Back to Glacier after a Fun Detour

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We spent three nights with our friends John and Linda at their amazing home in Helena, waiting for better weather to hike in Glacier. We hiked the local trails, played with Pepe the parrot, and laughed a lot. I went thrift shopping (of course)...

Sadly, we learned of a mass shooting in a mall near our town, as the story made national news.

On Saturday morning, we drove northwest to Glacier Park, up the Swan Lake Valley. The first pass we crossed was MacDonald at 6,312 feet. It has an interesting history:

"The MacDonald road originated as part of a toll road authorized by Territorial Governor Green Clay Smith and built in 1867 by French Canadian Constant Guyot. Guyot ran a hay ranch along the Little Blackfoot River just east of Elliston, Montana. At the time the road was known as the "The Frenchwoman's Road" because it was managed by Guyot's wife who operated a hostel at the west end of the road near Dog Creek. The hostel could sleep 30 men and Madame Guyot charged $2 for staying overnight and $1 per meal.

In August 1868, Madame Guyot was found murdered and robbed of $6,000 in gold dust in the hostel. Although Deer Lodge County posted a $500 reward, no one was ever brought to justice for the murder. Constant Guyot, a drunkard and known to mistreat his wife, was considered a prime suspect but was never charged with the crime. According to local folklore, Guyot admitted murdering his wife after he left the region. Travelers believed the hostel was haunted with the ghost of Madame Guyot." Wikipedia

We had not booked a room for the night, and planned on looking around in the afternoon, once we got back to the Glacier area. The first place we stopped was the Evergreen Motel (established 1942), which has remodeled cabins along with motel rooms and is close to the entrance to the park. We loved the place, and rented a cabin for two nights.

We went for a hike along Lake MacDonald (all the cars at the trail head had Washington plates!?!). We saw a snake, squirrels, and no bears. We then went grocery shopping,made dinner, and are in for the night...

Once again we have train whistles near us, louder than Helena, but not as bad as Sandpoint!

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Photos

Pepe and Lynn
He likes me better....!