Glacier (41) - August 12, 2019

Monday 

Today was an early and epic day.  Up and out of the cabin by 6:30 because we had a more than two-hour drive to get to our trail head and I was a bit worried we wouldn’t get a parking space.  The Grinnell Glacier hike (10 miles, round trip) is in the Many Glaciers area of the park – very far from where we’re staying so we drove back up the Going-to-the-Sky Road and headed out on our hike at 9 am.  

Soooo, there was no rain in the forecast for the entire day today but it basically drizzled on us for five straight hours.  There were parts of the hike that were stunning – probably the most beautiful hike we’ve ever done but the rain really wore on all of us and we were dragging.  

With about a mile to go we even asked some strangers who were returning, if it was even worth continuing and if not for the man’s very emphatic 'Yes, it's worth it', I think we would have all turned around.  We arrived at the fourth lake (Upper Grinnell Lake) and saw the massive glacier and the water pouring into the lake.  It looked like Alaska.  If it weren't raining and we weren't spent, freezing and sore, we would have parked it there for lunch.  Instead we took one picture and immediately turned around.  (Grant wouldn't even join in, he was in such a bad mood!)

All-in-all, we walked past a series of four lakes, underneath a waterfall, up 3,000 feet, down 1,000 feet…you name it .  Five hours later, we dragged ourselves back to the car.  Around 2:30 we stopped for lunch at Two Sister’s Café – very good lunch in between Babb, MT and St. Mary’s, MT. 

Around 3:30 we hit the Going-to-the-Sun Road again, this time stopping at the Logan Pass Visitor Center – the building looked amazing and large but it was tiny inside and it was freezing cold, drizzling and windy outside – so we rushed in, stamped passbooks, bought hat pins and magnets and kept going. 

Logan Pass Visitor Center

At the other end of the park we stopped in West Glacier at the grocery store and bought a few things. 

Then we finally made it back to the cabin at 6 pm

The kids tried to start a fire in one of the fire pits on site but the wood was so wet that it wouldn’t take so they fumbled together some s’mores and we all came back into the cabin and watch Shazam (a game show with Jamie Foxx where the contestants try to guess the name of songs). 

S'more attempt

Now it’s 8 pm and we’re winding down from a very long day.  Nick’s knee is in bad shape from the hike so that may alter our remaining plans but overall, we’re having sooooo much fun and we love this park.  (But we’re sleeping in tomorrow!)