Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park, what a wonderful place. Even though the air was smoke filled, we enjoyed spectacular views, allusive animals, pleasant hikes, and good camping locations. Our first two days, we camped at Fish Creek on the Western side of the park. We were all settled in a sacred grove of cedar and pines. It was so peaceful and private. We even attended the ranger's talk about building the Going -to -the -Sun -Highway. What a feat. One of the very best things was the shuttle system. Once we parked the van, we left it there and road the shuttle wherever we wanted to go. At Apgar Village we had huckleberry ice cream and huckleberry ice tea. McDonald Lake is Glacier's largest lake and the lodge there is charming. Day two, we got the early shuttle to Logan's Pass, up the Going-To-The-Sun highway. No driving for Jon, so he could enjoy the spectacular vistas. At Logan's Pass we ate our packed lunch with the ground squirrels hoping for a crumb or two. Then we joined the many travelers on the hike to Hidden Lake. Along the climb we encountered two Mountain Goats, Mom and kid, standing on the middle of a small foot bridge, for all of us to see, and photo. I was reminded of the Billy Goats Gruff. I thought these were illusive critters, but they paid no attention to us and finally climbed down and went on their way. We spotted more goats on the drive back down the mountain.

The next day we drove ourselves over the highway to the east side of the park. It was a much different terrain, more trees such as popular and cottonwoods. We drove to the Many Glaciers area. There is no shuttle service on that side of the park since you must go out of the park to get to Many Glaciers. The park host told us she had seen moose at a small lake along a trail. So that was our goal. After a short hike we came to the lake, walked around and saw 3 little garter snakes, but no moose. We sat ourselves down at the lake's edge, ate our apples, drank some water and dosed a bit. Suddenly, there they were: mother moose and two calves. We watched them for quite a while and then went back to the trail. There they were again. We did not want to cross mother's path, so we waited until they wandered on. What a treat to see these animals in their home. The Glacier Lodge, just down the road, is a grand place. Circa-1917, it is a "Swiss" lodge gone wild. It reminded me some of the Sun Valley Lodge. We ordered a cold drink, watched the ladies playing bridge and pretended we belonged right there.

The next morning we drove on across Montana.....