No red bus today, Bruce white knuckled it up Going to the Sun Road to the trailhead for St. Mary and Virginia falls. We were able to get a parking spot a quarter mile or so from the trail so walked along the road a bit.
Here we go! Out and back is a little over 5 miles, terrain is rougher than our last hike but we are starting late in the day to avoid the heat.
In 2015 a pretty major fire came through this area, 18,000 acres burned but greenery is starting to fill in again. Burn scars take up most of the first mile or so.
Some fire art sculptures courtesy of mother nature.
With binoculars always at hand we look for wildlife. Hard to see without binoculars but there are 3 moose in the water.
Ever vigilant for bears I really scared myself over this burned out stump! At least I didn’t pull out the bear spray!!
Danger averted we pushed on toward the waterfalls. First is St. Mary falls, there are a lot of people hanging out here because you can enjoy the cool water. It was tempting but we didn’t jump in, we left that for the youngsters.
Once again the crystal clear water amazed us.
There are two unnamed waterfalls before reaching Virginia falls, the largest. All are pretty.
The last part is a bit of a climb but well worth it.
And finally, Virginia Falls. We could feel the fine mist on our skin, it felt so good after that strenuous hike up.
We settled in for a dinner snack alongside the colorful pools before the hike down.
Back to the truck around 7pm, another wonderful day!!
Bonnie & Bruceontheloose 