The Crown Jewel of the Continent proved to be stunningly beautiful and full of adventures waiting to happen. Quite honestly, I was skeptical Glacier National Park would live up to the hype everyone makes about it…but I was proven wrong
We arrived on Wednesday, August 30, and entered the park amidst the rainy weather.
(Anybody else noticing a weather trend for the D-Team travel destinations?) Having been able to reserve a last-minute campsite inside Glacier for super cheap (Like $23 per night! Parental units were very happy as Yellowstone & the Tetons were NOT $23 per night!) we were able to avoid the terrors of trying to get a vehicle registration pass to travel the roads throughout the park. Camping in the park also allowed us to easily drive about 2 ½ miles to Apgar Visitor Center in West Glacier early in the mornings to catch the shuttle system before the huge rush of people started. Because of Kram-A-Lot Inn’s size, we weren’t allowed to drive Going-to-the-Sun Road…nor would we have wanted to, so we were thankful for the free shuttles. Going to the Sun Road is 50 miles, cutting through Glacier, west to east. It’s considered one of the most dangerous roads in America.
On Thursday, we woke up early and rushed to morning preparations in the hope of catching the express shuttle that would take us straight from Apgar to Logan’s Pass, the highest altitude point in the park and where the Continental Divide crosses the park. We missed the express shuttle though. Between morning chaos, meal prep for hiking, family chatting, dog care, and water-backpack leaks, we got in line just a couple minutes too late. This meant we had to make a couple transfers in order to make it to our first destination for the day, which was Logan’s Pass. Unfortunately though, the morning was cloudy and rainy, so all we saw was white as we peered around upon disembarking at the visitor’s center at the top of the mountain pass.
Since it was rainy and foggy at Logan Pass, we decided to take the shuttle to the end of it's route at St. Mary's on the east side of the park. Rangers reported clear weather on that side of the mountain. After eating at the St. Mary Visitor Center and watching a video on the history of Glacier, we proceeded to a nearby hike. The hike to Virginia Falls proved to be of moderate difficulty, particularly for Mom who's struggling with hip problems. We weren't sure if we'd make it farther than the first set of smaller Falls, but she persevered and we made it to the Falls, which proved spectacular. Mom especially loved it, calling the it next best thing to Niagara Falls.
Friday morning, we opted out of an extra early morning attempting to catch the express shuttle, and as a result ended up standing in the shuttle line for about an hour and a half. But this turned out to be a blessing for Mom as she had the opportunity to chat with the woman supervising the shuttle schedule who turned out to be a sweet Christian lady married to a Pastor. They had a wonderful time talking while the rest of us listened and/or people-watched the adorable little kids running around the waiting area. As an unexpected blessing, we actually ended up in a small shuttle van (our 8 taking up the majority of the 13 seats) that was given orders to head straight to Logan Pass without stopping. Due to the traffic, this still took almost another hour and a half, but we were thankful for this gift. The sun came out and views were stunning. We got some amazing pictures!
We hiked to Hidden Lake Overlook, which was labeled a challenging hike. Upon reaching the overlook, we ate a late lunch, peeled off a few outer layers, and left Mom to enjoy the view while we took the 'very challenging' hike down to Hidden Lake itself. It was quite an adventure, to say the least. Narrow trails, waterfall crossings and wet rocks, steep switchbacks and mud. Going down was hard, we won't even talk about the trip back up. But resting beside the sparkling lake and looking up at the beautiful mountain made the journey totally worth it. There are several pictures of the lake in the previously posted video. Along the hike, we met some adorable chipmunks that were extra-friendly and kept checking out the younger three's pockets for food. We also saw some funky ground squirrels and a plump marmot.
On a more somber note, there was an intense search and rescue operation taking place during the few days we were in Glacier. A 32-year-old man by the name of Adam Fuselier from Castle Pines, Colorado went missing on Tuesday during an intense storm while climbing Mt. Reynolds. The search was delayed until Wednesday due to the terrible weather and lasted until Friday afternoon, with over 50 searchers, two helicopters, and a dog team getting involved. His body was found and flown out by helicopter on Friday, but the cause of his death is still unknown. Our prayers are with his family as they grieve this tragic loss.
Well folks, that's all for now. I'm behind with posts because of limited connectivity out west and busy days adventuring when we can. Next up, I'm looking forward to sharing about our incredible experience in Colombia Falls, when we met a man passionately serving Jesus through a wonderful ministry!
Until next time, God bless!
Keep up the good work on the post. You definitely have your mother's writing skills. The Pictures are also great! Love all the National Parks, they are dear to our hearts. Continued prays for you your family's safe travels.
Nice!