To Glacier and Back Again

One week ago we found ourselves in one the most beautiful places in the world - Glacier National Park, Montana. Yes, I am a little biased - I grew up less than an hour away and spent many summers hiking and camping there, and Zac and I had our wedding party and families hike Avalanche Lake two days before our wedding. These mountains are full of wonderful memories and are just as breathtaking now as they were the first time I set eyes on them. 

Lake McDonald

We decided that Corby and Mary's wedding put us so close within driving range that we just couldn't pass up the chance to see Glacier again. We set off with Grandpa after the wedding for Zoë's first camping trip!

We arrived in the Park mid-morning on Monday and were greeted by a gorgeous blue sky and warm sunshine. We quickly found a campsite at Sprague Creek and without unloading any of our gear, we headed onward and upward on the Going to the Sun Road.

Zoë did exceptionally well with all the driving - I'm sure it helped that the scenery was fun to look at, and every time we would pass a waterfall, she would do her Heil-Hitler-like sign for rain (hilarious!), and we made pit stops along the way to take pictures like this:

And this:

And this:

We finally made it to the top and nearly ran out of the van in excitement to begin our first hike up to Hidden Lake. So quickly, in fact, that we all forgot to put on sunscreen (a mistake we all sorely regretted later, thanks to the sunny day and the snow we hiked on for a couple hours...fortunately, Zoë was well covered and just got some rosiness on her cheeks.) Whoops. 

Zoë and Daddy - ready to take on the world! She did so well chilling out in her little carrier, kicking her legs back and forth, waving to people as they walked by and saying, "Ooooooooo! Ooooooo!" (one of her new favorite expressions). I'm pretty sure she was as excited about seeing the mountains as I was, so excited that she decided to take a nap until we reached the top. :)

Though I have been on this hike many times in the past, this was the first time it was completely covered in snow from beginning to end - usually there are boardwalks and steps to help you get up the steep climb. Let's just say hiking up a steep incline in snow with a baby on your back is not the easiest thing in the world - but it sure was fun! 

 At the top we were greeted by our dear friend, the mountain goat, who was really quite friendly. Zoë kept making her elephant sound at him (she does that for all animals), though what really got her excited were the little chipmunks running around the rocks.

Zoë got to do a little rock climbing of her own with a little help from mommy, though she didn't really need it. She is definitely my child :) Here we are making our way back down the winter wonderland...in shorts. There were several hikers that slid down on coats or sleds, and some even had carried snowboards and skis up for a fun run down, including one woman wearing a coconut bra. Interesting.

We made it back to our campsite just in time to set up the tents and start some dinner. Here Zoë is "helping" grill the corn. Actually, I think this is soon after Zoë did a face-plant in the gravel and scraped up her nose :*( so she needed some tender lovin' and a little extra supervision.

Putting everybody to work! When Zoë wasn't eating the dirt and pine needles, she was "cleaning" the picnic table with a rag. What a sweetheart. :)

Walking a log with Grandpa

We had a lovely evening roasting hotdogs, chili and corn over the fire with the sun shining through the trees and on the lake just a few steps away. Zoë was wiped out by the adventures of the day and fell fast asleep in her pack-n-play in our tent (yes!!) and slept very well through most of the night (except for a brief awakening we blamed on the overly load bird chirping in the tree above our tent) while we enjoyed the beautiful view and made s'mores around the campfire.

As we crawled into our sleeping bags that night, we had no idea what was in store for us. The next day began with a BANG of thunder around 4:00 a.m. I woke to the sound of hail peppering our tent and lightning illuminating the sky. Then came the rain. Zoë had stirred before the storm began, so I brought her into my sleeping bag to keep her warm and she continued to sleep through most of the storm. Which just kept going. And going. And going. 

Around 7:00 a.m., we made our escape in the pouring rain to the bathroom and then into the van, where Zac, Zoë and I sat and watched the torrent hit the windshield and wondered how Grandpa was faring in his little tent which looked like it was starting to fall down. Eventually, the rain let up and we quickly set up the grill to make breakfast - pancakes and hot chocolote. Yum. Much to her disappointment, Zoë was not allowed to crawl around in the mud and instead was forced to hang out in the carrier. And then fell asleep. I'm beginning to wonder if this carrier has magic sleeping powers...

The rain literally dampened our plans (and my mood :s) since we had intended on camping at least one more night. We went back to Apgar and Lake McDonald to check out the gift shop while we waited to see what the weather would do, and came back just in time to take our tents down in the rain. Ugh.

We decided to take the chance of driving over Logan Pass to Many Glacier to see how the weather was on the other side and found this:

 Sun! But wait...what is that coming over the mountains? 

We enjoyed the few sights we could before the storm came over us...again...but unfortunately were not able to go on anymore hikes. Bummer. At least we got to see a black bear romping in the grass along the road to Many Glacier! We made our way to St. Mary's Lodge where we found many other hikers and campers waiting out the storm.

Though the view was quite different than it would have been with blue skies and sun, it still was spectacular.

We kept hoping that the weather would clear, but the rain continued on and on through the day and the temperature dropped. We ended up making our way back to the other side of the park and driving back to Kalispell to find a hotel.  Though I was extremely disappointed, it was probably better for all of us to have a nice, warm bed. And a hot tub and sauna weren't too bad either. :)

Zoë, entertaining herself (and us) on the long drive back through the park. She did quite well considering she had been in the car for most of the day, but then lost it 20 minutes before we made it to the hotel. Oh man. :s

The next morning we began our long trek home with a couple stops on the way. We made a short stop in Lakeside where I spent over 10 years of my life and took some pictures on the dock where I would sit and stare at the mountains, and where we took some of our wedding pictures five years ago. Even though the skies were overcast and we couldn't really see the mountains, it was fun taking Zoë to my old stomping grounds. :)

 

We continued on our way making a slight detour to Missoula, Montana, to see my little brother, Kenny, and his girlfriend, Natasha and eat some Thai food. As you can see, Zoë and Uncle Kenny get along pretty well. :)

Zac and I decided to extend the long trip home with a belated anniversary gift to ourselves: a Hampton Inn hotel suite called "Home Suite Home," complete with two rooms (we stuck Zoë in the living room), balcony and jacuzzi bath tub. Oh. Yeah. With take out from Applebee's. 

Good times, good memories. Glacier, we will be seeing you again - someday. And it will be in August when there won't be any rain. :)