Take a look at the Lake McDonald cam – this shot in the pre-sunrise is just getting going. Keep watching, and your eyes will thank you.

GNP has eight awesome webcams. Check out all of them here.

]]> http://blog.glacierraftco.com/glacier-national-park-webcams/feed/ 0 http://blog.glacierraftco.com/bear-tracks/ http://blog.glacierraftco.com/bear-tracks/#comments Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:47:20 +0000 OM http://blog.glacierraftco.com/?p=2574 How’d you like to come upon this while taking a casual stroll?

Glacier Park posted these user-submitted photos of some tracks near the West Glacier Bridge… Check out more images on their Facebook page.

Fortunately, GOC has been hooked up for a while at our Hwy 2 office, but at the West Glacier office it’s been all mirrors and semaphore flags.

This will make a huge difference for us, of course. We’ll be able to better communicate with our customers, and it will make it much easier for our back-of-house folks to do that back-of-house stuff that they do.

And Farmville will be soooooooo much faster!

Our own Sally Thompson was in the Flathead Beacon’s story about the big upgrade: Click here to read it:

There is still some smoke in the area from forest fires, but with the cooler nights, fire season is mostly over.  Glacier Outdoor Center wants to say thank you to all those firefighters, volunteers, and other personnel who work so hard to keep our wild lands and rivers safe. A recent article in the Daily Interlake gives some great information on which fires have been active and how much acreage has burned.

Now hunting season is here, and there is still time to cast a few flies before snowfall on the North Fork, Middle Fork, or whatever fork floats your hook. So, be careful out there in the woods, and be sure to give Hungry Horse Ranger Station or the Spotted Bear Ranger Station a call before you head out.

Abbie Tumbleson/WYNews

According to the West Yellowstone News, a resident of Coram (funky community in NW Montana just outside West Glacier) has moved south to West Yellowstone’s Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. This restless 3-year old grizzly bear was captured in the western region of Glacier National Park. Wildlife managers say Coram is no longer wary of humans and has become far too fond of the food he finds within the community he was named after.  He had simply been getting too close to humans in his hunt for grub.

Abbie Tumbleson/WYNews

Last year he, his mom, and a sibling were captured in a subdivision in nearby Martin City. They were moved to the Great Bear Wilderness just south of Glacier National Park. Once again this summer he found himself moving back out of the Wilderness and into  the residential areas for dinner.

Abbie Tumbleson/WYNews

“A week ago we started getting calls about a radio collared grizzly that got bread out of a pickup truck,” Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks specialist, Tim Manley told the West Yellowstone News.

Coram was greeted at the center by Spirit, a grizzly captured in 2002 in Whitefish. If you get down to the center swing by and give our bear a friendly wave.

It turns out James Talbot (founder of Columbia Falls) tried to lure James J. Hill of Great Northern Railway, to build the railroad through Columbia Falls. For years, getting coal to the Pacific Northern Railway was tedious. It was brought down river by barges and flatboats with “donkey engines,” loaded on freighter boats on Flathead Lake, then finally loaded onto railways. In fact, Mr. Talbot built the “Oakes” steam-powered paddle boat to travel up the North Fork and bring back coal. Unfortunately, it only made it as far as Coal Creek before it broke apart and went down in the spring of 1892.

(above: James Talbot) If you missed this trip don’t worry–we’re planning another historic float next summer that is sure to be full of fact, fables and fun!

This Saturday, August 20, Glacier Raft Co. will be teaming up with The Museum at Central School for a “float back in time.” On this unique raft trip you’ll float with historians and learn about the beautiful North Fork of the Flathead River. This isn’t your average field trip; this is a one-of-a-kind-chance to see the North Fork through history’s eyes. You’ll hear interesting facts and fables, and you’ll see where the Oakes Steamship tried to navigate this Wild and Scenic river years ago.

Join us at the Big Creek Campground at 10 a.m. this Saturday. We’ll shuttle from there via Glacier Raft Co. bus to Coal Creek, and then we’ll be on the water! The float should last until about 3:30 p.m. Be sure to wear shoes you don’t mind getting wet. This trip is $80 per person, which includes lunch, river gear and the float trip. Call us for reservations at 406-888-5454 or the Museum at Central School at 406-756-8381. Hope to see you there!

It was on that Saturday that a group of fathers, uncles, brothers, cousins, volunteers and staff members all took part in Glacier Outdoor Center’s Wounded Warrior Project Caregiver Retreat. As members of the Wounded Warrior Project, these volunteers are committed to caring for loved ones who have been severely injured in the line of duty.

Just like the servicemen and women who risk and sacrifice their lives for our safety, these Caregivers deserve some serious gratitude. Many of us have never experienced the injuries inflicted by war, and thanks to our brave servicemen and women, many more of us never will. Injuries like these require special care, countless hours of support and encouragement every step of the way. That’s where the Caregivers come in, pouring their hearts into the recovery of an injured brother, son, daughter, friend or a complete stranger.

The Caregivers’ work is purposeful, necessary and –for many–a full-time job, which can make it exhausting. With that in mind, we here at Glacier Outdoor Center decided to say thanks to this incredible crew by treating them to a well-deserved float trip.

The weather couldn’t have been better, and visiting with each of these people –who have sacrificed so much for the healing of those who have sacrificed even more– reminded us what true heart really looks like.

Wishing you a mindful day playing in the park and on the water –

Your Glacier Outdoor Center crew