Trip Diary - Looking Back at Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park holds a very special place in my heart. In 2015 something in Andy and I made us decide to want to drive there from Kentucky. Yes, Kentucky. Why did we go there in the first place? And what is pulling us back?

Investing time in the outdoors is never a bad thing. I was raised backpacking and being outdoors. Andy was raised with outdoor sports and developed a love of the outdoors when we married. I never realized how therapeutic the outdoors could be until I had experienced severe depression. This was the point where we decided to go out west.

This is pre-Brakayla, our 1985 VW van. The vehicle of choice was the 2000 VW Beetle. We chose her because of her great fuel mileage (she's a diesel). We packed it up with a stuff sack, a 25 year old cooler, a tent and some backpacking gear. Our expectations of this trip were nonexistent. Neither of us had never been to the Northwest. Montana was brand new territory. Our determination on the ride out there was to camp as much as possible and get off the beaten path. Fortunate for us, you have no choice but to get off the beaten path when driving to Glacier National Park. Our route took us North through Chicago, up to Minnesota and straight on to the Dakotas. Our first stop, Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Upon first sight of this area, I could see why ol’ T.R. loved this place. We took in the wild horses, free-roaming bison and great expanse. We also noticed a certain smog in the air. A full 9 hours away, there was a wildfire raging at Glacier. The smoke was filling the air the closer we got to Montana. At one point, we were pulled over by a cop for speeding and told we were going to be out of luck seeing anything at Glacier. He laughed and told us we were wasting our time. That night we stayed at the Lodgepole Gallery and Tipi Village (http://www.blackfeetculturecamp.com) in Browning, MT. We were worried about our trip being ruined, to say the least.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Before I go further with the details of our trip, I want to mention that our camp was on the Blackfeet Reservation. I cannot stress enough how important it is to not only take in the natural beauty of the land, but to understand the people who’ve been living here for centuries. If you find yourself staying on a Native American reservation, do yourself a favor and educate yourself about where you are staying. Native American culture is beautiful and should be respected.

From the reservation we ventured into Glacier. The smoke was THICK. Going-To-The-Sun Road was as amazing as we thought it was going to be. But where to sleep for the night? We were fortunate enough to set up camp at the Many Glacier campground before our big hike. As we were trying to set up our tent some major wind set in. And it set in all…night…long. Not a second went by when the wind was not blowing. It didn’t even dawn on us…. it was moving the smoke out of the area. By the time we went to the ranger station the next morning to register for our hike, the air had cleared. With renewed minds and bodies, we set out on our hike.

The glaciers are melting, if you hadn’t heard.

A note about registering for a hike a Glacier, have 4 hikes in mind. At peak season, Glacier is crowded. We tend to go at the end of the season, which poses different challenges (possible snow closures). Backcountry camps can be reserved, but, more than likely, you’re going to walk up to the ranger station early in the morning to get your hike. My advice, do your research about the entire park and know what your backups are. Ask the ranger for suggestions based on what hike you wanted to do. They are the experts.

We chose to hike to Gunsight Pass, which what turned out to be a 20 mile, two day, 1 night trip. We wanted a 3 day, 2 night trip but we ended up covering more ground than we thought we could. Also, rain came in right behind that wind. As a person that loses my toenails from hiking, I was ok with not hiking in the rain to save my toes. I will always hold this hike dear to my heart. It was hard, it was beautiful. It was filled with the most beautiful vistas I’ve ever seen. As I’m typing this, I can’t even find the words to describe what I saw on this hike. At one point, it tested me more than I had ever been physically tested. Again, wind was the factor that made this hard. A full day of walking on the ledge of a mountain with 30 mph winds whipping around you will wear you out. By the time we made it to Lake Ellen Wilson on our first night, we were happily exhausted. The backcountry camps in Glacier are pretty bad ass. Lake Ellen Wilson included a pit toilet. No walls on this little toilet, but I can’t say I’ve ever been to a bathroom with a better view. We pumped water from the lake for our bottles, sat and watched stars, ate our dinner and enjoyed what we had accomplished for the day. I can’t say I’ve ever been more satisfied.

A look toward our route for the day.

The next day took us up to Sperry Chalet, which are “rustic” accommodations for those lucky enough to snag a reservation. We bought some lunch at the small kitchen and started our trek downhill. And that downhill hike had nothing in the way of views. This is a horse trail that is rocky and has switchbacks through the woods. My knees were very happy to finally make it down to Lake McDonald Lodge. We were fortunate to get a bed that night at one of the cabins at the lodge. On our way to dinner happened to be the only time we had a bear encounter. He walked right past our cabin and apparently was on his way to dinner too. Rangers were keeping the idiots away that were trying to take pictures with him. Yeah…in this day and age people were trying to get within a foot of a hungry bear.

I could go on and on about the views, the trails, the specifics of the trip. This place is magic. Experiencing the quiet in the day, the sounds of animals and wind, mountain goats that want to make friends…everything was exactly what I needed and wanted. Somewhere on our way home, Andy and I had a conversation that we felt our lives changed on this trip. Separately and together we felt that we came to the realization that something had shifted in our lives for the better. I went into that trip with no expectations of anything except I knew I’d be sore from a hike. I came away with a clear mind, inner strength and calm. I can’t say any other trip has ever made me feel that way.

Andrew enjoying the view.

Since then we’ve been on several backpacking trips and none have come close to that trip in Glacier. We’ve been waiting for the right time to get back there. It seems that 2019 is that time. I cannot wait to make new experiences on the road out there with our VW Vanagon, Brakayla. Stay tuned for all the details of this new trip!

-Bink