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
