Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park was all I had imagined it to be. I had been dreaming of seeing this park for many years. It turned out to be the perfect place for me to be at that moment in time. Almost as soon as we arrived at the RV park in Columbia Falls we heard the devastating news that my brother Mike had died suddenly in Miami, FL.

My first reaction to this sad news was that I was a million miles away. Truly on the other side of the United States. Thanks to my brother Dan’s efforts, I did not have to fly to Florida. We are planning a family get together to remember Mike in August in New Jersey so with Doug’s patient help I have plane tickets for that trip. And Doug did the painstaking work of plotting out our next few weeks so we knew what airport I could fly out of and what campgrounds we could stay in.

Knowing that was taken care of was a relief. But then I had to deal with my grief. I found solace in the beauty of mountains, lakes and waterfalls. I listened to lively birdsong and saw an endless variety of wild flowers. Sometimes life takes a hard turn and this time I landed exactly where I needed to be – in the pristine landscape of glacier-carved mountains.

Our first day in Columbia Falls was very rainy so we just stayed in the RV. Then on Thursday, July 7th we drove the 15 miles to the west entrance of the park. We knew enough to dress in layers and that was smart. We took the shuttle up Going To The Sun Road to Logan Pass. We emerged from the shuttle into a cloud – a wet, cold cloud. It broke a little so we got our first sight of the mountains. We didn’t do much hiking up there. Not only was it cold and wet but one of the trails was closed because of a momma grizzly and her cub on the trail. We took the shuttle to St. Mary’s Lake and took off some layers to hike to St. Mary’s Falls – about 2 miles but an easy trail. We ate our lunch at the upper part of the falls. Even with lots of fellow hikers nearby it was a peaceful, beautiful place to be.

We took another shuttle to Avalanche Creek. The shuttle drives are incredible. The road curves around the mountains so you can see the glaciers – the glaciers that are still there, that is. When the park was founded, there were over 200 glaciers, now there are only a few and they are much smaller. We read that by the year 2020, four years away, there will be NONE left. The evidence of global warming smacks you in the face up there.

We hiked the very easy Boardwalk Trail of Cedars. Another 2 mile trail. The quiet of this forest was lovely and at one point we found ourselves looking face to face with a deer. He stopped and posed for us. Then Doug saw two more. Coming upon wildlife on trails is part of the joy of hiking, but I was starting to get nervous about coming upon a bear. We didn’t and that’s fine with me. By the time we got home we were beat but happy to have experienced that part of the park.

Friday was rainy and cold so we took care of stuff in the RV. We went out to dinner at the Tea Kettle Restaurant – a small place with great food. We built our bowls of rice, sauces and protein and ate every grain of it.

Saturday dawned sunny with just a few clouds so we went back to the park and drove part of the Going To The Sun Road ourselves. We hiked John’s Lake Loop and then the Rocky Point Nature Trail at Fish Creek. The last hike was really beautiful but it rained and we got soaked. I rarely wear a hat but this time I thought it would keep the rain off my face. Instead the wet stuff gathered at the hatband and ran in a steady stream down my face. Regardless, it was a memorable hike. There were wild flowers all through the trail among both giant cedars and new growth pines. We loved it and came home tired and happy and wet. We also stopped by the Lake McDonald Lodge.

Our last day in the park was Sunday – a sunny and warm day! We drove to the North Fork side of the park and decided to take a hike on the Huckleberry Trail. There were trees but mostly new growth and dense low foliage on both sides of the narrow path. It was really pretty but I had a lot of anxiety about bears. We had talked to a volunteer and some rangers about bear sightings and just to be safe we had bought bear spray. The spray is pepper spray and is only used if the bear is less than 30 feet in front of you. As I was walking, singing and clapping my poles together, I started thinking too much about the bear that might be around the next bend on the trail or barreling towards me through the dense growth between the trees. Then I saw a tree trunk with deep claw marks and right next to it fresh bear scat. I should point out that Doug disagrees with me and said it was not claw marks nor bear scat but my fear got the better of me and in spite of the perfect trail and the best weather yet, we turned back to the car.

We headed out to Bowman Lake – on the road less traveled for sure. It was about a 30 miles drive on mostly dirt roads to one of the best views in the park. We ate lunch in a little meadow with the ground squirrels and other small varmints. We then took a short walk to the lake. As we got closer and the trees parted my breath caught as I saw my first glimpse of that lake. The mountains surround it, the water is a calm sparking green and is so pure you can see every pebble by the shore. The view was perfection. Looking at the far mountains you could see how the glacier carved through the mountains and then dug out the lake. So very beautiful!

We finished our wonderful day by stopping at Polebridge where we purchased the world famous (and totally worth the hype) huckleberry bear claws. The perfect end to the perfect day. I’m still very sad and cry a lot but my heart felt peace looking at some of the most beautiful sights in earth. Mike loved the outdoors and I hope he found away to share those moments with me.

We left Columbia Falls and turned back to Jim and Mary’s RV Park in Missoula for a quick one night stay. We are in Camp Three Forks also for one night on our way to Belgrade where we will stop for some routine RV maintenance. I am grateful that I had the chance to see Glacier National Park and grateful for the comfort it gave at this sad time in my life.