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The
white surveyor's obelisks were readily visible in the dense
green forest that rose up from the shores of Waterton Lake,
marking the 49th parallel dividing Canada and the United States.
The cool breeze blowing off the water wasn't enough to cool
my excite-ment at visiting the Waterton-Glacier International
Peace Park.
Backpack
in hand; I was ready for the smooth glide of the boat into the
dock at Goat Haunt, an area reachable only by water from the
Canadian side in Alberta, even though it is in Glacier Park
(Montana) on the US side. It is the only place on the thousands
of miles of border that divide the two countries where international
visitors may cross without applying for formal admission to
the United States. However, visitors leaving the shore area
to hike do require appropriate documents.
I
quickly left the shore with its driftwood treasures behind,
as I set off along the walking trail. The trees towered over
my head; a canopy echoing the hoots and chirps of dozens of
different birds. I picked out the red tail of a hawk gliding
above me, and the melodious song of a hummingbird. Lifting my
binoculars to my eyes, I spied dozens of other species perched
in trees and flitting between the branches.
The
first part of the hike wasn't strenuous, letting me concentrate
on picking out signs of other wildlife in the various meadows.
The International Peace Park is one of the few places in North
America where all of the native carnivores survive. Grizzly
and black bears both inhabit the area, along with wolves, so
I was particularly attentive to the sounds of any large animals
moving through the trees. A small deer, its eyes wide with surprise,
stood near me for a second on the trail before making an abrupt
turnaround, but that was the only encounter.
The
trail grew steep once I passed the ranger station, with the
next mile keeping me panting as I toiled under the hot summer
sun. As the elevation increased to 4400 feet (1341-meters) my
breath came in short gasps-hiking can be tough work! The view
from the top of Goat Haunt Mountain was worth the labor.
To
the North, in Canada, Waterton Lake spread out before me, a
glistening bowl of blue, with Mount Richards, and Vimy Peak
in the distance. Goat Haunt Mountain blocked my Eastern view,
although the ridge leading up to Mount Cleveland, Glacier's
highest peak, appeared in the Southeast. Kootenai Peak stood
out in the Southwest, somewhat lower than the glacier covered
tops of Porcupine Ridge to the west. The incredible view of
some of the world's oldest sedi-mentary rocks covered with the
snow-white of eons old glaciers were worth the hike. (CONTINUE...)
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