Glacier Spirits

While driving to Glacier National Park with the mountains coming into view, I realized I almost forgot how beautiful Glacier National Park is. The mountains rise up dramatically from the plains of Montana. I traveled through Glacier National Park (GNP) twice before on bicycle tours, back in 2001 and 2007. I also visited Glacier National Park with my family when I was a boy.

A sense of excitement and wonderment set in as I walked the mile into the town of Saint Mary. GNP would be the last planned National Park on the tour and probably be the highlight of the trip. Going to the Sun Road, the main road that bisects the park is perhaps the most beautiful road in America. The road was still closed when I got there for snow removal but would open within a few days of my arrival.

My first morning in the park I drove part way up Going to the Sun Road until I reached the road closure. The sheer rock walls jutting into the sky left me awestruck. Having the road closed was okay with me for now since I knew when the road opened, there would be a lot more traffic. I was on the east side of the park which is far less crowded than the west side. I knew when the road opened that cars and people would arrive from the west side of the park. I had no idea then how bad the crush and onslaught of cars and people would be in a few days. More on that later. For now, I relished being in GNP without the madness of crowds.

One day I drove down to East Glacier from Saint Mary as I wanted to see Glacier Park Lodge. Glacier Park Lodge is one the grand lodges of the National Park system. Constructed from huge Douglass Fir, the main lobby is breathtaking. I stayed here on a bike tour of GNP back in 2001. That tour was one of the best tours I ever took mainly for one reason. I was the only single guy on the tour. The only other men were the owner of the tour company Dick, and a fella traveling with his wife. The rest of the tour consisted of about 10 women who were all in very good cycling shape. It was a real treat to have some of the women ask me if I would sit at their table for dinner.

The other man who was a guest was a real piece of work, probably the most pretentious person I ever met. He was an anesthesiologist and was very impressed with himself. I sat with him and trophy wife for dinner at Glacier Park Lodge one evening. He went on and on how he had the best of everything, the best medical practice, the best cars, best houses, best wine cellar, etc. This went on for about 45 minutes. Sometimes I will feign interest in a person just to hear how far they will go. If you seem interested and keep agreeing with them, it’s amazing how much a person will tell you about themselves or their beliefs.

Finally, after almost an hour, the Doc realized that he had talked most of the time since everyone else was almost done with their dinner and he had barely touched his. So he finally asked me what I did for a living. I had planned my response for over half an hour. I looked at him directly in the eyes told him I was the warden for an all female prison. His jaw just about dropped into his mashed potatoes. His wife who was a very nice person and was observing all this, and probably very used to his behavior, said, and I still remember her exact words, this is a quote, “He is teasing you, honey.” Mr. Best of Everything (BOE) and his wife never sat with me at meals again for the rest of the trip.

Mr. BOE, of course, had the best bike. Well, that didn’t help him. On the way to Glacier Park Lodge from Waterton, there is a big climb up from Saint Mary. I forgot how big this climb was until I drove it in the car last Sunday. When I got to the top of the climb I found Mr. BOE pulled over into a scenic overlook with the Timberline Tour Sag Van next to him rubbing his knee. He said his knee hurt, which is possible. Or perhaps the tough climb broke his will. I guess his fancy smancy bike didn’t help, you still have to pedal. His wife was in great shape and continued on. I don’t remember how much more of the tour he rode.

Going to the Sun Road (GTTSR) finally opened on the weekend. The first time driving on the road I got all the way up to the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. The conditions were cold and windy. While walking around at Logan Pass, a storm cloud blew in and socked in the entire area with a very dense fog. I think I was standing inside a cloud. I decided to return to Saint Mary knowing the prediction was for better weather for the next couple of days.

The next day was a picture perfect day with lots of sun making the day perfect for photo taking. The east side of the park was not that crowded, but the parking lot at Logan Pass was full. I continued to drive down the west side of the park to Lake McDonald. That is when the day went sideways. Encountering bumper to bumper traffic in both directions detracted from the experience. Scenic turnouts were mostly full, and traffic slowed to a crawl. I tried to make it to Lake McDonald but just a mile away I saw traffic entering the road from the west backed up as far as I could see. I did a quick twelve point turn right in the middle of the road in front of two park rangers who were trying to direct traffic. They must have sympathized with my plight. Imagine becoming a park ranger and spending your day surrounded by thousands of cars and trying to keep traffic moving in a traffic jam. The 50 mile drive up and over Logan Pass and back to Saint Mary was bumper to bumper traffic all the way.

I did see several cyclists biking on GTTSR. I bicycled this road twice but that was 18 years ago and 11 years ago with much less traffic. Cycling the road now with all the traffic would still be safe since cars were traveling just about the same speed as the cyclists. The ride would not very enjoyable with all that traffic. The season is still early, only June, and the road just opened. I can’t even begin to imagine how bad the traffic will be in July and August. Just like Yellowstone, the park is being severely affected by out of control crowds. I don’t know the solution to the problem, again like Yellowstone, the situation is just sad. The only advice I have is to get one to  four miles away from the road on hiking trails. Most folks never get out of their cars or get more than 25 feet from the roads. Walk 20 minutes on a trail and you will leave almost everyone else behind.

I tried to recapture the magic of the two bike tours by going to some of the same places that I went to on the tours. The nostalgia tour didn’t work as I hoped. I remembered the places, but I didn’t feel any wonderful feelings or memories. Those tours were so long ago, and I was there for such a short time. I don’t know any of the people on those tours anymore. I felt like I was seeing ghosts and had a very eerie feeling looking back at some of the places. The founder and owner of the cycling and hiking company, Dick, one of the best persons I have ever met passed away over five years ago. Maybe I was seeing ghosts. Dick was one of the funniest people I have ever met and I can still hear his voice and laugh. Dick was the heart and soul of Timberline, a company I took 18 bicycle tours with. After his passing, the company just wasn’t the same anymore.

GNP is as far north and west as I will get on this trip. I’ve been gone two months now, and starting to look forward to coming home and living in a house again. I will start heading east and south on July 1st. I’m not sure exactly how long the drive will take. I am 3000 miles from home. I will try to take my time as there is no hurry to get home. From what I am hearing from friends in Florida, this summer has been exceptionally hot and brutal.

The weather in GNP was mostly wonderful, lots of sunshine, temperatures ranging from 40-65 with low humidity. Often I feel I need to fill each day with special activities, but that pace is hard to keep up for months at a time. I keep reminding myself that I came out here for the weather and to enjoy a respite from the hot Florida summers. I wish I could tell you that I found the meaning of life on this trip or realized other profound thoughts. I have not. I now understand that being able to say I made the journey is enough. I think the time has come to go home now.

Adiemus – Enya, beautiful song with great nature and animal photography