Glacier National Park mountains have been called beautiful, spectacular, awe inspiring and magnificent. Blackfoot Indians named them the backbone of the world. Eighteenth century writer George Grinnelland called them crown of the continent. Pictured here is the Heavy Runner Mountain, a majestic peak, shaped by glaciers into a horn. The most famous peak of this type is the Matterhorn, on the Swiss and Italian border.
Heavy Runner seems to appear in a thick morning mist, but the region is actually choked with smoke from a massive forest fire. The park experienced the largest fire season in 2003 and lost 140,000 acres. Glacier National Park and Flathead National Forest personnel worked together to save lives and property. The gallant crews sustained no major injuries. The park and forest service also created programs to educate the public. Visitor's opinions changed from, "it's awful what fire does" to an appreciation of the benefits of fire.