Road Trip Series, Chapter 5.2

Third Day at Glacier, September 7. I joined a ranger-led hike. Because bears. We started early in the morning. The hike was supposedly to Iceberg Lake, however, the trail was closed due to frequenting of grizzly bears in the area. We hiked instead through Swiftcurrent valley. We started at the bottom of the valley walking alongside a string of lakes, past a variety of trees—pines, firs, and spruces. Quaking aspens are also abundant here; their leaves, trembling with the passing of winds, offer a sweet sight and sound to the senses. We stopped at Red Rock Falls for a snack and then continued on our way. It was a pleasant walk down in the valley. The leaves of the plants and trees vary in color from yellow, orange, dark orange, to rust, and green. I guess because of the elevation, autumn arrives early here. Is that how it works?

As we started to ascend and gain elevation, the change in color of the leaves became more dramatic, or rather, unusual. In some cases, a pine or spruce might have perfectly fine green leaves on one side but then distinctly shift to yellow on the other, or sometimes the change in color occurs only in one branch. There were also others in which the whole trees themselves turn rust-like orange; dry and maybe even dead but still standing. According to ranger Ross, who led our hike, it was because of a phenomenon called winter desiccation. During winter, the trees come close to a freezing state because of extremely low temperatures. Then a particular warm wind—the chinook winds—blows over the area, warming the branches which causes them to lose moisture. However, the roots of the trees remain frozen and are unable to transport water effectively to the dry branches high up in the trunk. It results to a drying out of the leaves of that particular branch, giving the tree an unusual, variegated color.

Walking in the valley, alongside the mountains, it is close to impossible not to see the evidence of sedimentation that formed them. Layered sediments of rocks visible way up on the side of the mountains, most of them running parallel to the ground; some layers are tilted at an angle, some are curved or resemble a wave. The tilt is caused by the uplift of the land in this area because of movements of the tectonic plates. The curve or wave is caused by the same event, except that the pressure in these parts were too great causing the layered rocks to bend, or fold. I’m doing my best to recall what little I’ve learned here. The varying colors of those layered rocks—greens, whites, reds, maroons—I’m afraid I cannot explain precisely. All I know is that some are oxidized minerals, and some are not. And that the layer of black band is actually solidified magma, that once seeped up from beneath, finding weakness in between layers of rocks and then settling there. The two thin white bands or layers that you can see above and below the black band are caused by the baking of the underside or topside of the two rock layers that came into contact with the magma, turning them into a kind of “low-grade marble.”

As for the formation of these landscapes in Glacier, it can be summarized into 4 phases.

First phase is the Silt or the sedimentation phase. Back when the earth was dominated mainly by land and seas, there weren’t any trees or vegetation yet, or at least not much, to hold the ground and keep it from eroding easily. The result is that a lot of sediments—because of winds and rainfall—get washed down to the sea and eventually settle at the bottom. Given time, the sediments build up, compress, and eventually solidify. Given more time, which was abundant in those days, this process was repeated in different periods or eras, building layer upon layer, each characteristic of its own time. Second phase is the Tilt. This phase is the uplift of certain parts of the land caused by tectonic plates moving toward each other, like the crinkling of a towel when you slide both ends of it toward the center. Part of the land lifts up or tilts at an angle because of the building pressure, forming mountains or mountain ranges. Third phase is the Slide. Here, in this specific part of the land in which Glacier National Park resides, the land not only bent and tilted, but fissured due to the immense pressure from the sliding of tectonic plates. With the land split and great pressure still present, one part of the land slid eastward on top of the other. The distance of that sliding is said to have reached 50 miles. This event formed what is now known as the Lewis Overthrust Fault. This gives the mountains of Glacier a unique characteristic in that, because of the sliding of one land mass over the other, older rock layers can now be found and seen sitting on top of newer ones—an interesting thing, if you think about it.

Now the Fourth phase: Glacial Carving. During the recent “Little Ice Age” around 400-500 years ago, these lands were blanketed in ice reaching up to 4,000 – 5,000 ft. thick. Glaciers—moving masses of ice—ruled the land, allowing only some of the mountain peaks to surface. The underside of these glaciers, because of their immense size and weight, maintain a certain plasticity allowing the whole mass of ice to move, slowly, against the land. Propelled by their weight and the eventual warming of the environment, they moved and receded. And while doing so, using boulders stuck on their underside or sides as tools, they carved and gouged the land. The result is the formation of these sculpted mountains and basins for glacial lakes, and majestic U-shaped valleys—a glorious scenery fit for the heavens.

I got carried away. I did not mean to tell the story of the land, but I just felt like I needed to put it down on writing, as if explaining to myself, not wanting the story to slip away. I’m not an expert and can hardly be called knowledgeable about these things. Though I hope I was mostly accurate. It’s just all so interesting. When you stumble upon something that stirs you and awakens your spirit, isn’t it natural to want to know more?