Labor Day: huckleberries, waterfalls and rain

Beth, at Rockwell Falls

Beth and Mom survived the hike together in good spirits

Beth and me at the beginning of the hike

It was all about huckleberries, waterfalls and then rain, lots of it, this Labor Day Weekend.
We had Katie’s 24-year-old daughter, Beth, home from St. Paul for her birthday and had promised her a trip to Glacier Park.
We took full advantage of the one nice day, Saturday, and scooted up to East Glacier Park and the Two Med country.
One of our favorite easy hikes is a 10-mile stroll around Middle Two Medicine Lake, taking side trips to three waterfalls ---- Twin, Rockwell and Aster.
Although we had been warned that rain and snow would be moving in, the weather cooperated beautifully, and we enjoyed mostly blue skies with some wind. When we got up on Sunday morning the rain began.
I’m here to report that this was the best huckleberry crop I can remember, and that’s 36 Montana summers-worth.
We found so many berries on the north side of Two Med Lake extending to the west side as well up to where the Dawson Pass trail comes in.
The service berry bushes were weighed down with deep purple berries, too. And, the mountain ash berries had turned a bright orange and lit up the lake shore.
We found a large pile of fresh grizzly poop on the trail full of huckleberries.
Each of the waterfalls is unique and worth a trip alone. To do all three takes the hiker on the north and south flanks of Mount Sinopah and a short way up Aster Creek.
Even with many huckleberry stops and some time at each of the falls we completed the walk in just over 5 hours.
A very pleasant way to initiate the Labor Day weekend.