Granite Park Chalet~Glacier National Park
Life is always walking up to us and saying,
"Come on in, the living's fine," and what do we do?
Back off and take its picture. ~Russell Baker
Glacier National Park
Far away in Montana, hidden from view by clustering mountain-peaks, lies an unmapped
northwestern corner- the Crown of the Continent. The water from the crusted snowdrift which caps
the peak of a lofty mountain there trickles into tiny rills, which hurry along north, south, east and
west, and growing to rivers, at last pour their currents into three seas. From this mountain-peak the
Pacific and the Arctic oceans and the Gulf of Mexico receive each its tribute. Here is a land of
striking scenery.”
— George Bird Grinnell, “The Crown of the Continent” in The Century Magazine, 1901
We will be spending much of this week in Glacier Park. YAY! We haven't been up there but once this summer. So in honor of that, and everthing else, I'm giving away these mugs this week. The pictures were taken 3 years ago when we took the Garden Wall/Highline Trail Hike for our anniversary.
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About the first picture and quote...
In the first picture, I remember how bad I wanted to stop, take of my hiking boots and lay down on the bed for a little rest. We were somewhere in the middle of a 11.6 mile hike and I was ready to stop, take a break, enjoy the chalet and the beautiful scenery. But all we did was take a few pictures and move on. So when I saw "the living's fine" quote, it fit perfectly. It's exactly what this pictures meant to me.
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About the second picture and quote...
Triple Divide Peak (8,020 feet (2,444 m)) is located in the Lewis Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. It is a hydrological apex of the North American continent, where the Great and Laurentian divides meet at the summit of the peak. Thus, all water that falls at this point can flow to the Pacific, Atlantic, or Arctic oceans (when Hudson Bay is considered an Arctic tributary), making the locale (and surrounding Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park) one of the few places on the Earth whose waters feed three oceans.
Rainfall on the western side of the peak (after several creeks) enters the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, which in turn enters the Clark Fork River, Pend Oreille River, and the Columbia River which empties into the Pacific Ocean at Astoria, Oregon. Flathead Lake and Lake Pend Oreille are also fed by this system of rivers, as well as some man-made lakes on the Columbia River.
After several creeks, the northeastern slope of the mountain sheds water toward Saint Mary Lake, which feeds the St. Mary River, which in turn flows into Oldman River, Saskatchewan River, and the Nelson River, which empties into Hudson Bay. Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipegosis, also in Manitoba, are part of the Hudson Bay watershed as well, feeding Lake Winnipeg via Dauphin River.
Moisture on the southeastern slopes feeds into Atlantic Creek, which in turn enters the North Fork of Cut Bank Creek, Marias River, Missouri River, which joins the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico near New Orleans. This ultimately reaches the Atlantic.*
So when you go and watch the mighty waters of the Saskatchewan River, the Columbia River, or the Mississippi River, or watch the sun rise or set on the big waters of the Pacific, Artic or Atlantic Oceans, think of this "land of striking scenery", the "Crown of the Continent", where some of that water started. I find that just as fascinating as George Grinnell did so many, many years ago!
To enter this giveaway, if you wish, please tell me which of these bodies of water you live closest to (the Hudson Bay, the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia River, the Missouri River, the Artic Ocean, etc.) PLEASE, NO SPECIFIC INFORMATION OR DETAILS
The end of the giveaway will be a week from today. Next Monday morning. Have a great week everyone and thanks for joining in the fun!
Alison
*this information comes from here
13 comments:
The Mighty Mississippi! I know you didn't ask me this, but I'm going to comment on it, anway. What does that body of water mean to me? I saw it most growing up. It means cousins, the lonely sound of the barge horn, sticky summer nights, mosquitos, cool mud between my toes, bloodsuckers, and the haunting call of the hoot owl. I'm always so sorry it takes me so long to come out and visit you, Alison! Enjoy Glacier Park! Miss you! :) I'll try to be a more regular visitor.
Oh, I do love Glacier Park and it is nice to think of you all enjoying being there this week. The Missouri river is probably the closest of those that you mentioned!
My deck backs up to the Missouri River. I mistakenly thought rivers pretty much looked the same from one day to the next until I moved here. It changes daily. Watching the water "gel" and "ice" is a pretty neat experience. I still like summertime on the Missouri more than any other time.
Missouri River would be the closest of the ones mentioned! Have lots and lots of fun in Glacier :)
Hmmm...I might be the only one living the closest to the Gulf of Mexico. Even closer, our neighborhood backs up to the Brazos River.:)
I guess I'm closest to the Missouri, although it isn't very close. We are much closer to the Yellowstone River now!
Well, I've been to the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Gulf and played in all 3, but I have to claim the Great Lakes! Lake Michigan has some interesting shoreline! I love the timelessness of the water.....there is both power and solitude there!
I live closest to the Missouri River, it's 45 miles west of us! I love going to the ocean though, it's a beautiful sight to see. :)
Someday I MUST visit these astoundingly beautiful northwest places you blog about! The Mighty Mississippi is several hours away, but that's the closest of the ones mentioned. I grew up near Lake Michigan, so have a lot of childhood memories of summer days at the beach there.
Hi! I look forward to getting to Glacier Park sometime! I've heard about it for years and anxiously await the opportunity to go see it in person!
We live closest to the Missouri River and I always love the view when we travel across the Missouri River!
Goodness - we better get some representation for the good ol' Columbia! Lots of great memories growing up of summer days spent on the Columbia and we just made some more this weekend! Now we find ourselves a little further up the Columbia's watershed and a lot closer to you! Miss you and hope you had a good time with your family!
We are 2 hours and 25 minutes from the southern tip of Lake Michigan... beautiful spot in it's own way. Water has had fresh and new meaning this year, with the lack of it so widespread. Our local lake levels had dropped 6-10 feet from normal at the height of our drought.
We're many miles to the east of the Mississippi and surrounded by 3 of the Great Lakes - Michigan, Superior and Huron. Beautiful sandy beaches and the lighthouses that dot the shoreline are often pictured on calendars from our state. Hope you've had a wonderful week at Glacier National Park. I've never visited there, but love the National Parks north of the border in Alberta!
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