Takeaways:

• What some people consider an “easy” hike, might not be easy for you.  Know your limits and maybe don’t visit a distillery and go for a hike until you’ve discovered what your limits are.
• You can rent bear mace.  I didn’t encounter a bear but I did feel better falling asleep with my mace next to me in the tent.  The people who rent the bear mace also have great information about the area.
• Flying into Canada and driving down is maybe not the best option and customs was a bit confused when I was entering Canada and then flying back to the U.S. within a few hours but the drive really wasn’t bad.  If I were to go again I would also like to couple my trip with Banff National Park
• JUST GO to Glacier National Park!  I don’t care what you have to say.  Just go.

Whenever I asked people what I should do when it was time to visit Montana, I always got the same answer . . . Glacier National Park.  Each and every person who told me to go there was right.  It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, the people were wonderful and I had a relatively easy time getting around by myself (of course I did fly into Calgary and then drove down, so that part was a little messy but once I was there, easy peasy).  I flew in late and stayed the night in Calgary, driving down to Montana early the next morning.  By the time I reached the park it was closer to noon than I wanted it to be, so I rushed to catch a campsite before they were full.  I found one of about three open spaces in the Southern area of the park (the Northern side of the park was open, but battling fires).  After setting up camp, the next important thing to check off my list was getting bear mace.  I wound up finding a store where I could rent some and they also suggested a couple of hikes.  The one he suggested for that day was “easy” so he also pointed me toward a grocery store and a distillery to visit before the hike.  A couple hours later I had successfully filled my cooler, wet my whistle at the Whiskey Barn and was two miles into my extremely vertical hike when it became clear that his idea of easy and my idea of easy were NOT the same and I was REALLY regretting the whiskey tasting.  By the time I made it to the top of the mountain, I was happy to sit down for a bit (it was a BEAUTIFUL view) before I needed to race the sun down the mountain.  It was close but I won.  I also took a couple moments to really LOOK where I was and it was overwhelming.  I especially couldn’t believe I was there alone, the ONLY person on the side of a mountain with my bear mace.  I am only slightly embarrassed to tell you it was this moment I broke down.  I suddenly realized what I was doing, the journey I was on and how different my outlook on life and myself was from just two months before when I was starting my trip in Georgia.  For the first time in a long time I actually felt light, free of fear and self hatred and I was really REALLY proud to be me.  It was the best I had felt in a long time and the rest of the trip only got better.

Day 2:  I had gotten some great suggestions about other hikes to do and I decided on  Highline Trail.  I had seen the beginning portion of the hike as I drove in the day before where it looked like people were hiking right on the side of a cliff edge and I knew I wanted to also, so I decided to wake up early and grab the shuttle up to the beginning of the hike at Logan’s Pass.  It is an approximately 12 mile hike and I was slightly concerned how long it would take me, so I wanted to get an early start.  Turns out I hike a lot faster than I thought, but either way, better safe than sorry.  If the previous day’s hike left me feeling proud, this hike left me feeling like wonder woman.  There are not words to describe the beauty I experienced.  Not a single one of my pictures does justice to the views I saw, but check them out anyway. 🙂  If it doesn’t make you want to get up and go directly to GNP then you are just a monster human and we can’t be friends :-b .

If you choose to go on this hike and you start at Logan Pass, as you near the Granite Park Chalet, you will find a turn off to a measly half mile detour that takes you above a glacier.  Now, of course I suggest it but I warn you this was absolutely the most difficult part of my over 13 mile hike.  It took a loooong time.  I also
made the horrible mistake of sharing my water with a stranger, which . . . ok it WAS the right thing to do, but later on I was really wishing I’d had more. (Water is sold at the Granite Park Chalet, but they sell out early in the day).  Anyway, when you reach the top, it is absolutely breathtaking.  Without a doubt, this view was worth a flight to Canada, drive to Montana and putting my out of shape body through excruciating pain.

As I finished my hike (I basically ran the last 3 miles down hill because I could barely use my legs to stop myself) and hopped on the shuttle to take me back to my car I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to move again.  My legs became SO tight on the ride I must have looked ridiculous hobbling to my car.  I probably should have stretched.  At this point, all I wanted was a shower and a real meal.  The meat, cheese, crackers and fruit I’d brought with me just wasn’t holding up.  I drove to a nearby campsite where you could purchase a shower and was more than happy to give them $5 to stand under hot water and rinse off my poor, exhausted body.

I got back into the park just in time to watch the sun set and take another moment to appreciate the beautiful place I was in (both figuratively and literally).  I wandered to a restaurant for dinner because I DESERVED a night out.  I chose buffalo meatloaf and a local beer which ended up being the most delicious thing I have ever eaten OR I was famished, you decide.  The only thing I slightly regret is both nights I had planned to get out and watch the stars as I happened to be there during a meteor shower.  Unfortunately each night I would lay down to watch the stars, plan on giving my eyes time to adjust and end up falling asleep instead.  I did see a couple shooting stars, but unfortunately probably missed out on a pretty amazing view.  It’s ok, though.  I am sure I will see one or two more before my 20s are over.

 

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

One of the biggest reasons I wanted to visit GNP is because global warming is ruining their beauty every single day.  The glacier I stood above is shrinking significantly every year and could be completely gone by 2030.  This is the part where I remind everyone, and myself, that we need to treat the earth more like it’s a friend we have to depend on.  Because guess what, we do.

Read about it here.