(Note: There's no requirement or necessity to read my original Glacier post before reading this one, but in case you missed it, you can find it HERE.)
Good thing we double checked the park newspaper. It was then that we discovered the three falls ranger-led hike would only be offered on the Friday (not Saturday) of our stay. The original plan was to do the horseback riding on Friday and to do some other hikes, but we reversed the plans because the ranger-led hike was something we didn't want to miss.
And I'm glad we didn't miss it. Not only was the hike incredibly scenic and breathtakingly beautiful, but it was on that hike that we met Glenda and John. It wasn't friendship at first glance...but it was close. (Actually, I was convinced John was going to impale me with his hiking pole within the first 15 minutes, as he was carrying it instead of using it as it was meant to be used.) By the end of the hike (on which we had several long conversations with both of them - such delightful people!), they had invited us to dinner at their campsite, and we accepted. We were thrilled - we had plans for the evening, these new friends seemed great, and we did not need to eat at the restaurant for the Xth meal in a row.
The rain did not dull our spirits...and it helped that they had a canopy under which we ate. They also invited another camping neighbor who had helped them put up the canopy, so we were a party of five. We got there a little early, so Glenda and John were still preparing the meal when we arrived. But we helped as we were able - cutting up the salad, opening and closing the "door" so the mosquitoes would stay out, etc. As we were getting ready to pray before the meal (love!), John accidentally hit the skillet with the fajita meat in it and sent it tumbling to the dirt. With his hands to his head, he was visibly upset. We assured him we could rescue some of it (and we did) - a little dirt wouldn't hurt anyone. (And there was plenty of other food too - fettucine alfredo, yam and marshmallow skillet/casserole, salad...) All was not lost. So, after the food rescue operation, we prayed, sat, and ate.
We got to talking about a lot of things, but eventually we got around to talking about bears. John's wife asked him if he showed us his scar, to which he responded he had hoped not to go into that story...but then he did anyways...
When I was in my twenties, I went to camp with some friends. We were staying at this set of cabins along with 10 & 11 year old boys. There was a mess hall and distinct places to clean food, store toiletries, etc. Well, no one told me that your toiletries weren't supposed to have any kind of odor because it might attract animals...and I had aftershave that definitely had a distinct smell.
Well, that night, we heard a lot of rustling. A bear had torn into the space where the toiletries were and had run off with a bag...it turned out to be mine. We decided to split up and go looking for the bear. I took my flashlight and went in one direction while my friends went in others. Soon, I found the bear, and it was holding my toiletry bag. He saw me and started coming after me. I ran, and just as the bear reached out to get me, my friends heard the noise and came to my rescue, pulling me away and out of the bear's reach...except for this one part where he got me (he said, pointing to the scar).
At this point of the story, the other camper neighbor asked him how many stitches he got, to which he replied "too many." But then, he paused and said, "You don't believe me, do you?" to which we assured him that we did.
98% of what I told you was true. The bear did get into our camp and took my toiletry bag...but he dropped it and we never found the bear.
Boy, had he gotten us good! Apparently the scar was from some cortisone treatment for something with his kidneys, not from being scratched by a bear. As John was finishing up the truthful ending, the ranger came by to let us know that the campfire ranger talk would start in about 15 minutes barring lightning. The topic? Grizzly bears. (Great.)
When it was time to go, we realized we'd been sitting around eating, laughing, and talking for about 2.5 hours. And that was probably one of my favorite parts of the whole road trip. Getting to know people like that in a place where everyone is strangers was a special thing. (We even exchanged contact info so we could stay in touch in the future.)
I always marvel at how I cross paths with some pretty amazing people, whether they become lifelong friends, classmates, or people I meet for a day or even an hour. Everybody has a story...we just need to stop our overly busy lives from time to time to listen and engage in fellowship.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Good Ol' Glacier (Road Trip Part 2)
As I was going through my photos from the trip, I started feeling sad - no matter how good the pictures are, they just don't capture the actual experience. It's a whole other thing to be there breathing in the fresh air, hearing the animals and rush of waterfalls, and having such beauty right in front of you.
But pictures are the next best thing, so those will serve the purpose of beginning to try to share my experience...
Without further ado, I bring you the Glacier portion of the trip. I'll try to do more of a narrative this time around instead of just picture captions. (In case you missed the first post from this vacation/camping series, you can read/see about the Grand Teton portion of the trip HERE.)
To get from the Grand Teton National Park to Glacier National Park, the most direct route is traveling north through Yellowstone National Park. Seeing as we had purchased a National Parks pass, that was no problem, except there was a bit of traffic. It was to the wire to see if we'd catch a glimpse of Old Faithful, but we ended up missing it by about 5 or so minutes. Considering there were SO many people there (it was a tourism nightmare - imagine Disney World in terms of crowds, cars, etc.), we decided to head out instead of waiting another hour and a half for the next time it would go off.
After a drive through and stop in Yellowstone, we took a quick (if you can call an hour or so drive "quick") detour into Idaho, where we stopped for lunch. NEW STATE! (Sadly, it was the only new state of the trip; though, we did visit two Canadian provinces new to both of us...but that's for another post at another time...) There wasn't much to take a picture of, but I did find a giant stuffed potato, so I figured that would suffice in terms of evidence.
We spent that night in Helena, Montana - a hotel bed to myself and a real shower never felt so good! In hindsight, I'm really glad we broke up the camping in between the Tetons and Glacier, as I can only take sleeping directly on the hard ground so many days in a row...
After our time in Helena, we hit the road in order to get to Glacier in time to claim a coveted camp site. We entered on the eastern side (after a scenic but bumpy drive), where we found the St. Mary's campground was full. We tried the next site about five miles up the road, and we met with success. Rising Sun it would be! It turned out to be a great spot - there was a restaurant, a visitor store/center, and a shower facility (where you could buy tokens to use them).
Here's a view from the restaurant:
(I think we ended up eating there about 4 or 5 times...we didn't cook our own food.)
As soon as we put up the tent (which we got more efficient at doing throughout the trip!), we were off to see what we could see... It turns out you could see a lot; however, the "Going to the Sun" Road was closed at Logan Pass, so we could only drive so far west before being turned around by a traffic cop.
After rain (and lightning) threatened and then ended our afternoon hike, we ate dinner and then found some places to view sunset. And at night, the moon came out, the clouds finally cleared, and we could see stars! It was absolutely breathtaking.
(Here's a picture of our two-(wo)man tent) -->
When you're camping in a national park, it seems essential (at least to us) to see sunrise, so we found a spot we could pull off the road a mile or so away from our campsite. You just can't beat these views...
Breakfast came next - we decided it was important to fuel up before our 6 mile round-trip ranger-led hike to three waterfalls, which we would be joining at 8:30. We got to the trail head a little early, so we waited in the car - it was cold! When other hikers started arriving, we got out so we could get acquainted and prepare for the hike. A man and his wife came up to me when I was tying my shoes. He said, "I know you. You're the Glacier expert. I heard you speak last night." I must have given them an extremely quizzical look because his wife assured him that I was someone different. "You're not a ranger out of uniform?" he asked. Nope. Apparently I look just like the ranger. (I get mistaken for other people a lot - must be the long brown hair and...?)
Our first stop on the hike (led by Ranger Dori) was a spot where a chalet originally stood. The view was beautiful.
We kept hiking, stopping at three waterfalls along the way (the last one being where we turned around to head back). Our ranger guide filled us in on the wildlife and vegetation, trees, etc. we saw along the way. And, she also told us why the lake appeared teal/aqua - apparently it's from the minerals that get rubbed off when the glaciers slide against one another. The photos don't really do the water color justice...
Here's a picture of me and my friend by one of the falls -->
And here's me by the top fall -->
During the hike, we got to know the man and woman who originally mistook me for the ranger. He's a retired pharmacist and she's a professor/dean in Texas at a college that trains teachers. They were absolutely delightful, and they invited us to dinner later that evening. They were at our same campsite (just up closer to the entrance in their camper), so that worked out well. (I think that encounter/evening deserves its own post, though, so I won't go into detail about that here.)
For our last full day in Glacier, we decided to treat ourselves to a horseback ride. The only problem was that the first place we tried wouldn't have an open ride till 10. Seeing as we wanted to get to the other side of the park (which was no easy task) for the day, we declined, hoping we could get a horse ride over there. We headed back toward our campsite (8+ miles driving south around the outside the park) to see if the Going to the Sun Road was open (rumors were flying among rangers, park staff, and fellow campers the previous night that it was set to open on Saturday) - if it was, it would make our trip much easier, seeing as we could drive west across the park instead of going south outside the park and around the outside (1-1.5 hours versus 2.5-3 hours)...and, to our elation and surprise, it was!
The drive while shorter was INCREDIBLY foggy. I could see about 10-15 feet in front of me. So, it wasn't the most scenic drive (and it probably wasn't the safest drive), but we did it! Sadly, the next place we tried for horses (at Lake McDonald) was full up till Monday, but they called over to Apgar to see if they were open. They were! We just had to get there by 10.
(On a side note, when we told the wrangler at Lake McDonald that we had gotten there by way of the Going to the Sun Road, she was surprised it had opened so early, and she yelled out to the other wranglers fixing up the horses that she had been way off. I asked if they made bets about when the road would open each year, and she said that they all put money into a pool and picked dates. How fun! I wonder who won because no one expected the road to open before July, let alone as early as June 22!)
My horse's name was Winchester...and he liked to ride in the back...and eat the grass...
I hadn't been horseback riding since I was a kid, so it was pretty great. We didn't go faster than a walk, but it was a neat way to see some other parts of the park.
After the horseback ride, we headed back to Lake McDonald for lunch at the lodge, which we were told was a must. The wait was long, but it was worth it. While we waited, I bought more postcards, and we went out back for a glimpse at the lake. (Too bad it was overcast.)
Originally we had planned to stay on the west side of the park through sunset, but seeing as it was starting to rain harder and it was extremely cloudy, we decided to head back the other way on the Going to the Sun Road. While not as foggy as the ride westward that morning, some fog still remained. Though, we were able to pull over at a lookout spot to see some bighorn sheep -->
Our trip to Glacier, though it was plagued with rain and fog from time to time, was probably my favorite part of the whole road trip. I could have easily spent a week there and not seen/hiked it all!
Now, to finally wrap up this post, here are just a few other random photos highlighting the trip:
Next stop...Banff!
But pictures are the next best thing, so those will serve the purpose of beginning to try to share my experience...
Without further ado, I bring you the Glacier portion of the trip. I'll try to do more of a narrative this time around instead of just picture captions. (In case you missed the first post from this vacation/camping series, you can read/see about the Grand Teton portion of the trip HERE.)
To get from the Grand Teton National Park to Glacier National Park, the most direct route is traveling north through Yellowstone National Park. Seeing as we had purchased a National Parks pass, that was no problem, except there was a bit of traffic. It was to the wire to see if we'd catch a glimpse of Old Faithful, but we ended up missing it by about 5 or so minutes. Considering there were SO many people there (it was a tourism nightmare - imagine Disney World in terms of crowds, cars, etc.), we decided to head out instead of waiting another hour and a half for the next time it would go off.
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| <3 Park Rangers |
After a drive through and stop in Yellowstone, we took a quick (if you can call an hour or so drive "quick") detour into Idaho, where we stopped for lunch. NEW STATE! (Sadly, it was the only new state of the trip; though, we did visit two Canadian provinces new to both of us...but that's for another post at another time...) There wasn't much to take a picture of, but I did find a giant stuffed potato, so I figured that would suffice in terms of evidence.
We spent that night in Helena, Montana - a hotel bed to myself and a real shower never felt so good! In hindsight, I'm really glad we broke up the camping in between the Tetons and Glacier, as I can only take sleeping directly on the hard ground so many days in a row...
After our time in Helena, we hit the road in order to get to Glacier in time to claim a coveted camp site. We entered on the eastern side (after a scenic but bumpy drive), where we found the St. Mary's campground was full. We tried the next site about five miles up the road, and we met with success. Rising Sun it would be! It turned out to be a great spot - there was a restaurant, a visitor store/center, and a shower facility (where you could buy tokens to use them).
Here's a view from the restaurant:
(I think we ended up eating there about 4 or 5 times...we didn't cook our own food.)
As soon as we put up the tent (which we got more efficient at doing throughout the trip!), we were off to see what we could see... It turns out you could see a lot; however, the "Going to the Sun" Road was closed at Logan Pass, so we could only drive so far west before being turned around by a traffic cop.
After rain (and lightning) threatened and then ended our afternoon hike, we ate dinner and then found some places to view sunset. And at night, the moon came out, the clouds finally cleared, and we could see stars! It was absolutely breathtaking.
(Here's a picture of our two-(wo)man tent) -->
When you're camping in a national park, it seems essential (at least to us) to see sunrise, so we found a spot we could pull off the road a mile or so away from our campsite. You just can't beat these views...
Breakfast came next - we decided it was important to fuel up before our 6 mile round-trip ranger-led hike to three waterfalls, which we would be joining at 8:30. We got to the trail head a little early, so we waited in the car - it was cold! When other hikers started arriving, we got out so we could get acquainted and prepare for the hike. A man and his wife came up to me when I was tying my shoes. He said, "I know you. You're the Glacier expert. I heard you speak last night." I must have given them an extremely quizzical look because his wife assured him that I was someone different. "You're not a ranger out of uniform?" he asked. Nope. Apparently I look just like the ranger. (I get mistaken for other people a lot - must be the long brown hair and...?)
Our first stop on the hike (led by Ranger Dori) was a spot where a chalet originally stood. The view was beautiful.
We kept hiking, stopping at three waterfalls along the way (the last one being where we turned around to head back). Our ranger guide filled us in on the wildlife and vegetation, trees, etc. we saw along the way. And, she also told us why the lake appeared teal/aqua - apparently it's from the minerals that get rubbed off when the glaciers slide against one another. The photos don't really do the water color justice...
Here's a picture of me and my friend by one of the falls -->
And here's me by the top fall -->
During the hike, we got to know the man and woman who originally mistook me for the ranger. He's a retired pharmacist and she's a professor/dean in Texas at a college that trains teachers. They were absolutely delightful, and they invited us to dinner later that evening. They were at our same campsite (just up closer to the entrance in their camper), so that worked out well. (I think that encounter/evening deserves its own post, though, so I won't go into detail about that here.)
For our last full day in Glacier, we decided to treat ourselves to a horseback ride. The only problem was that the first place we tried wouldn't have an open ride till 10. Seeing as we wanted to get to the other side of the park (which was no easy task) for the day, we declined, hoping we could get a horse ride over there. We headed back toward our campsite (8+ miles driving south around the outside the park) to see if the Going to the Sun Road was open (rumors were flying among rangers, park staff, and fellow campers the previous night that it was set to open on Saturday) - if it was, it would make our trip much easier, seeing as we could drive west across the park instead of going south outside the park and around the outside (1-1.5 hours versus 2.5-3 hours)...and, to our elation and surprise, it was!
The drive while shorter was INCREDIBLY foggy. I could see about 10-15 feet in front of me. So, it wasn't the most scenic drive (and it probably wasn't the safest drive), but we did it! Sadly, the next place we tried for horses (at Lake McDonald) was full up till Monday, but they called over to Apgar to see if they were open. They were! We just had to get there by 10.
(On a side note, when we told the wrangler at Lake McDonald that we had gotten there by way of the Going to the Sun Road, she was surprised it had opened so early, and she yelled out to the other wranglers fixing up the horses that she had been way off. I asked if they made bets about when the road would open each year, and she said that they all put money into a pool and picked dates. How fun! I wonder who won because no one expected the road to open before July, let alone as early as June 22!)
My horse's name was Winchester...and he liked to ride in the back...and eat the grass...
I hadn't been horseback riding since I was a kid, so it was pretty great. We didn't go faster than a walk, but it was a neat way to see some other parts of the park.
After the horseback ride, we headed back to Lake McDonald for lunch at the lodge, which we were told was a must. The wait was long, but it was worth it. While we waited, I bought more postcards, and we went out back for a glimpse at the lake. (Too bad it was overcast.)
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| inside the lodge looking up from our chairs |
Originally we had planned to stay on the west side of the park through sunset, but seeing as it was starting to rain harder and it was extremely cloudy, we decided to head back the other way on the Going to the Sun Road. While not as foggy as the ride westward that morning, some fog still remained. Though, we were able to pull over at a lookout spot to see some bighorn sheep -->
Our trip to Glacier, though it was plagued with rain and fog from time to time, was probably my favorite part of the whole road trip. I could have easily spent a week there and not seen/hiked it all!
Now, to finally wrap up this post, here are just a few other random photos highlighting the trip:
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| the restaurant next to our campsite where we ate most of our meals |
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| me and my ice cream - such a happy time! :) |
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| I have a very real (and somewhat irrational) fear of bears, so this photo was just for fun. But through this road trip I was able to face my fear head on. I'm convinced I'll be better off because of it - meetings with angry parents or coworkers can't possibly be as scary as this... |
Next stop...Banff!
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Postcard Vacation
It started with a postcard...on a fifth grader's locker...of the Grand Teton National Park.
As soon as I saw it, I knew that was where I wanted to go...so I did. This year's road trip (3rd year running) with my friend was this past week and a half out west to the Tetons, Glacier, and Banff (with a few stops in between).
There are a ton of photos - nearly every time I turned around I was amazed even more by nature's beauty. (God is so good.) So I'll split them up into several posts. Let's start with the Tetons (where we camped for two days after staying in Wall, SD for a night):
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| This was our view driving into the park to our campsite. |
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| Naturally we got out to snap a few photos. |
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| We visited our campsite's visitor center after we pitched the tent. |
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| It was so peaceful out back! |
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| We found a good spot by the lake to sit and watch the sunset. |
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| Apparently it's hard to see the person in the photo when the sunset is behind you... |
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| Camping chairs for the win! |
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| It was cloudy/overcast every day. |
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| But the views were still breathtaking. |
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| And it sure was cold! |
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| On our first day we took a guided hike with a ranger and group of visitors. |
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| Later that afternoon, we hiked the Phelps Lake trail. We actually ended up seeing a black bear, but with the help of a ranger (I like to think it was divine intervention), we made it past the bear and finished the trail before sunset. What a day! |
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| Sunrise over the lake - chilly but worth it to stand on the dock! |
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| And then, of course, coffee! We found some every day, no worries. |
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| On our final morning we hiked to Hidden Falls. |
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| We stopped a few times to take in the view (and snap some photos). |
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| At the top it was easy to see why it's such a popular trail... (We even ran into the ranger who helped us the previous evening!) |
I think it's safe to say we were the most active in the Tetons, even though it rained/was misty and overcast every day. The park did not disappoint. And we were just getting started...next it was off to Glacier (via a drive through Yellowstone, a side trip to Idaho (new state!), and a stay in real beds in Helena (what a good decision to break up the camping on the hard ground...)), but that's all for another day.
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Time to hit the road again
It's that time of year again - time to pack up the car, fill up the gas tank, put the phone on airplane mode, and literally take a hike (or two or ten).
To say I'm excited would be an understatement. This annual trip is just what I always seem to need - there's nothing like a dose of sunshine (hopefully!) and incredibly beautiful sights to remind you of God's goodness and just how important it is to clear your head from time to time.
This year my friend and I are actually going to camp in the parks - I finally invested in a sleeping bag, hiking poles, a Camelbak, and hiking boots. (How I made it this far in life without these things considering how much I love the great outdoors is beyond me...) I still don't own a tent - that belongs to my friend.
I must admit that I'm mildly afraid of running into bears; though, a good friend did lend me her bear spray. But I'm going to try to not let that fear interfere with the overall experience or preoccupy my thoughts. (In all honesty, the more I've read about bears in the parks the more comfortable I feel.)
This summer is going to go by so fast - changing jobs/schools, grad school classes and graduation, my sister's wedding. I feel that it will be over in the blink of an eye. I want to drink it all in and enjoy it to the fullest, so bring it on. Let's get this road trip started!
To say I'm excited would be an understatement. This annual trip is just what I always seem to need - there's nothing like a dose of sunshine (hopefully!) and incredibly beautiful sights to remind you of God's goodness and just how important it is to clear your head from time to time.
This year my friend and I are actually going to camp in the parks - I finally invested in a sleeping bag, hiking poles, a Camelbak, and hiking boots. (How I made it this far in life without these things considering how much I love the great outdoors is beyond me...) I still don't own a tent - that belongs to my friend.
I must admit that I'm mildly afraid of running into bears; though, a good friend did lend me her bear spray. But I'm going to try to not let that fear interfere with the overall experience or preoccupy my thoughts. (In all honesty, the more I've read about bears in the parks the more comfortable I feel.)
This summer is going to go by so fast - changing jobs/schools, grad school classes and graduation, my sister's wedding. I feel that it will be over in the blink of an eye. I want to drink it all in and enjoy it to the fullest, so bring it on. Let's get this road trip started!
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
End of Year Smiles
The end of the school year brings a mixed bag of emotions no matter what plans for the next school year may bring. But this year, emotions are running especially high, as I am changing jobs/schools and my sister is getting married - both good things, but they bring with them big changes and the unknown...
I haven't been one for many words lately, so why should today be any different? Instead, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. (Currently I am twiddling my thumbs, waiting to be checked out of my classroom at school...)
I am so incredibly grateful for the past 7 years at my school, and I am excited for the adventures to come (this summer and beyond). Cheers!
I haven't been one for many words lately, so why should today be any different? Instead, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. (Currently I am twiddling my thumbs, waiting to be checked out of my classroom at school...)
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| mom came to town for Marisa's bridal shower so we went to see a show |
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| some of my wonderful coworkers at our end-of-year luncheon |
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| notes from Marisa's students for the shower |
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| there will be more sunflowers at the wedding... |
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| champagne, games, and candy :) |
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| the socks were a hit |
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| the book of prayers and poems was a hit too |
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| I gave the bouquet making job to another friend - wouldn't have looked half as good if I had attempted it... |
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| she's ready for the wedding... |
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| the whole crew - what a great shower! |
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| both of these ladies are getting married this summer :) |
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| Are you twins or something? ;) ;) |
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| just dancing and doing our thing... |
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| Soul Cycle class with my coworkers #tonightweride |
I am so incredibly grateful for the past 7 years at my school, and I am excited for the adventures to come (this summer and beyond). Cheers!
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