaciers. But the Western boundary of the park is along the North Fork of the Flathead River and if you drive along the river long enough you get into some country that is barely visited and yet just forty miles from the West Entrance to the Park. Most visitors arriving at the West Entrance take the Going to the Sun Highway across the mountains or they take the Southern Loop that connects to the East Entrance. The West side's dirt road along the river dead ends at Kintla Lake. I have been up that side several times -- mainly looking for grizzlies. On one occasion I came across these two young fawns with their mom. They let me photograph them as long as I wanted. After a while I just put my camera down and sat with them contemplating the beauty of nature.

Going To the Sun in Montana

I realized that before we leave Montana, I should include a photo from Glacier National Park which was established in 1910 and thus is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. GNP encompasses 16,000 square miles of Montana bordering Alberta and British Columbia. On the Canadian side is Waterton Lakes National Park, another breathtaking example of the beautiful snow covered mountains surrounding a crystal clear lake. Bison and Woodland Caribou were common to GNP before 1900 but were hunted to extinction. Grizzly Bears, wolverines,  wolves, and Canadian Lynx are native to the park and are protected due to their small numbers in the lower 48. The good news is that the populations have stabilized. GNP has nearly every other large mammal: moose, mule and white tail deer, elk, black bear, mountain lion, badger, mink, fisher, marten, river otter, and porcupine. The main road through the park is the "Going to the Sun" highway, constructed during the depression by FDR's (CCC) program of putting the unemployed to work in the National Park Service. It is 53 miles of hairpin turns going up and over the Rocky Mountains. About five years ago I was driving the highway and as I went over Logan Pass at 6,646 feet, there were a couple dozen cars along side the road -- i.e. "animal traffic jam" very similar to Yellowstone. There were three Mountain Goats by the side of the road. I was able to get a parking place so could spend as much time as I wanted. As you might imagine everyone was taking photos. Some with their "point and shoot" and some with professional gear. I have mentioned this before, but if you are really looking for a great photo, don't leave until you get one. Most people took a photo out of the window of their car as they drove by. Some jumped out of their car, took a photo, and jumped back in their car and off they went. My best photo was this one -- about 45 minutes after I arrived there. That really wasn't a very long wait for a good photo. Photographers Practice Patience with a Passion.

Glacier National Park Mountain Goat

Yesterday, I mentioned ice climbing, how about this? This is a several hundred foot sheer cliff in Glacier National Park (Montana).  I watched for an hour as this mountain goat climbed from the river bottom to the forest shelf. The mountain goat's feet are designed for climbing steep, rocky slopes, with pitches of 60 degrees or more. The feet have inner pads that provide traction and cloven hooves that can be spread apart whenever needed. Dewclaws, which are like secondary hooves on the back of their feet give them a better grip to help to keep them from slipping.  I think of our feet -- toes, in particular. We can clench the toes, but that is about the extent of our control. Mountain goats, on the other hand, must have complete control of their feet, much more like the control we have over the fingers in our hands.