(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.
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