Welcome to Glacier National Park!

At 6 am on August 17th, we left South Dakota and headed to Glacier National Park in Montana. It was supposed to be a 12-hour drive, but it took 16. Because it was sooo long, I had my first opportunity at taking the wheel. As luck would have it, this was about the time the wind started blowing furiously and stayed that way. That would explain the giant wind turbines we witnessed spread for miles and miles along the Montana landscape. (Am I the only one who has never seen them before?)

At one point, a long, long trailer was carrying what I thought was an airplane wing, and it was actually one of the turbine blades. Unfortunately, I have no pictures to show because I was driving. If I didn’t take pictures, there would be none. At a couple of different times, Isabella criticized me for taking so many pictures and not just enjoying the moments. But then every day, took my phone and downloaded most of the pictures onto her own, and then give me her own and ask me to take pictures of her.

Anyway …

I have to throw some love to truck drivers. I experienced quite an arm workout trying to hold this RV on the road between the wind and rain. Because, yes – after the wind, came a little rain. My abs got some work, too, since this is what happens when you clench your stomach continuously because the adrenaline is flowing and your nerves are frayed. After a few hours of that, I was hitting the wine bottle. I left the wheel to Freddy for the worst of it.

(I know I posted this in the first RV blog, but have since googled and had to tell you this is legal in Montana!

As scary as it was entering Glacier Park via cliff-side roads with very small to no guardrails in horrendous weather, we soon found out all that wind and rain were a blessing! I will get to that a little further down.

Glacier Park takes its name from the glaciers and glacial forces that shaped its topography over the course of two million years. Because of climate change, glaciers are shrinking at an alarming rate affecting the natural habitat of the wildlife. Also, sadly, in this park and all the other parks, it is also one of the reasons forest fires have doubled. Something to think about and a reason to go visit them now.

The first day started with kayaking on Lake Apgar.

It was cold and cloudy, but we didn’t care. This is our adventure and doing things you wouldn’t normally do is required or why are you here? The clouds hovering over the mountain with the peaks poking through were spectacular. The view is something these eyes have never seen before.

After the morning arm workout, and a delicious lunch, we set out for another memorable hike.

The Tall Cedars Trail to Lake Avalanche

Or like I am calling it … Nirvana. It was what came to mind after we hiked 2.5 miles up through the tall Cedars.

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We passed small waterfalls with a pool of blue/green water so clear you could see the colorful rocks on the bottom.

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We followed alongside this beautiful flowing waterway up top to Avalanche Lake. All along the trail, everyone told us the steep parts were worth it when you got there.

You know how when you see that movie everyone says is the best movie ever, and then you see it expecting so much, and it disappoints?

This did NOT happen.

I had to videotape the moment leading up to the clearing so I could share it with all of you, but then I had to stop and take it all in.

The first word that came to mind was Nirvana. It reminded me of the scene in Contact when Jodie Foster meets her father on the perfect beach in ”heaven.”

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It isn’t sand, but it is a pool of perfection: a little slice of heaven that you never want to leave. Avalanche Lake in Glacier Park, was created by God with love for us all, and you realize this is what Mother Earth should be like. A little bit of beauty seemingly untouched by man. A place nobody would dare disrespect. Again, there is gold up tin them thar hills, and we were blessed to be able to witness another piece of it. Cameras don’t do justice to witnessing this beauty with your own eyes.

The next day we ventured to Two Medicine Lake, Glacier Park.

We did one tour this entire trip, and we picked the right one. We rode on a nearly 100-year old boat called Sinopah, appropriately named after the dominant mountain around this lake. Afterward, the tour took us on a hike to Twin Falls. It was informative, beautiful, and easy for adults and kids. One of the things we learned besides the nature of bears and huckleberries, is the extreme shifts in weather you can experience. She told us a story with a documented 100-degree change in a matter of hours, and, although we didn’t experience this drastic of a change, I went from a sweaty t-shirt to a jacket under a down vest with my hood up within an hour. Thankfully, unlike the hike in the Black Hills, we were boy scouts and prepared.

This is also when we learned to be grateful for all the rain at night. We were able to see the mountain peaks clearly, and were told by the guide it had been several weeks since visitors could see Mount Grinnell because of fires hundreds of miles away. The rain washed down the smoke from the California fires so we could witness the beauty so many had others missed before us.

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Hike to Stanton Lake – 8/21

So this was a bit scary for me. One of the interesting facts the tour guide at Two Medicine told us was the fear people have about bears is, for the most part, unfounded. There hadn’t been a bear attack in years with a group of six or more. In larger groups, there is always chatting and the bears will hear you and go away. So while we were safe on the tour, I was not feeling it on the Stanton Lake trail.

Most of the hikes we have taken are “popular” with enough people so I was never concerned. But today, we are four. There was only one other car in the parking area so not too frequently traveled. The other not-so-good sign was the overgrowth and narrow opening on the trail.

Here I am again, completely out of my comfort zone and pretty freaking nervous. At one point, I saw something round and dark in the bushes and almost had a heart attack, but it was a tree stump … not a bear. Even Freddy was a little nervous, wishing he had some bear spray. It is saying something when he stresses.

Joe was complaining most of the way up but there was no lunch at the end of this hike – only a snack. So this time his repetitive question is, “when are we going back to the RV?” As I was more concerned with keeping the bears away, I welcomed the constant chatter and openly encouraged his complaints. There were points where the path was narrow and the side steep, making me completely paranoid with visions of Joe tripping and down the cliffs. All of this unfounded, but since I am afraid of heights, I have a bad habit of projecting that onto him. This will happen many more times on this trip.

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We saw only two other equally small groups of people and when I heard them come up from behind, I had brief moments of feeling a little safer. The first foursome, I was hiking faster to keep up with but Joe and Freddy fell behind so I slowed down. I realized it wouldn’t be right to ditch them.

The second group was a couple with a baby and I had to wonder what the heck they were thinking. When it started raining along the trail, I cursed myself for not having the raincoats – once again ill-prepared! In my defense, there was no rain in the forecast, but this is the mountains so anything goes.

We trudged on and by the time we got to the beach, and the sun came out.

As always, the stress and struggle were worth it.

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Surprisingly, Joe lead the way the entire two miles back, regaling us with songs. No way those bears are going to come near us! We were so proud of him and the growth we were seeing by pushing him out of his own comfort zone. Amazingly, he even took off in a sprint for the last several hundred feet, running right to the RV door. My little man had to go to the bathroom that bad and never said a word. But hey, motivation is motivation and everyone was happy.

We ended our stay with a delicious dinner at Josephine’s Speakeasy and set out to Yellowstone early the next morning. Although we did not have enough time to explore Glacier Park, plans are already in the talking stage to come back in 3 years!

Fun fact …

The big thing out here is huckleberry everything. Aioli, pie, jelly, cookies, ice cream … whatever you want, is offered in a huckleberry flavor. This is a fruit that grows wild up the mountains. Huckleberries are not cultivated … only wild and are a fan-favorite to visitors, residents of Montana, and the bears! We picked them and snacked along all the trails as we hiked.

Coming up … The coolest hike on the trip!

Much love always and happy Sunday,

Sandy