Friday was another hot day. So we drove up the east side of Whitefish Lake and a little north of the lake, we came to the Swift Creek Trailhead of the Whitefish Trail system. We were greeted by Julie, a volunteer who was tasked with taking a survey from visitors.
After our survey was done, we headed north on the trail. The trail was through the thick forest and paralleled Swift Creek. For the first mile or so, we could here the rushing water and the songs of birds, but not much else.
The trail is well maintained and marked, and very easy to follow. There were also benches every couple hundred yards.
We came to the Swift Creek Overlook and watched and listened to the river for a few minutes before heading on.
The trail then turned away from the river and we could more easily hear the birds singing, insects buzzing and squirrels chattering.
After a bit, we came to an area where there had been some selective logging and the new undergrowth still had lots of wildflowers in bloom.
The trail then crossed a dirt road and we took several switchbacks to climb a moderate hill.
Once at the top, we had a great view to the west across the Swift Creek Valley to the mountains on the other side.
After about three miles, we finally got to where we could see Smith Lake. As we had other plans, we did not go the last quarter of a mile to the lake. We turned and headed back to the trailhead.
We had covered nearly six miles in just a bit over two hours - a very nice hike. We then drove back towards town and found a shaded spot to pull off the road for our picnic lunch. It was a quiet and pleasant place to eat, with a multitude of wildflowers.
As planned, we then drove south to the Signature Cinemark Theaters in Kalispell. Earlier in the week we had seen Kuhmail Nanjiani on The Daily Show. "The Big Sick" is based upon his real story of how his then girlfriend became ill and was placed into a medically induced coma, and tells of how he, a Pakistani Muslim, came to know Emily's parents while Emily was in the coma for a week. It is a fascinating story and a very good movie.
Check out this NPR segment that tells about the movie and the story.
And Friday night we went out for dinner at Mambo Italiano Restaurant - shared some calamari, Patty had pasta with seafood and I had carbonara. Another great day in Whitefish.
After our survey was done, we headed north on the trail. The trail was through the thick forest and paralleled Swift Creek. For the first mile or so, we could here the rushing water and the songs of birds, but not much else.
The trail is well maintained and marked, and very easy to follow. There were also benches every couple hundred yards.
We came to the Swift Creek Overlook and watched and listened to the river for a few minutes before heading on.
The trail then turned away from the river and we could more easily hear the birds singing, insects buzzing and squirrels chattering.
After a bit, we came to an area where there had been some selective logging and the new undergrowth still had lots of wildflowers in bloom.
The trail then crossed a dirt road and we took several switchbacks to climb a moderate hill.
Once at the top, we had a great view to the west across the Swift Creek Valley to the mountains on the other side.
After about three miles, we finally got to where we could see Smith Lake. As we had other plans, we did not go the last quarter of a mile to the lake. We turned and headed back to the trailhead.
We had covered nearly six miles in just a bit over two hours - a very nice hike. We then drove back towards town and found a shaded spot to pull off the road for our picnic lunch. It was a quiet and pleasant place to eat, with a multitude of wildflowers.
As planned, we then drove south to the Signature Cinemark Theaters in Kalispell. Earlier in the week we had seen Kuhmail Nanjiani on The Daily Show. "The Big Sick" is based upon his real story of how his then girlfriend became ill and was placed into a medically induced coma, and tells of how he, a Pakistani Muslim, came to know Emily's parents while Emily was in the coma for a week. It is a fascinating story and a very good movie.
Check out this NPR segment that tells about the movie and the story.
And Friday night we went out for dinner at Mambo Italiano Restaurant - shared some calamari, Patty had pasta with seafood and I had carbonara. Another great day in Whitefish.
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