Day 5: Thirsty marmot

This morning at breakfast, we met a couple who has been hiking in the park for the last 60 years. They are on their 5th trip out this year and were doing 3 days over a couple of huge mountain passes!

Also, while we were eating, we saw a mother duck and her ducklings swimming in the lake. The clouds were low and out of nowhere, a bald eagle swoops down and snatches up a duckling!! Circle of life I guess...which is the song we ended up singing for the next few hours.

The hike up the pass was beautiful. Lots of moose tracks. But no moose.

Near to top of the pass we saw some more mountain goats. There was also a marmot at the top. I peed at the pass and the marmot immediately ran out and drank my pee off the rocks. I think it wanted the salt. I've seen this happen in the sierras before.

The pass is called Triple Divide Pass. It is at the base of triple divide peak. On each of the three sides of the peak, water flows to either the Hudson Bay, Gulf of Mexico, or the Pacific Ocean. Pretty crazy.

The descent was pretty easy. We had a big lunch and got to camp around 3. We are camped at Morning Star lake. Andy went in it...it is seriously cold. Snow is melting directly into it.

We hung out around the lake the rest of the day. Heather spotted some Bull Trout trying to make their way out of the lake and up one of the very shallow inlet streams. It was pretty cool.