Incoming Storm, Swiftcurrent Lake

Many Glacier is my favorite area of Glacier National Park, and after spending a lot of time there on several previous summer trips, I wanted to see the contrast of winter.  The road is closed at the Sherburne Dam, and Glacier does not allow snowmobiles, so the only way to get to Many Glacier in the winter is by walking, snowshoeing, or skiing the seven-mile route.  Sustained headwinds of ~25 mph with gusts of 40 mph conspired to keep me out, but I made it on skis and with a heavy overnight pack.  A busy hub of activity in the summer, the Many Glacier Hotel sits lonely and quiet in the winter, home only to a winter caretaker.  I made this panorama of Grinnell Point from six frames the morning after spending a night near Swiftcurrent Lake.  The wind, having never let up from the previous day, continued to scream in my face, and I reluctantly packed up and skied out, knowing that the clouds were only building toward another storm. Photo © copyright by Greg Owens.

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