The Last Hike

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This was our final day at Glacier, so we had to make it count, even though the weather was not taking our last day into consideration. At breakfast we enjoyed conversation with other guests at the Bed and Breakfast and upon their recommendation we decided to go hike the Avalanche Lake Trail. Though we had rather go hike one on the east side of the park, the amount of travel swayed us from that trek. Donald had briefly considered driving to the Yaak Valley area of Montana in search of Tom from the show Mountain Men. He would have loved to have purchased an animal fur that Tom himself had trapped and skinned. But that would have been a 3 hour drive there and a 3 hour drive back, so we stuck with the decision to stay on the west side of the park and hike the Avalanche Trail. I have to admit that hiking nearly 5 miles on a trail in the rain was a less than desirable activity - especially not knowing if we would be able to see anything after hiking that far, but I kept that thought to myself.

As we traveled towards the park, the rain began to fall and got heavy at times. Before leaving the B&B, we had borrowed ponchos to use in case of rain. As the rain got heavier, I came to the conclusion that I was not hiking in that downpour regardless of having a poncho. But Donald continued on to hiking area. When we reached the parking area the rain had slowed to a drizzle and the weather had kept most of the people inside, so it was not crowded as usual. So decision changed - we were hiking. We geared up and headed on the trail. And this time, I did wear my hiking boots.

As the trail began, it ran alongside a river. The power of the water had created a bit of a canyon in areas and several waterfalls. It was beautiful. The wooded area was tall trees that with very little undergrowth so you could see for long distances. The rain was still a bit misty so Donald put on then poncho and I opted for only a hat that I had borrowed from Donald's collection. The poncho was very long, oversized and bright red. There was no way you could miss him coming up the trail. The trail continued on and the rain stopped. We entered an area of ferns and moss and mud. So glad I put on the right shoes this time. Then it turned into an area of large overgrown plants. Donald commented that it reminded him of a scene from the movie Journey to The Mysterious Island. We eventually made it to the lake and was wowed by the view.

Avalanche Lake was a clear lake backdropped by snow capped mountains. There were many waterfalls coming down the mountain that were flowing heavily from the snowmelt. It was hard to describe and pictures could never express the beauty there. We took a snack break while admiring God's creation and took advantage of the needed rest. But the longer we sat, the more crowded the area became. This is apparently one of the most popular hikes in the park and with the weather improving slightly, others got on the trail too.

There wasn't much wildlife in the area. Only a couple of chipmunks who were on a date - so we gave them their privacy. Before we left the lake a family of ducks came swimming by. It looked like the mom was teaching the ducklings how to dive for their food. And they were learning fast. A few pictures later we were back on the trail. By then the trail was a major highway of people. I am always amazed at the lack of preparation some people do for a hike in the woods - especially the longer hikes. Some have no supplies whatsoever - not even water. Some are in flip flops or other inappropriate hiking shoes. Most don't carry bear spray or other means of defense if a wild animal is encountered. But then you do have the ones who know the proper precautions and are experienced hikers. We did carry bear spray on our hikes, and fortunately never had to use it. We did use the water, cameras, hiking sticks and of course the red poncho. Donald did discard the red poncho before reaching the lake and it became a good seat cover for the wet log we sat on.

We reached the parking lot a while later, which was beyond capacity by that time. I saw a family carving their names in a dead tree by the river and could only think of how disrespectful they were of our national parks and the natural beauty that is there. I wanted to say something to them, but refrained. As we left the parking area, a park ranger was standing at the blockade of the road which prevented people from traveling beyond that point since they had not finished plowing the snow up top. Our hopes of the Going to the Sun road opening before we left were shattered. I knew it was not likely to happen. Truth is, it will probably will not open for a few more weeks.

We stopped at a viewing area of the raging river and walked down to a pedestrian bridge for a closer look. The river is dangerously intriguing. We took a final picture of us for this trip and headed to find a place to eat. We desperately needed to replenish the calories that we gave up on that trail. We settled on a little restaurant inside the park for its convenience. I have learned through the years that most eateries inside the parks are not that great. They provide basic quick food and it is usually good, but certainly nothing special.

We drove around some of the other areas for a bit for a last chance spotting of the bigger wildlife, but were not successful in spotting any. The wether was off and on rail all day making it a bit dreary. We stopped by a few gift shops and local merchants. We then headed back into town to get the car prepped for return. We had to clean the evidence of not keeping the car on paved roads off before returning it. With that mission accomplished, we headed back to our room to get things organized and packed up for we had an early morning flight home the next day. A couple of miles before reaching our room, a warning light came on indicating there was a problem with one of our tires of the rental car. Donald determined we had somehow picked up a nail in the back tire and were losing air pressure. He mentioned calling our insurance for roadside assistance but I persuaded him not to. It was probably take them 3 hours to find us - we are not exactly in a city or even a populated area. I suggested just getting a can of fix-a-flat since we had to return the car in just a few hours. He first thought I was kidding, but decided that was not such a bad idea. After all, it was in all probability and our kind of luck, that we would get a nail in the tire of the rental car when we were just trying to get it clean for the return.

The fix-a-flat seemed to have worked for the tire was not flat when we woke up to catch our flight. So we loaded up and returned the car before boarding the plane. The rental car agency was not even open when we arrived to the airport. These small airports do not operate the same as the major hubs. We boarded our flight and headed home. This trip was coming to an end and one more place has been marked off of our bucket list.

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