Glacier National Park...and the Center of North America

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Passing through North Dakota on our way to Montana, we stopped at a small hamlet called Rugby. Rugby has been declared the "exact geographical center of north america" and proudly displays this title with a big stone monuement. It also happens to be the site of a little restaurant that sells toe jam (a delightful jam made of nearly every fruit under the sun...yum!). And then...a couple of days drive later...we arrived in Glacier National Park.

Glacier is HUGE...and is an International Peace Park because it is joined with Canada as well. It's the home of enormous "U" shaped valleys, gigantic Rocky Mountains, and of course, glaciers. The Rockies here weren't just caused by the continental divide...they were carved out by the glaciers 10,000 years ago as well. The glaciers melted into the large and immensely deep lakes that are scattered all over the park. Clinging to the sides of the mountains in shaded areas, however, are remnants of the exact same glaciers. They're still clinging there, trying desparately not to melt due to global warming. Sadly, even in the last 10 years, they've started dissappearing at an alarming rate. They simply look like leftover snow stuck to the sides of the cliffs at this point...though looking at photos of the park in winer, they take your breath away.

It's a beautiful park that amazes as you stand in awe of its size and beauty. However, just riding the shuttle from the southwest point to an eastern point and back is 100 miles, and makes you feel like you've been driving all day due to the steep twists and turns. There's plenty of hiking, many entrances that for the most part aren't connected on the inside of the park unless you're doing a 5-day hike in between, and a lot of photo opportunities. There are also the usual bears and bear warnings. Here there are Grizzlies and Black bears...which you cannot feed, pet, or hope to get away from if they're angry with you. This park has been the most serious about telling you what to do if you encounter a bear...so while we hiked we were sure to make lots of noise even if we were "on a high-traffic trail". Luckily (or sadly, if you enjoy taking pictures of wildlife just before being clawed into tiny pieces), we never met a bear. We did, however, meet some crazy high speed winds and a severe temperature drop...one day it was 85 degrees and the next day 42. We planned on staying a bit longer to hike more trails, but it's tough going when the wind and cold are biting at you through your clothes on a nice sunny day. Great stop, but on to warmer weather!

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