Day 27

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Obfuscator writes: We hiked out of our spot at Snyder Lake with little fuss. We had seen most of what there was to see. All the surrounding areas were mountains, and so there wasn't much off-trailing to do that looked interesting enough that we were also well enough equipped to do. It went much faster going down than it had going up, and was still scenic. We had already seen most of it though, so there were a lot fewer picture opportunities. We got back to our car and unloaded stuff, and found a note with an email from the nice hiker lady on our windshield, so that we could discuss hiking gear further. It also had a local restaurant recommendation to be able to avoid the typical touristy food.

We moseyed back to the Ranger station, and got their recommendation for another day-in, day-out hike, and they said we should definitely check out the east side of the park, and the hiking there. After finding that the first laundromat nearest Glacier was $2.50 per load, we decided that since we had to pass through it anyway, we'd check out Browning again and see if they could do better. After an hour or so of driving, punctuated by 30 to 40 minutes of napping, we found that they indeed could. Incidentally, on the way, we found Rip Rap Rocks (Rip Rop Rip Rap Rocks), which we did not stop at, but which amused us. We washed all of our stuff, particularly Onaxthiel's wet gear, and sat down in the laundromat to do some typing and, well, laundry. A local lady ran the laundromat and a beauty shop attached to it, and was very friendly and helpful, and had some pretty photos of Glacier. We also met a local guy who works for the Forest Service. He told us some good bear stories, including about a bear that got hit by a car that he was able to buy for $300 so he could keep the pelt and so forth. (Onaxthiel adds: He also told me that the Forest Service has a lot of good job opportunities, particularly for an EMT. Could be something I'll look into.) For a nice drive, he recommended going up to the Chief Mountain International Highway, and so when the laundry was complete, we did. It took us a bit out of our way, but it was a good drive, and got us up to the Canadian border with some views we would probably have otherwise missed.

We pulled in to the Ranger station at St. Mary about 10 minutes before they would be closing, and again asked for opinions on camping. It turned out that there were really only two choices of campgrounds that were still open this time of year on that side of the park, and although the closer one was more exposed to the elements, it was closer. We opted for that, and self-registered for the site. After a plentiful wood harvesting session (mostly damp) we were eventually able to get a fire going, and we cooked ourselves some delicious ham-rice. Onaxthiel was also able to get some sewing done on various torn gear, which was a boon.

Late in the evening, it started sort of raining. We put up a large poncho-tarp, and decided to try sleeping under that for the evening, so as to keep the rest of our gear drier. The rain did let up, but that solution still helped, and we were able to sleep dryly for quite a while.

Lessons Learned: All civilized things are cheaper in Browning than in any of the little town-like parasites around Glacier. Laundry is a buck a load cheaper, gas is cheaper, and groceries are cheaper. Browning = fairly reasonable. Town-like parasites = price gouging. The poncho-hooch is a pretty good way to sleep, if you don't need that poncho to cover the rest of the gear. It lets the bivies and bags breathe a lot more while still keeping most of the water away from you.

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