MARGARET
I
was up at first light again the next morning.
Fortunately there was no sign of the giant man-stomping moose. I broke camp and hiked through the woods up
to the campsites at the head of Glenns Lake. This campsite is actually more scenic, with
great views across the lake to the mountains above. From there I continued up to the junction
with the spur trail to Mokonwanis Lake. Before long I ran into Sylvie and James. I’d last seen them at lunch at Elizabeth Lake
on Saturday. They were leaving the
campsite at Mokonwanis Lake, which is where I was
heading. We chatted for a bit, and I
found out they had experienced their own moose encounter the previous evening!
30
minutes of easy hiking brought me to Mokowanis Lake. What a spectacular spot! This was my favorite campsite of the whole
trip. The scenery is spectacular, with
the gorgeous lake backed by a wall of sheer mountains, highlighted by Pyramid
Peak towering above. The campsite only
has room for 2 groups, so it is quiet and private. Best of the all, the cooking area is right on
the lakeshore, so it’s possible to enjoy the view while cooking and eating.
I
arrived around mid-morning, which was good, because I had an ambitious
afternoon planned. I was setting up camp
when Keith and Cara arrived. They were
on their way up to Margaret Lake, which is in an alpine basin above Mokowanis Lake. That
was where I was heading, too. The area
between the lakes is prime grizzly habitat, so I asked if I could tag along with
them. There’s something to be said for
safety in numbers. I quickly loaded my
lightweight REI flash pack, which I’d brought along for short dayhikes. It doesn’t
hold much, but it’s lightweight and adequate for a dayhike.
We
hiked through thick forest along the river.
The cascading river was so loud, our frequent yells meant to alert
nearby bears to our presence were largely useless. Fortunately we didn’t run into any large,
toothy fauna. Before long an incredible
waterfall loomed ahead. The waterfall
drains Margaret Lake, and it is as spectacular as any waterfall I’ve ever
seen. Incredibly, this spectacular
waterfall is apparently unnamed. After
seeing a photo of it, my sister dubbed it “Stairway to Heaven”. I can’t think of a more appropriate name.
There
is a long run of cascades downstream from the main waterfall, and we hiked
upstream along them. A bit before
reaching the base of the falls, we veered left to follow a rocky gully. We had to get above the cliffs that create
the waterfall, and the best approach is to hike east, away from the river. After climbing a ways in the gully, we worked
our way back to the southwest, following natural benches and breaks in the
cliffs. This was all off-trail hiking,
but it wasn’t difficult, and most of the route was marked with cairns. The views along here were fantastic,
encompassing the waterfall, the surrounding peaks, and Mokonwanis
Lake far below.
We
reached the top of the cliffs, and strolled past an incredible swimming hole
near the brink of the falls. From there,
we veered uphill, away from the river.
Before long, views of Margaret Lake unfolded below us.
Glacier
National Park is full of spectacular alpine lakes, but Margaret is something
special. It is a lovely shade of green,
due to being fed by numerous glaciers.
It sits on a large bench, with a backdrop of sheer cliffs. The entire lake is surrounded by lovely
subalpine forest. Best of all, it’s far
enough away from an official trail that it isn’t overrun with people.
Unfortunately
it was extremely sunny, and the light wasn’t great for photos. I’d like to go back earlier in the morning on
a future visit. Hopefully conditions
would be better then.
We
found a nice open rock with a great view for our lunch break. Although there is another lake upstream from
Margaret, Keith and Cara didn’t have time to hike to it. After lunch, we headed back down by more or
less the same route. Actually we did a
little better staying on the ideal route on the descent. We were almost back to Mokowanis
Lake when we ran into a mother and daughter on their way up. They were also staying at Mokonwanis
Lake, and they had been with us at Glenns Lake Foot
the previous night.
Back
at camp I parted ways with Keith and Cara, as they still had to hike all the
way to Stoney Indian Lake that afternoon.
I spent that time relaxing and exploring Mokonwanis
Lake. I found a great vantage point of
the lake, mountains, and the waterfall from the lakeshore north of the
campsite. Afterwards I took a (very)
quick dip in the icy water. Later that
afternoon I hiked back up to the waterfall for photos. I was a little nervous about hiking through
prime grizzly habitat solo, so I went slowly and made a lot of noise. I must’ve done a pretty good job, because I
didn’t see a bit of wildlife.
There
were a number of appealing compositions for photographing the waterfall. Initially I tried to get to the base. This was a bit challenging. There are some powerful cascades downstream
from the falls, so following the river wasn’t really an option. I ended up bushwhacking through a willow
thicket, which was horrible. Luckily
there were a few beaten paths through it – most likely created by bears. I eventually fought my way to the base of the
falls, but I’m not sure it was worth it.
I ended up preferring compositions from further downstream, with the
cascades in the foreground.
I
ran into the mother and daughter we’d seen earlier before I started back. They’d had an enjoyable hike to Margaret
Lake, but they were puzzled by something.
First they asked me what huckleberries look like. I wasn’t sure how to respond. Like blueberries? They then asked if the clusters of purple
berries growing along the trail were huckleberries, because, you know, they’d
been eating them. I told them I wasn’t
sure what those were, but they definitely weren’t huckleberries. They may have been Oregon Grape? Apparently they are harmless, because they
both looked fine when I ran into them at Stoney Indian Pass the next day.
I
headed back to camp, but I didn’t see them there. Apparently they went to bed early. I ended up having Mokowanis
Lake all to myself. That was a great way
to end the best day of the trip thus far.
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