Glacier Park, Inc.: February 2013

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

March Wallpaper

Many Glacier Hotel

Mt. Wilbur

Click on the link to download your free Desktop wallpaper and don't forget to check back at the end of March for next month's. Enjoy!

Thanks Chef Michael, for putting the time and creativity into making our Wednesday and Friday evenings so tasty! TheTapas Menu at Logan's Bar and Grill in Grouse Mountain Lodge for this week looks irresistible.

Chicken enchilada croquette with salsa verde and guacamole dots $8

Flat bread pizza topped with arugula pesto, fontina cheese, cherry tomatoes, caramelized onions, crimini mushrooms and drizzled with truffle oil $7

Scallop and shrimp ceviche classico served on spiced tortilla chips $9

Potato Gnocchi with braised pork ragu and shaved parmesan $9

Drink Specials:
1/2-Price Well Drinks
$2 Glasses of House Wine
$2 Domestic Draft Beers, $3 Microbrew Draft Beers

Monday, February 25, 2013

Where did all the color go?

Quick tip for sunrise/sunset pictures.

Some of the most dramatic scenes that we all love to capture are sunrise and sunset photos. Have you ever been disappointed in how the results differed from what it actually looked like? Especially for point and shoot cameras, the rich hues of oranges and reds can really lose their punch from reality to view screen. Before you toss your camera and figure that it’s time for an upgrade, try this quick tip.

What happens is that your camera meter is taking in a drastic contrast between the dark part of your scene and the bright clouds/sun behind it. The difference in the amount of light on Mt Wilber in this image compared to what is lighting up the lower, darker part of the image is staggering. The bright part of the peak has around 6-8 times the amount of light that the foreground has and your camera sensor can’t handle that large of a difference. Your camera meter wants to pick out the middle ground and it usually produces blah results. It’s kind of like when you’re driving on a Montana dirt road in the morning and the sun comes up. All of a sudden you can’t see the road anymore! All that dust on the windshield is lighting up with the direct sun and the road is still in the shade. Your eyes are in sensory overload with your pupils trying their best to close down and protect you from the brightness, but your brain is telling you that it is still important to be able to see what is quickly approaching your vehicle. Whatever you do, don’t use the windshield washer fluid to try and clear off the dust!

What we want to do is to trick your camera into correctly metering the light part of your scene.

Try these solutions:

Solution 1) Re-frame and keep only a small amount of the darker, foreground in your picture, allowing your camera to correctly meter only the bright background. Lots of sky and only a sliver of horizon at the bottom.

Solution 2) Use the AEL (Auto Exposure Lock) feature of your camera if it has one. Most point and shoots have this feature and you activate it by pressing the shutter release button halfway down. Your camera will focus and meter light. Frame your picture like you would for solution one with mostly sky and press the shutter release half way down. Now, don’t let up on that button while you reframe. Go ahead and push the shutter release all the way down after you have your image framed the way you want it.

Solution 3) White balance is one of the least understood yet critical functions of a digital camera. That being said, almost all modern cameras allow you to control your white balance. The icon for this feature will be “WB” and it allows you to tell your camera what type of light source you have. Usually you can specify Tungsten (a regular old light bulb) fluorescent, sunlight, flash, shade, cloudy and auto. If you let your camera choose, it will set it at daylight for this type of scene, but you may want to try selecting the “shade” setting. It will throw a lot more orange into your sunset.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Many Glacier Adventure

Sunrise next to Wynn Mountain

Here at Glacier Park, Inc. we receive comments and suggestions about all of our properties. What we have come to realize is that the Many Glacier Hotel stands out when our guests mention which one is their favorite. The Many Glacier area has several trailheads leading into various Glacier National Park backcountry regions and some of the best fishing in the Park. Incredible wildlife viewing opportunities are any direction you turn, but none of these is the main attraction. It’s the setting the Hotel was built in. On the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake, with Mt. Wilber, Allen Mountain, Grinnell Mountain, Mount Henkel, and the Garden Wall as the backdrop, there are few places in the world that can match the beauty of its surroundings. By the time that our first guests arrive in the late spring, there is green everywhere, and the smells and sounds of summer are in the air. What few of our guests realize is that despite the lush surroundings found in this pristine area during the summertime, winter paints quite a different picture.

Kevin's Cabin

In the first Week of February, we were able to make enough time away from the desk to trek in and say hello to our winter caretaker, Kevin Adams. You may remember Kevin from an employee spotlight post back in November. Kevin reported that the road was mostly clear of snow, with only some long drifts, so we decided to ride mountain bikes in instead of cross country ski, which is a more common means of transportation at that time of year. Snowshoes would not have been necessary due to a lack of snow on the road, and there were some skiers just ahead of us that day whose tracks suggested they had to dismount several times. Cycling proved to be an adequate method of transportation; however we did end up pushing our bikes through several 100-200 yard snow drifts for the first 3.5 miles or so. Once we reached the Glacier National Park entrance station there were a few inches of snow on the road, but it was fairly smooth riding after that. At the entrance station, there is a backcountry registry which the Park Service requests all visitors to register with details of their intended trip. It’s not a bad idea, since it gives rangers a heads-up in case of an emergency. Winter backcountry users should be aware that Glacier National Park treats all roads behind gates in winter to be backcountry, so the regulations change a bit from the summer months. You can check the link below for details. We thought it worth mentioning that we bumped into a couple of Park visitors at the parking area who were planning on trekking in to camp at Iceberg Lake that day. Their plans were to climb Mt. Wilber the following morning. We could only imagine how strenuous, but rewarding that trip would have been.

The Footbridge

We finally made it up to the Many Glacier Hotel and checked in with Kevin. As per his request we brought him some fresh fruit, Dr. Pepper and chocolate as a thank you for entertaining us, for which he was very grateful. He was gracious enough to give us a tour of what his responsibilities are during these isolated months as the winter caretaker for the hotel. In the summer, you will find a gentle breeze carrying the scent of pine and wildflowers, but as we arrived, we had battled what seemed to us to be hurricane force winds most of the way in. Kevin just smiled and asked if we were enjoying the mild weather! “Normally the wind blows pretty hard around here,” said Kevin in his welcoming words. It wasn't hard to believe, after viewing all of the drifts. Where the foot-bridge crosses the road from the parking lot to the hotel there was a snow drift up to the bottom of the bridge. The direction of the wind is evident, since the drifts are all on the east side of all the buildings. You may not believe the harshness of the weather in this area if you have only visited in the summer months.

The Garden Wall

Sunrise on Mt Wilber

Mt. Wilber is the first peak to see the sunrise, and the clear skies we saw provided a perfect opportunity to capture lots of images. The clouds pour over the Garden Wall as if it were a cauldron, battling to hold them back. On the trek in, we noticed wolf, elk, moose, coyote and rabbit tracks. We didn’t see much for live critters other than four moose off of Highway 89 between Browning and Babb. Kevin did mention that up until only a few weeks earlier he has seen lots of different animals such as big horn sheep, coyotes, elk, mountain goats, deer and the like, but has not seen much activity in the more recent weeks. It’s typical that this wildlife is very abundant in the early spring once the weather starts to warm up a bit which left us wondering where they had gone. He has been keeping track of a feral cat that we pondered as to how it could have ended up so far from civilization.

The Many Glacier Hotel itself seemed to be holding up to this mild winter without much complaint. The snow drift on the east side was piled up as high as the bottom of the second story. It made us wonder how deep that drift might get during a snowier winter. Much of the power and heat is turned off in the winter months and the plumbing drained so the pipes won’t freeze and crack. The temperature inside of the lobby of the Hotel was just above freezing as our water bottles weren’t freezing up, but the light snow that was on our backpacks wasn’t melting either. There was a strong draft coming down the chimney of the fireplace and the wind whistled across the top, producing movie-like sound effects. During his stay, Kevin keeps busy making the necessary repairs to window and door trim, drywall, and any other wear and tear on the building from nature and humans alike. Evidently, there was a black bear which thought that making its winter cave under the porch on the lake side of the hotel last fall was an easier alternative than a traditional den. Boarding it up while the bear was out for the day seemed to change its mind. The heavy wind and snowfall require all of the first story windows to be boarded up for protection and it produced a ghost-town feel which contrasts the hustle and bustle of excited guests arriving and departing in the summer season.

Kevin seemed glad for the company and said to say hi to all the followers he didn’t know he has. Our trip back to the gate proved mush less of a work out as most of the snow on the road was cleared off by the overnight wind and we had a healthy tailwind to push us along. There are regulations for visiting the backcountry in Glacier National Park, and you will want to check those out before you head out on any excursion in the Park. You can call the Glacier Park Headquarters at 406.888.7800 or online here.

View of snow drifts from the inside

The snowy/icy road

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Wed & Fri 20 & 22 Tapas Menu

Swing by Logan's Bar and Grill tonight for our new Tapas and Drink Specials. Every Wednesday and Friday from 5-7:30pm we will have a different selection of Tapas to go with our drink specials. Here is this week's lineup.

Crab Arancini -
Fried Risotto Balls with Crab Filling and Spicy Marinara $8

Mini Fajitas -
Marinated and Sliced Beef Skirt Steak, Sautéed Peppers and Onions, Chipotle and Lime Sour Cream $8

Shrimp and Basil Fresh Spring Roll -
Poached Shrimp, Fresh Vegetables with Ponzu Dipping Sauce $7

Sauteed Baby Clams -
Clams with Elk Sausage, Fresh Basil, Sherry Butter Sauce$9

Drink Specials:
1/2-Price Well Drinks
$2 Glasses of House Wine
$2 Domestic Draft Beers, $3 Microbrew Draft Beers

Friday, February 15, 2013

Dr. Ector Bossatti - new pics

Back in December of 2012 we posted an article on a former gear jammer named Ector Bossatti which included a few photos from an album that was sent to us. The album was fairly vague as to who the photographer was, and prompted us to do a little research into the original owner. You can read the original post here: http://bit.ly/133JvV2. We took a little time and scanned a few more of his images and wanted to share them with you.

Lobby of the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton
Lakes National Park

Friday Tapas Menu and Happy Hour

2/15/13

Swing by Logan's Bar and Grill tonight for our new Tapas and Drink Specials. Every Wednesday and Friday from 5-7:30pm we will have a different selection of Tapas to go with our drink specials.

Here is the Tapas lineup for Friday, February 15, 2013

Grilled Asian Chicken Satay Skewers with Spicy Peanut Sauce and Asian Slaw $8
Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Tortilla Chips $7
Three-Cheese Stuffed Banana Peppers Served with Marinara $7
Fried Duck Wings Tossed in a Sweet and Sour Sauce $8

Drink Specials:

1/2-Price Well Drinks
$2 Glasses of House Wine
$2 Domestic Draft Beers, $3 Microbrew Draft Beers

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

#Throwbackthursday

Two Medicine Chalet, ca. 1914. Photograph by R. E. ‘Ted’ Marble. This is the only remaining building from the original Two Medicine Chalet colony. Originally built in 1912, the rest were lost in a fire in 1956. This building is now the campstore. #throwbackthursday

Tapas and Drink Specials at Logan's Bar and Grill

2/13/13

Swing by Logan's Bar and Grill tonight for our new Tapas and Drink Specials. Every Wednesday and Friday from 5-7:30pm we will have a different selection of Tapas to go with our drink specials.

Here is the Tapas lineup for Wednesday (2/13/13)

Duo of Kobe Beef Sliders- Caramelized Onion with Gorgonzola and Smoked Cheddar and Bacon $10

Steak Lettuce Wraps- Iceburg Lettuce Cups Filled with Asian Marinated Flat Iron Steak and Fresh Vegetables. Served with Ponzu Dipping Sauce $8

Idaho Potato Skins- Crispy Skins Filled with Smoked Cheddar, Bacon and Scallion Drizzled with Tangy Herb Sour Cream $8

Fried Calamari- Sicilian Lifeguard Style with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Parsley, Lemon Zest and Parmesan Served with Marinara $9

Drink Specials:

1/2-Price Well Drinks
$2 Glasses of House Wine
$2 Domestic Draft Beers, $3 Microbrew Draft Beers

Thursday, February 7, 2013

New Menus for Logan's Bar and Grill in Grouse Mountain Lodge

Montana Elk Carpaccio

Organic Field Greens

Grouse Caesar Salad

Chef Mike Garcia has created a wonderful new menu for Logan's Bar and Grill in Grouse Mountain Lodge. We will offer our new menu starting February 11th. If you would like to find out more on Chef Mike and what inspires his creativity click here.

Lunch

Small Plates

Trio of Kobe Beef Sliders $10

Gorgonzola with Carmalized Onion, Smoked Cheddar with Bacon, American
Cheese with Pickles, Mustard and Ketchup

Steak Lettuce Wraps $8

Iceberg Lettuce with Marinated Flank Steak and Fresh Vegetables, Ponzu Dipping Sauce

Idaho Potato Skins $8

Crispy Skins Filled with Smoked Cheddar, Bacon and Scallion TOpped with Tangy Herb Sour Cream

Fried Calamari $10

Sicilian Lifeguard Style with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Parsley,
Lemon Zest and Parmesan Served with Our House Marinara

House French Fries $7

House Cut French Fries with Truffle Oil, Parmesan, Chopped Garlic, Parsley
and Lemon Zest Served with a Roasted Garlic and Black Pepper Aioli

Entrée Salads

Fried Chicken and Parmesan Salad $12

A Bed of Mixed Greens Topped with Fried Chicken, Cucumbers, Tomatoes,
Red Onion, Parmesan Cheese and Sweet Tomato Dressing

Steak Cobb Salad $16

A Blend of Romaine, Iceberg and Watercress Lettuce Tossed with Red Wine
Vinaigrette and Chopped Egg, Bacon, Tomatoes, Gorgonzola Cheese,
Avocado and Marinated Flat Iron Steak

Large Plates

Kobe Beef Burger $15

Hand Packed Kobe Beef with Cheddar, Apple Wood Smoked Bacon, Onion
Fritte, Shredded Lettuce and Tomatoes Served on a Toasted Brioche Bun

Half Sandwich with a Cup of Soup $10

Chef's Daily Choice of a Fresh Deli Sandwich and Homemade Soup

Montana Jacked BLT $11

Crisp Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Pepper Jack Cheese,
Avocado on Flax Seed Bread

Reuben $12

Classic Reuben Served on Rye Bread with Our House 1000 Island Dressing

Chicken Croissant $12

Shredded Chicken Salad with Toasted Almonds, Grapes, Celery, Scallions
and Apricot Dill Aioli Served on a Flaky Croissant

Chicken Philly $14

Marinated Chicken Sautéed with Crimini Mushrooms, Bell Peppers, Spinach
and Caramelized Onions Tipped with Swiss Cheese

Tuscan Farro Pasta $14

Sautéed Greens, Cannellini Beans, Fresh Tomatoes, Roasted Fennel and
Spaghetti Farro Tossed in a Garlic White Wine Sauce and Drizzled with
Truffle Oil

Dinner

Appetizers

Grouse Caesar Salad $7
Tender Green Romaine Hearts
Garlic Stuffed Olives, Marinated Tomatoes
Asiago Tuile

Organic Field Greens   $6
Belgian Endive, Sun-Dried Cherries, Pistachios
Warm Goat Cheese Crouton, Herb Viniagrette

Fried Brussel Sprouts $8
Toasted Pistachios, Rosemary Salt, Granny Smith Apples
Cider Reduction

Montana Elk Carpaccio $12
Herb Marinated Elk Loin, Wild Greens
Cherry Gastrique

Braised Pork Belly Confit Pan Seared Pacific Scallop $14
Lemon Thyme Beurre Blanc

Crispy Almond Crusted Jumbo Prawns $14
Spicy Red Pepper Jelly

Entrées

Rocky Mountain Idaho Rainbow Trout $25
Pacific Seafood Stuffing, Herb Rice Pilaf
Sherry Beurre Blanc

Grilled Montana Ranch Filet of Beef $35
Herb Crusted Fingerling Potato Hash with Roasted Roma Tomato and
Organic Baby Spinach, White Truffle Butter

White Farm's Pork Tenderloin $24
Sliced with Granny Smith Apples, Gorgonzola Cheese, Walnuts
Yukon Gold Potato Mouseline, Glazed Baby Carrots, Port Wine Demi

Roasted Lemon and Herb Fulton Farms Half Chicken $24
Yukon Gold Potato Puree, Steamed Brocolini

Grilled Black Angus New York Strip Oscar $33
Jumbo Lump Crab Salad, Asparagus Spears, Horseradish Potato Croquette
Choron Sauce

House Made Fettuccine $22
Wild Mushrooms, Roasted Tomatoes, Organic Baby Spinach
Arugula Pesto Cream

Tuscan Farro Pasta   $21
Sautéed Greens, Cannellini Beans, Fresh Tomatoes, Roasted Fennel, and
Spaghetti Farro Tossed in a Garlic White Wine Sauce and Drizzled with Truffle Oil

Early Season Hiking in Glacier National Park

Kintla Lake Trail

By Seth Eagleton

It’s February and this time of the year is when cabin fever is at its peak for most of us surviving the frozen northland. Right about now is when we can’t keep from daydreaming about which trails we will hit as soon as the snow starts to melt and let us into the backcountry. Even though the Going-to-the-Sun Road is several months away from transforming into its three month-ish long drivable state, we can’t help but remember our last trip over Logan Pass, now almost a half a year ago. The last warm rays of sunshine and golden leaves of last fall are a distant memory.

We wanted to share one of our favorite early season hikes into Glacier National Park with you. The Kintla Lake Trail begins 20 miles beyond Polebridge and you’ll have to drive over some pretty rough road to get there. The road opens sometime in mid-May, after the snow melts on a normal year. Most people driving a sedan will turn back after a mile or two because of the rough condition of the road, so make sure and take the truck. You won’t have to shift it into 4x4, but you’ll need the clearance. If you get there early enough, take a few minutes at Round Prairie and turn of the ignition as this is one of the best locations in Glacier to have a chance to hear any wolves. The road is slow going, and not what you would expect in Glacier National Park, but traverses some of the most beautiful and untouched parts of the Park accessible by vehicle.

This is a moderate to difficult trail, not because of the elevation gain that is typical of the trails in Glacier, but because of the length. The trail stays along the valley floor without much elevation change at all, but you will have put in 18 miles or so by the time you get back to the truck. For most of the hike, the shore of Kintla Lake is visible. There is a piece from the old steam ship that used to cruise the lake still half-submerged at the Kintla Lake Head backcountry campground which is a nice place to take a break around the 6 mile mark, so don’t miss that. By the time you make it to this great camp site, you’ll have already noticed evidence of bear activity and it’s about to increase. The 2.5 miles between the upper and lower lakes will wind through a several year old burn and some avalanche chutes and is well worth the time to explore around. About a half-mile from the Upper Lake, you will go through an avalanche chute that slides most years. Plan on taking a few minutes to explore up this creek. As you get a little higher up (1/4-1/2 a mile) the creek has eroded away into the bedrock, creating wash bowls and some unique formations that are visible later in the season and worth the very steep climb. If the water is flowing too high, these may not be exposed yet. You’ll know you are almost to the upper lake when you leave this avalanche area and enter into what seems to be the Fire Swamp. (Remember the Princess Bride?) Don’t feel like a sissy if you want to keep your pepper spray out and make some noise. In about a half of a mile, you’ll be at Upper Kintla Lake and in one of the most remote areas of Glacier. You are less than two miles from Canada and you may not see anyone other than those in your party until you get back to the trailhead.

It’s a long day, so an early start is recommended, which should get you back to the trailhead in time to catch some evening rays of light over the lake, so save some of your memory card for that. On your drive out, make sure to stop in at the Polebridge Mercantile for one of their hot homemade sandwiches to replace some of the calories that you burned up! You may find some cell signal around the Polebridge area, but plan on a day without contact to the outside world for the most part.