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Originally posted by Vets Dottir
Oh SAPPER-MAN, do jump in here for the meaning of "Flatlands" BC language meaning 
Karmen.
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The Flathead River, which is named after the Indian tribe runs north to south from approximately Highway 3 to the north all the way south to Montana. In fact, the first county you encounter in Montana is Flathead County. The Flathead river is nestled in a valley between the McDonald Range to the west and the Rocky Mountains to the East, hence the name, Flathead Valley. It's located in Management Unit 4-01 (for hunting purposes) or roughly 100 miles ESE of Cranbrook. The Flathead Valley saw much gas and oil exploration in the '70's and so has many roads providing relatively easy access to the alpine areas. Easy is a relative term. the roads are closed to motorized vehicles, which is a good thing. A two day hike will take you to the spine of the Rocky mountains and back, where you'll see some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet. I used to hunt with a mountain bike, so I could make the return trip in one day. it was about 12 hours of hard hiking up. It was too steep to ride my bike with all the gear I carried...rifle, spotting scope, food, survival gear, extra clothes, stove, flashlight etc. etc. However, I could make the return trip in about 45 minutes...hitting speeds I estimate at 50 miles per hour at times! (I have a very powerful guardian Angel!) One of the roads (Commerce Creek road) ultimately takes you into a box canyon, just below the crest of the Rockies. I found the most amazing thing there. Commerce Creek starts off as a trickle arising from an artesian spring in the floor of the box canyon. The first time I saw it, I was confounded by the fizzing of bubbles that my footfalls produced on the surface of the small pond produced by the spring. As I approached the edge of the pond I saw that everything that had fallen into the spring was covered in small bubbles. Thirsty after the long hard yomp up the mountain, I decided to slake my thirst with the water from the pool. It was delicious! The bubbles I saw were carbon dioxide and the spring was naturally carbonated! I wanted to strip naked and swim in it! The pool is in a wonderful little glade surrounded by God's majesty and I make a trip to that little spring whenever I can. Word to the wise though: the Flathead Valley is lousy with Grizzly bears! Not only does it have a large natural population but the National Parks Board transports any problem bears they have in the national parks via helicopter to the Flathead Valley. In fact, the Flathead Valley has the densest population of Grizzly bears outside of Alaska. So many the University of British Columbia and Montana Fish and Game have been doing a joint study of Grizzly bears and their habitat for years now in the Valley. The Grizzly I shot had two ear tags, both from Montana. When I contacted them with the number, they told me I had shot "Double Trouble", the name thay had given to this particular bear. Apparently he was a bad actor from ways back. I could overload Geoff's server with stories from the Flathead, bears in camp, wolf packs, butting heads with a cow moose. The list is endless. Maybe when I'm old and grayer I'll regale my grandkids with many "tales from the Flathead."