A Sweet-Ass Double Feature: Glacier Nat’l Park & Missoula, MT!

We are now in Glacier National Park in northern MT. It is spectacular. Fall colors are already surfacing across the meadows and forest, and within weeks the roads will be closed for winter. We’ve seen several glaciers here, and some of the highest peaks have strips of snow that lasted through summer. On the first day Matt and I hiked up to a lake through the woods. A nice little hike off the main road, but nothing life-changing. As we progressed deeper into the park, though, the scenery became far more impressive and extreme. We headed east along the Journey to the Sun Road. Eventually it bypassed lakes and meadows and forests, climbing up to the pass at 6500 feet. From there we were surrounded by northern Rockies, deep valleys, and an occasional glacier. We camped on the eastern edge of the park and had a pleasant evening, grilling burgers and lounging around. The glaciers we saw here were lovely, but they’re mere ugly stepchildren to the hulking iceflows we saw around Canada and Alaska. But hey, this is the lower 48.

The next day we went to the area of the park called Many Glacier. We found a trail leading to Grinnell Glacier, which started in the woods along two large lakes. Within the first half-hour we saw a massive moose across the water, gracefully munching on something. We continued and saw another mother moose, with some calves beyond her, snacking on a bush. The path continued around two lakes then up a steep hillside which led us along some red rock cliffs to the glacial lake and finally Grinnell Glacier. The morning had started completely overcast, but by the time we reached the glacier the clouds were dispersing. We caught some sweeping views of the glacier, which looked smaller up close than far away. Grinnell Glacier is one of the ones the park has been tracking carefully, and they predict it will vanish by 2030. The hike was about 11 miles total and we got back to the starting point at about 6 pm.

We agreed it was time for a little indoor time. After the hike we returned to the first lake, upon which a huge German Alps-style lodge sits. We popped in and discovered its large wooden porch overlooking the water, as well as the plush living room inside where lots of people were relaxing. So we went to the van, changed, and grabbed booze and snacks for some porch time. As the sun continued to set behind the mountains and the temperature dropped, a hardy rain shower began and lasted for an hour or two. We moved inside and sat by the fire, where I read and did some post cards.

The two nights before Glacier Park were a lot of fun. Missoula, MT! I found us a couch-surfing host there; by coincidence she had gone to U of Delaware with Matt. Her name is Lauren and she turned out to be a gem of a host. We got in on a Saturday afternoon and for some reason the Missoulans had stuffed this weekend fill with festivals. Lauren first took us downtown to Hempfest (a brief walk from her house) where we listened to live music and got food. She showed us around the historic buildings, an artist residence, a brewery, bakeries and more. You may be wondering what Hempfest was. “What exactly is this Hempfest,” you say. Well, MT has legalized medicinal marijuana, and the festival basically consisted of music and food and specialty vendors. For example, a doctor’s office handed out half-off coupons for appointments at which you can get a medical card. Other booths sold pipes and clothes, and one booth even had jars of various varieties of weed for sale. Perhaps the oddest aspect was the consistency of the crowd. The standard hippies represented themselves, strolling along with young families, children, white-haired former flower children and other sun-baked geezers.

We also got to meet a bunch of Lauren’s friends in town, who came over for a houseparty after Hempfest music was over. The newly painted van was a big success. We showed it off to our new friends and received many compliments. “Dude, this van is tricked out!” Why, thank you.

The next day was great too. We went to the same downtown park for the day’s Germanfest and farmers’ market and poked around. Yet another festival, a pedestrian festival on the main street, took place simultaneously. After getting some pizza and warming up in the sun, we decided to go to a swimming hole Lauren recommended. It reminded me of Lexington’s Panther Falls, with a hidden cave reached by swimming under the rock. This place was right on the side of the interstate, though, so we and the other swimmers provided some entertainment for honking truckers passing by.

We stayed that night as well, enjoying a live jazz performance at a bar downtown which featured some creative martinis. Lauren and I had a potent thin mint-type creation, and Matt had a jalapeno-onion cocktail. The following morning we left for Glacier Nat’l Park, 2-3 hours to the north.