6/13/07 – Glacier N.P., MT

After sleeping in later than we had all trip, I woke up and immediately regretted indulging in the array of late night cheeses, brownies, old chicken fingers and chips at 4 am the night before. Having missed breakfast, we headed down to the restaurant for lunch. At this point we had to say our goodbye’s to Bear, but not before we watched him plow through three plates of food and made him pose for a picture (below) while he still had an entire omelet in his mouth. After lunch, we took our last luxury golf cart ride back to the cabin to repack the Land Rover. Unfortunately, it was time to leave Paws Up and return to the road. We’d like to sincerely thank all of the Shlansky’s for their hospitality and generosity. We had an incredible time hanging out at Paws Up and with all of you. Ben it was crazy getting to hang out in Montana and I hope your next two months of traveling are awesome, keep us updated on where you are and how it’s going.

Our original plan was to leave the Missoula area today and drive down into Yellowstone. However, after strong recommendations from Amy, Lucas and several people at Paws Up, we decided to take an extra day in Montana and go visit Glacier National Park. We hadn’t done any reading about the park, however, it was described to us as an absolute must see. The drive to the park took us through some of the truest backcountry of Montana that we could have imagined. At one point along our drive we were slowed down by what appeared to be some sort of road block. The road block was comprised of a Montana Sheriff and an army officer holding an M-16. Unsure of what to do we waited for the officer to approach us, at which point he asked frankly “Are you boys aware of what’s going on out here?” To which we promptly answered “Not a clue!” The friendly officer then informed us that two men had escaped from prison, one had been caught but the other was still armed and on the loose. They had established a road block on a 10 mile stretch of the road because they believed that they had the man pinned down within that area. We were instructed to not slow down at any point along the road and to under no circumstances stop. As we were waved through the road block and began driving on the strip of road in question we realized that several things remained unanswered. How long ago did this guy break out of prison? How far away is the prison? What is this guy armed with? And what the hell are we going to do if we see him? Thankfully we made it through the 10 mile strip and emerged at the other side of the blockade. After having our car checked to see if we had picked up the prisoner we found out that the man had escaped from jail 5 days ago and that the jail was almost 200 miles away. He had been looting his way up the country toward Canada and was armed with a hunting rifle. As we continued to drive north towards Canada I don’t think our newly acquired information made us feel any more at ease.

In any case, we arrived at Glacier around 4:30 pm. Unfortunately, due to snow the day before and general treacherous conditions they had closed off a majority of the park. However, one of the hikes Amy had recommended was still open and accessible. Our drive to the Avalanche Creek Trail took us along Lake McDonald and through some of the most incredible wilderness I’d ever seen. The air was refreshingly cool and crisp. Looking out over Lake McDonald you could see the snow covered mountains rising sharply above lush, dense forest which grew from the banks of a tranquil lake. The landscape combined with the glacier cooled air gave the entire park an indescribable feel, truly majestic. The Avalanche Creek Trail is a 4 mile round trip hike that climbs 500 feet. Although a seemingly average trail, this was by far the best hike on the trip thus far. The trail begins by following along a fast flowing creek which crashes water around sharp corners and steep drops of deeply red colored rocks. As the trail veers away from the creek you quickly find yourself deep in a thick forest of small streams and massive trees. Here is where we encountered a mule deer in search of its dinner. The mule deer came marching right down the trail as if we weren’t even there. The most spectacular part of the hike came at the very end as we approached Avalanche Lake. The turquoise waters of the lake were constantly replenished by three waterfalls which fell from the mountain tops high above. The almost unnatural colors, fresh air and tranquility of this lake and its surroundings made it one of the most unforgettable places I’ve ever been to. If I hadn’t already known that I wanted to someday live on a lake, this would have sealed the deal.

After leaving the park we stopped for dinner at a local pizzeria and sampled some of the huckleberry ice cream which this area of Montana is apparently famous for. Goooood stuff. Finally arriving back at Amy’s around 12:30 am and exhausted from the day, we promptly passed out. Glacier N.P. was without a doubt an absolutely worthwhile detour. Thanks to everyone who suggested it.

- Alex