ALL THE DAYS OF GLACIER
Time to fire up the ol' travel blog! Yayayaya
NATIONAL PARKS ARE AWESOME! I hope you all have a strong appreciation of Theodore Roosevelt if not a fond admiration. He was a character. So, I went to Glacier National Park in Montana! I'm really happy about it.
I went to Glacier with 9 other people. We took 3 cars which took some coordinating. Especially in the park where there was no cell service. I'm used to planning my own trips so it was a new experience trying to plan things that everyone wanted to do and to communicate plans with everyone. Glitches happened. But I had fun sooooo :)
DAY 1 we left Provo around 8 am. I like road tripping. I used to think it was all about being crammed in the back seat of a van with your 5 other siblings while you laughed and cried and screamed at each other for 'crossing the line into your space'. If you have a large family you probably know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Road trips can be so much more.
This road trip was great because we had SPACE in the car! YAY! I'm so grateful that we took 3 cars for 10 people instead of the 2 we were thinking of. That made the trip so much more enjoyable. Montana is beautiful, and guess what else? It's pretty empty. Of people that is. Which if you frequent my blog, you know how much I love a good empty space! Every lake was clear, every tree was green, and every deer was kind. It was like a magical kingdom.
Inside the car Maren and I had a little 80's movie soundtrack dance party #whydopeoplehateKennyLoggins? #alsofootlooseismuchdarkerthanitseems. We philosophized about Harry Potter. I tweeted at JK Rowling. I convinced Monica that if she found a man to marry in Glacier she would have to name her first born child MONTANA. Dang I'm good.
It was hard to find GAS on the way up because- Montana is remote. We pulled into Ovando, which is a town maybe in the middle of Swan Lake State Forest? We tried to find the gas station but got a little lost. So I ran into a bar called Trixie's. As I stepped inside it was like I was transported onto a movie set. Dimly lit. Neon signs. Wooden tables and bar stools. I think there was an old pinball machine by the door too. I asked a waitress for directions to the gas station. I'd like to think it was Trixie herself who gave me directions. She led me to the back room to show me through the window which road I should take.
When we got to the gas station there were two old pumps. You pumped your gas and paid inside of the shop. There was a green sticky note on the front door that listed the home phone number of the owners in case they weren't around. #haveyouevenexperiencedMontanaifyoudon'thavethissmalltownexperience?
An old van pulled up next to Maren's car and we got talkin' with the couple who were driving it. They had converted it into a CAMPER VAN! #flashbacktoIceland #Imissthatvan. The husband asked if Monica and I wanted to see inside. I guess that could be considered sketchy, but at least if they wanted to kidnap us, we would be together. So the van was (I think he said an '85) cream colored with brownish stripes on the outside and fairly shaggy dark brown carpet on the inside. They had built a bed frame and a mattress that you could lift up and store stuff underneath. They had a large cooler built in and camping stove. They had figured out how to attach curtains magnetically to the windows too. I was so jealous! They had been road-tripping for like 3 weeks and had been to Wyoming and were planning on going to Glacier and Banff and maybe stopping at the Cheyenne rodeo on the way home. Not a bad life eh?
NATIONAL PARKS ARE AWESOME! I hope you all have a strong appreciation of Theodore Roosevelt if not a fond admiration. He was a character. So, I went to Glacier National Park in Montana! I'm really happy about it.
I went to Glacier with 9 other people. We took 3 cars which took some coordinating. Especially in the park where there was no cell service. I'm used to planning my own trips so it was a new experience trying to plan things that everyone wanted to do and to communicate plans with everyone. Glitches happened. But I had fun sooooo :)
DAY 1 we left Provo around 8 am. I like road tripping. I used to think it was all about being crammed in the back seat of a van with your 5 other siblings while you laughed and cried and screamed at each other for 'crossing the line into your space'. If you have a large family you probably know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Road trips can be so much more.
This road trip was great because we had SPACE in the car! YAY! I'm so grateful that we took 3 cars for 10 people instead of the 2 we were thinking of. That made the trip so much more enjoyable. Montana is beautiful, and guess what else? It's pretty empty. Of people that is. Which if you frequent my blog, you know how much I love a good empty space! Every lake was clear, every tree was green, and every deer was kind. It was like a magical kingdom.
Inside the car Maren and I had a little 80's movie soundtrack dance party #whydopeoplehateKennyLoggins? #alsofootlooseismuchdarkerthanitseems. We philosophized about Harry Potter. I tweeted at JK Rowling. I convinced Monica that if she found a man to marry in Glacier she would have to name her first born child MONTANA. Dang I'm good.
It was hard to find GAS on the way up because- Montana is remote. We pulled into Ovando, which is a town maybe in the middle of Swan Lake State Forest? We tried to find the gas station but got a little lost. So I ran into a bar called Trixie's. As I stepped inside it was like I was transported onto a movie set. Dimly lit. Neon signs. Wooden tables and bar stools. I think there was an old pinball machine by the door too. I asked a waitress for directions to the gas station. I'd like to think it was Trixie herself who gave me directions. She led me to the back room to show me through the window which road I should take.
When we got to the gas station there were two old pumps. You pumped your gas and paid inside of the shop. There was a green sticky note on the front door that listed the home phone number of the owners in case they weren't around. #haveyouevenexperiencedMontanaifyoudon'thavethissmalltownexperience?
An old van pulled up next to Maren's car and we got talkin' with the couple who were driving it. They had converted it into a CAMPER VAN! #flashbacktoIceland #Imissthatvan. The husband asked if Monica and I wanted to see inside. I guess that could be considered sketchy, but at least if they wanted to kidnap us, we would be together. So the van was (I think he said an '85) cream colored with brownish stripes on the outside and fairly shaggy dark brown carpet on the inside. They had built a bed frame and a mattress that you could lift up and store stuff underneath. They had a large cooler built in and camping stove. They had figured out how to attach curtains magnetically to the windows too. I was so jealous! They had been road-tripping for like 3 weeks and had been to Wyoming and were planning on going to Glacier and Banff and maybe stopping at the Cheyenne rodeo on the way home. Not a bad life eh?
We all met up for dinner at Mudman which was a burger place that put 'mud' (really good chili) on your burger. Also a portion of their profit goes to humanitarian projects, so that's cool. https://www.mudman.org/
When we got the the AirBnB we were staying at, our hosts were there to greet us and explain the ins and outs of trailer life. It was a tight fit for the 6 of us (the other 4 stayed in a really cool tent village thing further away) but I thought it was fun. We lit a fire and Morgan told us a story about Sir Gawain and a hag. I even also tried star tipping which was fun :)
When we got the the AirBnB we were staying at, our hosts were there to greet us and explain the ins and outs of trailer life. It was a tight fit for the 6 of us (the other 4 stayed in a really cool tent village thing further away) but I thought it was fun. We lit a fire and Morgan told us a story about Sir Gawain and a hag. I even also tried star tipping which was fun :)
Day 2 we went on a bunch of hikes!
All the websites I looked at recommended the 'Going to the Sun Road', but if you're in the park and you enter at the West Entrance, you can't miss it. It's the road that takes you to all the sweet hikes. Apgar Village is on the shore of Lake McDonald and has a bunch of souvenir shops and places to eat. After filling up our water at the Apgar Visitor's Center we headed to one of the park's easiest hikes- the Trail of the Cedars. It's wheelchair accessible. It's a board walk with haiku poems and plaques about the types of plants and animals. In the middle of the trail you'll find a trail to AVALANCHE LAKE. If you ever find yourself in this situation, TAKE THE TRAIL TO AVALANCHE LAKE. It was gorgeous. I feel that my overuse of the 'beautiful' synonyms might desensitize you. Don't be desensitized.
The hike was pretty easy and forested and cool and I just can't even. At the end is a little lake with several waterfalls draining into it. As we hung out on the shore a deer came prancing through the groups of people.
The hike was pretty easy and forested and cool and I just can't even. At the end is a little lake with several waterfalls draining into it. As we hung out on the shore a deer came prancing through the groups of people.
After finishing Avalanche Lake and Trail of the Cedars we had lunch in the Rising Sun area. A lot of things in that area are 'Two Dog' named. 'Two Dog Flat' 'Two Dog Restaurant'. I never did hear the story of the name, but I imagine it had something to do with... two dogs. Then we tried to find the hike to St. Mary Waterfall. That was an experience. We were told different information, and then we thought there were three different trail heads that led to the lake... but we eventually found it.
In the meantime I got a really delicious waffle cone of huckleberry ice cream- which we all licked #germsaregoodforyou and we also saw a BEAR on the SIDE OF THE ROAD! At that point I was riding in Allie's car and we were listening to Phil Collins sing Brother Bear songs as we took pictures of the bear. Appropriate right? I also learned while riding in that car that my Slytherin sister Millie speaks PARSELTONGUE! Maybe that was supposed to be a secret #sorryMillie. We had some really good conversations about; social perceptions of singles, and dating, and social media and its psychological effects. We also sang and danced #livingourbestlives.
In the meantime I got a really delicious waffle cone of huckleberry ice cream- which we all licked #germsaregoodforyou and we also saw a BEAR on the SIDE OF THE ROAD! At that point I was riding in Allie's car and we were listening to Phil Collins sing Brother Bear songs as we took pictures of the bear. Appropriate right? I also learned while riding in that car that my Slytherin sister Millie speaks PARSELTONGUE! Maybe that was supposed to be a secret #sorryMillie. We had some really good conversations about; social perceptions of singles, and dating, and social media and its psychological effects. We also sang and danced #livingourbestlives.
We stopped at Lake Mary on our quest to find the trail and we ran to the top of the overlook. It was super windy and we screamed a lot. Out of happiness, we screamed out of happiness. I should also probably clarify when I say 'we screamed' I mean like the 3-4 of us screamed, but enough that it made it fun :)
We finally found St. Mary Falls and a few minutes into the trail it started raining pretty hard. Some of us turned back, but hiking in the rain was kinda magical. There was a fire near St. Mary a few years ago so a lot of the trees were charred and black, it looked really cool. St. Mary Falls is beautiful, but if you hike up further you'll find like 5 more waterfalls ending in St. Virginia Falls. Super cool.
We ended the day at Logan Pass Visitor's Center. It was really cold up there so I bought a hat and some really fashionable long socks. I wasn't as prepared for the cold as I should've been. It's cold in July. And it rains a lot. We hiked from Logan Pass to the Hidden Lake Overlook and saw a few mountain goats. Other than chipmunks I think the animal I saw the most was the mountain goat. I think I saw like 7-8 in the 2 days we were in the park.
We drove back down to Apgar Village and ate dinner there- we had some pretty good huckleberry desserts!
Day 3
We only spent two days in the park- Day 3 we hiked the HIGHLINE TRAIL which also starts at Logan Pass Visitor's Center. There was some confusion on how long the hike was and how to get there. So the trail starts and ends in different locations. The plan was to park at the bottom, take a shuttle to the top (Logan Pass) and then to hike down to our cars. The website I had looked at said it was 11 miles roundtrip- but since the hike starts and ends in different places, it was actually 11 miles one way... #sorryeveryonewhowasexpectingashorthike!
So Melissa's car arrived at the bottom of the hike (called 'The Loop') around 11:00am. The shuttles in the park are free, but pretty small. One came at 11:15 but it only had room for 2 people. Enter Camille. I'm so impressed with her. Like, you should all travel with Camille. (She also saved our bacon on our Mexico cruise trip) If you don't know her, you should. She just stepped up and stuck out her thumb to hitchhike. What a pro. Don't worry, I got a video. She got not only our group, but a couple of other people waiting for the shuttle, a ride. The 5 of us climbed into the back of the truck and rode up to Logan Pass.
We only spent two days in the park- Day 3 we hiked the HIGHLINE TRAIL which also starts at Logan Pass Visitor's Center. There was some confusion on how long the hike was and how to get there. So the trail starts and ends in different locations. The plan was to park at the bottom, take a shuttle to the top (Logan Pass) and then to hike down to our cars. The website I had looked at said it was 11 miles roundtrip- but since the hike starts and ends in different places, it was actually 11 miles one way... #sorryeveryonewhowasexpectingashorthike!
So Melissa's car arrived at the bottom of the hike (called 'The Loop') around 11:00am. The shuttles in the park are free, but pretty small. One came at 11:15 but it only had room for 2 people. Enter Camille. I'm so impressed with her. Like, you should all travel with Camille. (She also saved our bacon on our Mexico cruise trip) If you don't know her, you should. She just stepped up and stuck out her thumb to hitchhike. What a pro. Don't worry, I got a video. She got not only our group, but a couple of other people waiting for the shuttle, a ride. The 5 of us climbed into the back of the truck and rode up to Logan Pass.
Logan Pass at about 12:00 and we were waiting for the other group to arrive. We didn't have a way to contact them so we just had to wait. Turns out I didn't explain the plan very well so they didn't know if we were meeting at the bottom and shuttling up together, or if we were meeting at the trail head #whoops #turnsoutI'mnotthebestdictator.
I lost track of my group so I just went to hang out by the trail head. I figured that's where the other group would head once they arrived. I sat there for like an hour and a half. It was beautiful. It didn't feel like an hour and a half. I just sat in the sun and talked to everyone starting the trail. Took a few pictures, laughed at a few dad jokes of dad hikers passing by... saw a few mountain goats (4 I think), it didn't feel like an hour and a half at all. I loved it.
I lost track of my group so I just went to hang out by the trail head. I figured that's where the other group would head once they arrived. I sat there for like an hour and a half. It was beautiful. It didn't feel like an hour and a half. I just sat in the sun and talked to everyone starting the trail. Took a few pictures, laughed at a few dad jokes of dad hikers passing by... saw a few mountain goats (4 I think), it didn't feel like an hour and a half at all. I loved it.
I could see the Visitor's Center from where I was sitting and I figured everyone else was just shopping or eating lunch while they waited for the other group to get there. Turns out they thought I was kidnapped or something. Ha. Whoops.
So the other group arrived and we started hiking at 1:25. The views from that hike are AMAZING. So beautiful. Open valleys. Wildflower fields. A few marmots. Lots of BEAR GRASS (which some of us fondly referred to as 'bear toilet brush' because the flowers had an interesting shape)- SNOW, deer, a quaint little chalet about 7-8 miles in, IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL. I rained a little but the overcast sky kind of made it more beautiful. Nature man. Nature. At the chalet there's a trail called 'GOAT HAUNT' which, if you take it, crosses the border into Canada. If we would have done it it would have made this an international trip. Alas. It's a 22 mile hike. One way. Ha, maybe next time?
So the other group arrived and we started hiking at 1:25. The views from that hike are AMAZING. So beautiful. Open valleys. Wildflower fields. A few marmots. Lots of BEAR GRASS (which some of us fondly referred to as 'bear toilet brush' because the flowers had an interesting shape)- SNOW, deer, a quaint little chalet about 7-8 miles in, IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL. I rained a little but the overcast sky kind of made it more beautiful. Nature man. Nature. At the chalet there's a trail called 'GOAT HAUNT' which, if you take it, crosses the border into Canada. If we would have done it it would have made this an international trip. Alas. It's a 22 mile hike. One way. Ha, maybe next time?
We reached the bottom at 6:30 which isn't too shabby considering our lunch stop! You should do that hike. Like do it.
Some people wanted to eat but a few of us decided to walk around Lake McDonald. I think the lake was the perfect way to end the day. It was so beautiful and peaceful and we stuck our toes in the water. Actually Monica stuck her whole body in the water. She did it for her grandma.
DAY 4
Driving home. Nothing really eventful happened. We stopped at Taco John's in Dillon, MT which I had heard a lot about from the Wyoming natives that came on our trip- their potato oles were pretty delish. I LOVE POTATOES. I love everything.
Driving home. Nothing really eventful happened. We stopped at Taco John's in Dillon, MT which I had heard a lot about from the Wyoming natives that came on our trip- their potato oles were pretty delish. I LOVE POTATOES. I love everything.
I had such a good time on this trip! We probably could have spent more than 2 days in the park, but feeling responsible for coordinating with 9 other people, I felt that 2 days was plenty! Moral of the story is --> go to Glacier.