Glacier - The Last Best Place

As we left Washington behind and traveled through the pine covered mountains of Idaho we knew that we were getting closer to our next destination: Glacier National Park. As I drove through Western Montana's beautiful landscapes and up into the Glacier area, I kept counting all the missed photo opportunities that were passing me by. After a couple more miles I had to pull over and let Sarah drive while I got out my camera started taking pictures. ;) With all of it's streams and meadows, lakes and pine forest, snow capped mountains and bighorn sheep, Montana takes first place for my favorite state so far, with Arizona coming in second. 

After driving for a couple more hours we stopped at a DQ to eat dinner before entering the park. Now I thought DQ's slogan was "that's what I like about Texas" I wonder what they say in Montana? I guess if we stop at another DQ somewhere we will have to ask.

We got to our campsite around 9pm I think, it was still light enough outside to set up camp without the need of a lantern or flashlights. The sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon and the temperature was starting to drop. Once we got camp set up we all just went to bed. We slept in late the next morning, I'm not sure why, we slept really good at the Finley's house the last two nights, but when my alarm went off at 5:30 and nobody else looked like they were going to get up, I decided I didn't really feel like getting up either. So after we finally did get up the weather had changed, it looked like it was going to rain. We threw a tarp over the tent and hurried to fix lunch, we had decided to have lunch instead of breakfast since it was already so late. Just about the time we finished our lentils it began to rain. Johnny camped out in the car reading, and Sarah and I went into the tent, I can't remember what we did, but I probably took a nap, which really doesn't make much sense. Anyway a couple hours later it stopped raining and we decided to go for a hike. We hiked up to Avalanche lake, I think it was like 2.5 miles or so. Most of the trail was through a densely wooded area, with part of it running along the river swollen with snow melt that ran from the lake above. Once we got to the lake we were rewarded with a spectacular view. The lake was situated in a small basin with mountain walls surrounding it on three sides. Melted snow made waterfalls that cascaded down the sides of the mountains and into the lake, the water was a crystal clear light aqua color, and so still that the reflection of the snow cover mountains beyond was so crisp it was hard to tell where the lake stopped and the mountains began. 

I spent a lot of time filming here with my glidecam. The lower end of the lake was full of fallen trees, caused by the avalanches that occurred frequently on the mountains surrounding the lake. It wasn't enough to make a dam but enough to create a walkway of sorts to the other side. Walking across the wet logs and keeping a steady pace while flying the glidecam was tricky, especially with the occasional log that would roll. But I think I got some really cool video clips, that were worth getting my boots wet for. There where some geese in the lake also, I'm pretty sure they were Canadian :p

We didn't end up leaving the lake till a little after 9pm, Its really easy to lose track of time when your at such a beautiful place with a nice camera.... it was already getting pretty dark at the lake as we started back down the trail. All the trail map signs have bear warnings that say 

Hike in groups of three or more,

Don't hike at night,

Make noise to alert bears of your passing,

Carry bear spray,

1 out of 4 ain't bad right?

Anyway we made it back to the car fine and started on the 30 minute drive back to our campsite. I think we might of had meatballs for dinner that night, although at this point it's so hard to remember what you ate when and at what park. It was after 12 when we went to bed, it wasn't as cold as it was the night before.

The next morning I got up and got a fire and made some hot chocolate, and walked by the lake that was a couple hundred feet from our camp. Around 6:30 it started to rain again so I just got back in the tent and went to bed for a couple more hours. It continued to rain that whole morning, though it wasn't much more the a steady drizzle. John and Sarah moved to the car and I stayed in the tent and read. It started to clear up in the early afternoon so we decided to take another hike along the lake that was by our campground. And sure enough after a little more than a mile down the trail it began to rain again, so we turned around and started back towards our campsite. By the time we made it back to camp we were all completed soaked. So we just chilled in the car until like 8pm and then took showers and went to bed. 

We left the next morning around 7:30 after packing up our tent and clothes that were still wet from yesterday's hike. Now even though it rained most of the time and we didn't do much, Glacier ranks #1 in the national parks I've visited, John and Sarah are still with Zion and the Grand Canyon as #1. But there was just something about walking on the soft ground through the pine covered hills with the rain falling down and smelling a freshness in the cool air that inspired and thrilled me, almost enough to ditch my camera gear and move out here to become a woodsman. Almost...

Next stop: Yellowstone National Park

- Jacob