Hiking Glacier

Hiking Glacier

Glacier National Park is MAGNIFICENT! We spent a full week at Glacier, loving every minute of it. The beauty of the alpine landscape with its waterfalls, lakes and sheer rock surfaces were so peaceful and lovely. Seeing the wildlife in their natural settings was better than any zoo could ever offer.

We stayed several days in the south eastern area of the park near St. Mary and drove to various trail heads each day.  One day we drove along the Going to the Sun Road to Logan’s Point, where we took an alpine hike to Hidden Lake. Going up the trail we spotted a mountain goat and took lots of pictures of that guy, thinking he would be the only one we’d see. When we got to the end we climbed down the rocks to a point with a spectacular view overlooking the mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and lake. While down on the rocks a pair of mountain goats followed Kolton to a point where he had to get out of their way or risk getting gored. Kane found a spot to sit quietly and soak up the serene beauty of the landscape. On the way back Karson spotted a nanny goat and her 3 kids and excitedly showed us his find. Our 4 kids also got their Junior Ranger badges while at Logan’s Point that day.

 

 



 

Having seen very little wildlife at St. Mary, we decided to head north to an area called Many Glacier, where we heard there were more abundant opportunities for viewing the animals of the park. Driving up the road to Many Glacier on the first day, there were several cars pulled off to the side and people were looking up the mountain and pointing. We found a place to pull over and got out to see what folks were focused on. There was a bear foraging up there, and we got a glimpse of it through our binoculars and felt pretty satisfied that we had finally seen one. Another bear sighting gave us a view of a mother grizzly and her two cubs – also through our binoculars. We also saw moose, and a bear walked right in front of our car as we drove through the park one day!

One day Ken took Kolton and Karson for a 10 mile hike to a place called Iceberg Lake. If you know these guys you can take a guess at what they did at Iceberg Lake – yep, they did the polar bear plunge!

One of the kids' favorite things to do while hiking is eating the yummy berries along the way!



Ken made plans for us to hike to the Grinnell Glacier – an 8 mile trek roundtrip climbing rocky trails. I was a bit worried about Kalista making that trip, but Ken assured me that with our help, she would make it. I should have been more worried about ME making that trip! Those four miles up consisted of a 1,400 foot ascent in elevation and I got altitude sickness or dehydrated or both. God bless my sons for their kind encouragement and patience as I slowly made my way to that darn glacier. And God bless Ken for helping Kalista make that hike, because I could only focus on my own grueling labor up that mountain! At varying intervals Kane, Kolton and Karson stayed near me giving me encouragement along the way. Near the top, fatigued and light-headed, I stopped and cried out, “I can’t go any farther!” Sweet Kolton encouraged “It’s not much farther Mom! It’s just over this ridge.” The precious little liar kept my spirits up just enough to get over the next several ridges to the prize. As we came over the last ridge Kolton saw someone out walking on the snow and asked, “Is that Kane out there? That looks like him. No, he wouldn’t be out there.” But it was Kane out there!  Kolton joined him and they made snow angels on the glacier.



An avalanche crashed in the distance, and snow thundered down in heaps over the glacier. I wept at the sight and from sheer exhaustion. We could only sit for a short while because we had to make it back down the mountain to get to the boat that would return us to our starting point. So we ate a quick snack and drank from our bottles of water fresh from the rushing falls we had collected on our way up, before making the trip back down on noodle-y legs.  

 

Exhausted, we rode the ferry back to the chalet and went back to the camper and collapsed.

It was the most difficult hike I have ever made, but I am so glad for the experience. The loving support of my precious family along the way and the magnificent view of the glacier were so worth the pain and struggle.

 

The Family that Plunges into Frigid Glacial Pools Together Thrives Together

Each time I enter a national park I think “This is the most beautiful place I have ever been!” Glacier National Park is absolutely STUNNING! As we approached the park I was surprised at the high mountains with rocky tops and snow (in August) nestled in valleys between the peaks that looked like Alps. And that’s exactly what they are – North American Alps.

We stayed for a full week at Glacier in Big Baby at primitive sites, which means no electrical or city water hookups, no cell service or wifi. The RV’s battery provides power for the water pump and lights inside the travel trailer. Our stove and refrigerator run on propane. We fill our fresh water tank before we pull into a site, so we have water to drink and for other purposes.

 We are in bear country, but haven’t seen any bears yet. I feel about bears as I do tornadoes: I’d like to see one, but from a safe distance. We have been instructed by park rangers to hike in groups of 4 or more and make lots of noise as we go, to give wildlife a heads up to our presence. Apparently bears don’t like having surprise visitors entering their homes unannounced and get aggravated at surprise encounters. Anyone who knows Kolton knows that we are safe in that regard. On our first hike here, as our noisy party proceeded along the trail, we passed a gentleman to whom I inquired, “Who needs bear bells?” “What bear would dare?” was his cheerful reply.

Our first hike was to Avalanche Lake, which is in a valley that is fed by glacial streams and waterfalls. The trail for this hike was alongside a lovely mountain stream that rushed over stones smoothed by the flowing current.  Another hike we took featured three waterfalls, each more breathtaking than the last. Monday, August 13^th was Kolton’s 11^th birthday, and we celebrated his special day in typical Kolton style, in a daring feat that required a dose of courage and gave each of us a super shot of adrenaline.

 The first waterfall was gorgeous. There’s something about flowing water from pure glacial sources into clear blue pools, under a canopy of lush greenery that takes my breath away. At the second waterfall there was a bridge that spanned the flow just beyond the falls. There were a couple of young men who were jumping from the bridge into the water. Kolton saw this and begged, “Can I do that? PLEASE?” My initial response in my mind was “Hell no!” Ken, on the other hand, felt more indulgent than me and said, “On the way back from the 3^rd waterfall you can do it.” So we continued on to the next stop on the trail, all of us considering the idea of taking that plunge.

We sat on the rocks near the third waterfall and ate our lunch of nuts, seeds, jerky and dried fruit. Ken had brought a water purification system that he and the boys were eager to try out. So they collected water from the stream and poured it through the purifier into a bottle. That was the BEST water I have ever had! It tasted as God intended water to:  Absolutely pure, chemical free and delicious! We washed and packed up, and headed back in the direction of Kolton’s birthday celebration.

We reached the site and the two young men who had been jumping from the bridge and the rocks were still there. There were also about 40 people standing and sitting around enjoying the warm day and the beautiful view. Immediately Kolton went to the bridge and asked, “Can I go from here?” “No.” Ken said, “Let’s try from lower down, from the rocks.” The jumpers showed us a safe rock from which we could go and gave us some pointers. Our entire family climbed down to the large rocks that stood out over the current. The water was absolutely clear and you could see every round stone on the bottom.  



Kolton went first. He pulled off his shirt and stood posing on the rock, pounding on his chest gorilla-style while we took pictures. Then without hesitation or fear, he leapt from that rock into the glacial river, surfacing with an enormous smile. He swam to the side and ran back up, wanting to go again.

Karson went next. Like Kolton, he jumped without fear and swam out into the current. However the water was stronger than his swimming, and began to pull him back toward the falls. I began to panic a bit and called for Ken to help him. Ken reached out and pulled him right back onto the rocks, lower down from where he had jumped. My heart rate (and Karson’s I’m sure) dropped back to normal as he climbed up onto the rock.



I was eager to try the leap, so I stepped up next. As I stood on the precipice, Ken started counting and I jumped on “three!”

“Holy cow” I exclaimed  It was exhilarating and a bit painful, and I felt completely alive.  I made it back to the riverbank and climbed back up to where Kalista was crying and begging to go next.

My thoughts were completely against her going into that water. “You’re going to cry, Honey. It’s so cold!” Her pleas were insistent and Ken claimed that he could jump in with her. Meanwhile Kolton had gone 2 or 3 more times. So Ken stood holding our four year old daughter on a rock over freezing glacial water, instructing her on how to climb up on his back once they were in the water. And then he jumped. When they surfaced she didn’t cry. She smiled and clung to her daddy as they made their way to the side.



Now our cautious Kane had been busy videoing our frigid aquatic escapades up to this point, having no desire to join the rest of his crazy family. But when Kalista went in, that kinda threw down the gauntlet. His brothers pressured him to go, and I could see him wavering. “You don’t have to go Kane.” He was near tears, torn between wanting to and not wanting to do this daring thing. Ken encouraged, “You’ll regret it if you don’t do it.” Ever so hesitantly, he made his way to the jumping rock, truly shaking with fear. Again I told him, “Don’t do it if you don’t want to Honey.” Kolton offered to jump right in front of him and lead the way. Ken promised to go right afterward. After several false starts he took that plunge! With his eyes wide from the painful cold, he swam to the edge and sat alone for awhile warming himself in the sun before rejoining the family on the rocks where Kalista was crying to go again.



In the end Kolton jumped 6 times, Ken went twice with Kalista plus two more times, and the rest of us were happy with solo jumps. No eleventh birthday was ever celebrated in such grand fashion!



We hiked back to the trailhead, jumped into Mambo and drove into St. Mary where we found a café for Kolton’s birthday dinner. We recognized the waiter who greeted us inside the café. He was one of the young men whom we had initially seen jumping from the bridge at the falls, who had encouraged and watched our family take that frigid glacial plunge!

Roughing it in the Back Country Part II (Really Roughing It)

On Thursday we drove about 60 miles from the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park to the north unit. The lay of the land is much the same, except that in the north unit the buttes are bigger and more rugged, and fewer people go there. Our plan was to hike and camp up in the buttes over night.

I have gone camping lots of times. You drive up to a campground, pick a site and set up camp. Before this year, we always used a tent.  We went tent camping before having children and when I was pregnant (we got an air mattress then). When Kalista was 4 or 5 months old, we camped in 100 degree temperatures AND endured a huge thunderstorm with 7 people in the tent. I have roughed it before. But not like this…

After acquiring a back country permit (who knew you had to do that?), and being instructed to carry plenty of water with us, because as the rangers put it, “We don’t want to have to come rescue you.” (The rangers, by the way, looked at Ken and me as if we were nuts for taking four children including a 4-year old girl up into the rugged landscape to hike and camp.) We loaded our packs with a change of socks and underwear, sleeping bags, food and lots of water. Even Kalista carried her Hello Kitty backpack with her sleeping bag, change of clothes and a water bottle. Ken also shouldered the tent in his pack.

We set off with our packs toward the steep buttes, but first we had to cross that river again, which Kane hates doing. He made Ken promise him that there would be no more river crossing hikes in the future. After baring our feet and wading through the slow, shallow, muddy water we sat on the sandy bank, waiting for our feet to dry before brushing off the river grime and donning our shoes and boots. 

We hiked mainly uphill for a couple of hours through a reedy forest near the river, over plains with sage brush as far as the eye could see (incidentally, I LOVE the eucalyptus/minty smell of sage!), past slumping sheets of stone, petrified tree stumps and rock formations called “cannon ball concretions”. All the while we were gawking in awe at the beauty all around us.

We started looking for a suitable place to set up camp, and found a nice flat grassy patch several yards off the trail to pitch the tent. Once we had our site ready we were hungry and ready to eat dinner. We had packed a few dehydrated meals: chicken & rice and beef stroganoff. Now Karson is our picky eater who generally turns up his nose at anything new or foods that are touching each other. Even he was eager to eat and gobbled up a large portion of chicken & rice, savoring each bite.

After dinner we went exploring. Kolton and Karson climbed a huge rock that stood out over a canyon. They danced and yelled, listening for their echoes in the distance. Of course Kalista wanted to join them, so we all climbed up and stood looking out over the vast rocky valley as the sun set.

We watched the sky change from blue to pinkish purple to indigo, and Kolton got to see his first shooting star. I took Kalista into the tent while Ken and the boys continued to view the heavens. She was sawing logs by the time they joined us and didn’t wake until morning – which is more than the rest of us could say. The wind blew hard, a storm passed overhead, hardly dropping any moisture, but producing plenty of thunder and lightning. Plagued by allergies, poor Kane coughed most of the night, but we all managed to get some sleep.

As the sun rose, Ken and Kane climbed up to the top of the ridge and I did a little yoga in our clearing while the rest of our party slept. After a breakfast of granola bars, beef jerky, nuts and raisins, we broke camp and loaded up our packs. The hike down took a lot less time than the trip up. We made it to the river, took off our shoes (at this point Kane was really crabby), and crossed again.



In the whole time we were out in the back country we didn’t see a single soul or any wildlife. When we signed in at the trail head there was a space for comments. A few lines up from our entry someone had written “We saw a cheetah!” which made us burst out laughing. How in the world could a cheetah make it all the way up here?

Approaching the lot where we had Mambo and Big Baby parked, we had to stop because a herd of bison was grazing right there! Cars were stopped on the road waiting for them to cross, and we cautiously made it to our home on the road and unloaded our packs.

As we exited the park, we stopped for a family picture near the Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit sign before driving west toward Montana and Glacier National Park.

Roughing it in the Back Country Part I

Today are leaving the safe confines of "Big Baby" and a civilized camp ground in Medora, North Dakota near the south unit of Theodore National Park. Here we have had Wifi - albiet sporadically, clean shower houses, a store and laundry facilities. From here we head to the north unit of TRNP which is more remote, and we will backpack a few miles and make camp in the back country and stay there for a night or two.
 I have never backpacked and camped out like THIS. Ken has. He is our fearless leader and luckily I trust him implicitly.
While in the south unit we have seen some beautiful scenery hiking up here. On Monday we took a 5.5 mile trek that took us over pretty rough terrain. We took off our shoes to cross a shallow river, climbed a rocky butte to a plateau that was flat and filled with prairie dogs who "barked" at us the entire time we hiked across their home.
As we crossed the plateau we saw a herd of deer running together, Karson spotted a snake (ick!) and we baked in the sun. We were prepared though. We wore hats, had packs with water, sunscreen and snacks.
Shade was sparse over the plain. Once across we found a patch of shadow under a scrubby tree and rested, eating pistachios and almonds and drinking from our water bottles.
Kolton and Karson ran ahead often. At one point they passed a turn in the trail and we had to call them back. If we had followed them on the path they had chosen we would have been hiking for an extra 5 miles at least.
As we descended from the plateau back down a butte we were getting tired. The rocky trail was getting hard for our "big mountain goat" Kalista and the temperature was in the mid 90's.
It started to get a little less fun when our trail led us to a muddy stream that had to be crossed in order to get back to the trail head. Ken took off his boots to test the depth of the muddy water. He sunk to just below his knees and we knew we could not cross there. So Ken took off alone upstream to find a better crossing for us.
At this point I was really crabby. (Kolton says I should save that line for a point in all of my blog posts, so stay tuned for that fun feature!)
Indeed Ken did find a nice rocky crossing for us less than a hundred yards upstream.
Our trail wound through cedars and across rocky passes to more plains and more prairie dogs who also yapped at us on our way back. The kids loved the prairie dogs and I have to admit they were awfully cute.
The kids are the best at sighting wildlife. While I was busy keeping an eye on the trail, Kolton shouted, "Look, buffalo!" Sure enough there was an entire herd of bison in the distance over which we would pass. It made me a little nervous to think that we were hiking over their grazing lands - and there was evidence that this was their home all over the place. There were no fences to separate us. The herd was just across the river, right next to the path that led us to the trail head.
Taking our shoes off once more to cross the soothing water, we made our way to the other side. The bison were just over a small ridge and we could hear their gruff breathing as we put on our shoes.

A short jaunt up the trail and we were back to Mambo and we climbed in a pumped up the air.

On our drive through the park yesterday we came across an enormous bison bull who was standing just a foot off the road. He stood there chewing his cud and calmly regarded us as we stopped to get a closer look. It was awesome to be able to get up so close and personal and see this magnificent beast.

We've taken a few shorter hikes in the past few days as well. I have been dying to see feral horses and by yesterday I had resigned to the idea that alas there would be none sighted by us. Truly at the moment that I had come to this very conclusion, we saw a small herd across a valley on an outcropping of rock. I was so excited! They were beautiful and majestic and free, and it brought tears to my eyes to see them.

As we continue on our journey I'm trying not to cast any predictions or prejudice upon our plans, but to simply be in the moment. The next leg is about to begin and we are loading up and heading to the north unit of Theodore Roosevelt shortly.

Random Acts of Chocolate and Blue Cup Spring

The people of North Dakota are some of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. We have hiked, canoed and camped, meeting delightful folks who are friendly, warm and generous. Today we climbed to the state’s only naturally occurring waterfall. On paper the hike is said to be 2.2 miles from the trail head, but it HAD to be more than that. The ranger at Fort Ransom State Park warned us, “It’s no Niagara Falls!” But we were intrigued and everyone wanted to take the hike.
Kalista is amazingly able to keep up with us, often running much of the way for the first part of the hike, and dragging toward the end of our party later on. Karson, Kolton and Kane all set the pace as we go along the paths. The state park trails here are very well marked and kept up beautifully over shaded forests, hills, valleys, open meadows and fields.

After we had been walking for what felt like 3 miles toward the waterfall, we came across a group of 7 or 8 women and girls. We visited for a bit and exchanged pleasantries (I love the way they talk up here with their long “O’s”). They were walking back to the trail head and we passed each other and moved on toward our destinations. Several minutes later one of the ladies caught up with us and handed Ken a package of Hershey’s chocolate bars, “Enjoy these when you get to the waterfall! You’ll know what I mean when you get there.” Ken asked if she wanted us to just take 1 or 2 bars rather than the entire package of 6, but she firmly offered the whole thing, sending her best wishes with us as we hiked on.

“Man!” I said to Ken, “These people speak my language, chocolate is my mother tongue!”

“Are we almost there yet?” Kane, Kolton, Karson and Kalista each asked at different intervals. The kids were getting antsy to see the waterfall and were getting weary from the hike. They were also eager to eat that chocolate.

We began to hear the babbling sound of running water nearby and crossed a small wooden bridge that stood over some stones with water flowing over them. “If that’s the waterfall, I’m disappointed.” I murmured to Ken.

The boys were ahead of us as we approached a clearing and I heard a man’s voice asking “Do you have chocolate?” As we stepped into a clearing near a trickling muddy waterfall, a man stood with his two young sons. They were all dressed in camouflage and had a fire going in a pit next to a picnic table. On the table sat a box of graham crackers, a gooey bag of marshmallows and roasting sticks. All the fixings for s’mores, except the chocolate! How did they know? It was like providence.

As we visited with the man – Nathan was his name and his sons were Jonathan and Jackson, he explained that his wife was the woman who had handed us the chocolate, and had brought a mystery tour group to that site. He had set it up for them and gone over the hill with the little boys while the women found the fire, roasting sticks and s’mores ingredients waiting for them for a nice mid-hike snack.

After the mystery tour group had left, taking the chocolate with them, Nathan and the boys had come back down to the clearing and were playing and climbing around the creek. They weren’t expecting us, but welcomed us to their fire and offered the graham crackers and marshmallows for our refreshment. We ate s’mores – I think Kane had 3 or 4, and climbed up to the waterfall to wash our hands and faces. The kids saw snakes and chased frogs as the grownups chatted. Nathan told us about a nearby spring that his sons had named “Blue Cup Spring” for reasons we would soon find out.  It was just off the trail and he offered to show us on our way back.





 



Satisfied from our snack and with near empty water bottles, we set back off toward Blue Cup Spring and the trail head. After walking about 10 minutes on the main trail, Nathan took us off on a small branch of the path to a tree. Hanging from the tree on a hook was a bucket. Inside the bucket was a blue enamel cup. At the base of the tree gushed a spring over a reddish creek bed. We filled our water bottles from the spring drinking deeply, tasting the iron in the water. Then we found the main trail and headed back toward the trail head.

 

Nathan also showed us a shortcut, which greatly reduced the amount of walking time on the hike. This must have been the 2.2 mile trail we had originally thought we were taking. At one point on the way back, the shortcut took us across a field of thistles through which a narrow path wandered. Kalista was lagging behind, often stopping and rubbing her legs as the spines of the thistles poked and scratched her. So I crouched down and allowed her to climb up on my back, giving her a piggyback ride. As I stood to continue hiking, she exclaimed “Wow! There’s a whole field of these!” I had forgotten that her view as she walked on her little legs gave her a completely different perspective, and that from my back she could see things in a whole new way. I have to remember to pause and really look at the things around me and try to see them with that fresh perspective more often.
It was a day and experience that renewed my spirit and faith in humanity.