Modern day adventurers

When you spend as much time hiking as we do, it gives you a lot of time to think. Oftentimes, I think about how pristine these places are we visit and how rugged and utterly breathtaking they must have been back when Lewis and Clark first laid eyes on them. From May 1804 to September 1806 they were the first American expedition to cross the western region of the United States. Their primary objective was to explore and map the recently acquired territory while documenting the plants, animals and geography.

Over this past year when my heart has felt heavy missing our son, I have focused on improving my childlike wonder and amazement in all of God's creations- from the tiniest rock to the daintiest flower. I like to think Cameron and I would have been fantastic explorers. We have just the right combination of curiosity, guts and drifter in us. I would have been in charge of cataloging and naming all the flora and fauna, while Cameron would have been in charge of setting our course and hacking our way through the forest.

Waterton Lakes National Park

Cameron and I ventured for the first time into the Canadian side of Glacier, Waterton Lakes National Park. Since we were camping on the eastern side of Glacier, Canada was a mere hour from our campsite. Once we entered Alberta, we were smitten with the little bit we saw and have big plans for future trips to this region. Upon entering Waterton we witnessed what I would call reflection perfection! After a quick visit to Prince of Wales hotel, we boarded a boat and started on our hike up to Crypt Lake.

Logan's Pass and Hidden Lake

The highest point on the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park is Logan's Pass, it is also located on the Continental Divide. We like to stop here to go on the short, beautiful hike to Hidden Lake. This year, a storm was in the process of passing through while we made our way up the trail. The wind howled at such crazy speeds I witnessed a few children having a hard time standing up straight.

Visiting Glacier

Fisherman at Crypt Lake, Alberta

As I have gotten older I crave beautiful vistas, wide open space, plenty of fresh air and starry filled skies.  Next week I will be posting about our recent trip to Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park (the Canadian side of Glacier). Those few days we spent there our legs functioned on overdrive from hiking eight to ten miles per day and our brains were spinning from all the gorgeous scenery we witnessed.

If you cannot wait until next week, here are some photos from our last trip to Glacier.

A nightly reminder

As the light gave way to dark we sat on the large deck of our lodge. The majority of guests were already fast asleep as we enjoyed the night sky. I rested my head on the back of my chair and looked directly up. To my side, stood Cameron  fiddling with exposure length and other camera settings. Tonight was an excellent example of why life with Cameron is so sweet. Whenever I am tired, discouraged or do not particularly excel at something, he is there to lend a hand, a word of encouragement or take over. He is my ying, I am his yang and together we can do it all.

The streak of light is a car driving by.

The Big Dipper was so pronounced, it looked more like a connect the dot.

The moon in all its glory.

And as the sun rose the next morning I took the reigns while Cameron sat back and enjoyed the show.

Many Glacier

The most spectacular section of Glacier National Park in my opinion is the Many Glacier area. Ironically the only things named Many Glacier is the lodge and the campground. For our last two days in the park we spent our time in Many Glacier. As soon as we arrived we boarded the boat and zipped across Swiftcurrent Lake, hiked up and over the hill and then continued on across Lake Josephine. Once we docked we started our hike up Grinnell Glacier. I was anticipating this hike the entire time we had been here, but it had been closed several days prior to our arrival due to bears.

Looking down from the trail onto Grinnell Lake.

The Chain Lakes which include Lake Sherburne, Lake Joesphine and Grinnell Lake.

Grinnell Lake

Two thumbs up for this hike, it could quite possibly be the most breathtaking hike I have ever been on.

Me walking along the trail in the distance.

Spotting our first big horn sheep. Needless to say I was ecstatic.

Can you see it? The sheep blend in remarkably well to the cliffside. Did you know these rock formations are some of the oldest rock on the planet. These formations date back to 200 million years ago and used to be the seafloor. It is crazy to think all this used to be covered with water.

We came across a group of twenty big horn sheep while on the trail.

When we arrived at Grinnell Glacier I thought for a second I was in Iceland again. Scientists are predicting in 2020 this glacier will have totally disappeared. I am happy we were able to visit it before that happens.

We enjoyed our lunch at the water's edge and put our hands into the coldest water we have ever felt.

The striations on the rocks were beautiful.

The Chain Lakes.

All the different colors on these rocks were beautiful.

Taking the boat back across Lake Josephine and Swiftcurrent Lake.

Many Glacier Lodge where we stayed in the distance.

Once we returned from our hike we were able to watch this moose cooling off in the lake.

All in all it was an extremely memorable day and our best day by far in the park.

A hiker's paradise

Glacier National Park is one of the most well thought out and easily navigable national parks I have ever been to. They not only provide a free shuttle along the Going to the Sun Road, but offer well marked hiking trails and information galore. Also, they take being in grizzly country very seriously and close down trails as they are spotted in the park. The second day we were there we headed up to Logan's Pass and hiked to Hidden Lake. Along the trail we spotted prairie dogs, pikas, deer, marmots and mountain goats. Every person we struck up a conversation with was extremely friendly and reminded us we were no longer in Seattle.

The record amount of snow they received this year meant lots of wildflowers late in the season.

There are evidence of wildfires all over the park. It is interesting to see which path the fires took.

Due to the winter like conditions most of the year, once the snow melts the animals are mineral deprived and lick the rocks for nutrients. Here is a marmot doing just that.

This looked like a stuffed animal to me.

Glacier is one million square miles of protected no hunting zone, this is an animal's paradise.

The prairie dogs were peaking their heads up all over the trail.

An interesting statistic we learned is that one in forty goats are born twins.

After hiking the Hidden Lake trail, we still had plenty of daylight and energy, so we embarked on the Highline Trail. This particular trail was a bit nerve wracking because it was a narrow trail with a 1,000 foot drop off to one side. We made sure to hug the right of the trail as much as possible, but I could not help but envision myself sliding down the trail to my death.

After our hike we started talking with the Red Jammer driver, who was kind enough to let me hop aboard his sweet ride. In the 1930s these were used all over the National Parks from Mt. Rainier to Yellowstone, they have roll back canvas tops and provide tours all over the park. All of the National Parks have discontinued use of them except Glacier and Yellowstone. Originally built by the White Motor Company, Ford refurbished the engines several years ago which explains the two logos.

Upon the conclusion of our long day of hiking, we went to the Lake McDonald Lodge for dinner and watched the sunset on the lake.

Glacier National Park on Dwellable