Up North To Glacier and Beyond...the beginning of the end

 

We decided not to rush to Glacier to get a campsite.  So we stayed one night in Lolo National Forest, near Glacier, in a site right off the access road.  Not really great, but a nice hike to a lake at the end of the road.

However, the next day we went to Glacier National Park, and that is really great.  Got an OK campsite and immediately hopped the shuttle for the Going ToThe Sun Road, a 50 mile road carved out of the mountains.  We saw mountain goat, big horned sheep (in a parking lot) and a grizzly bear, as well as an entire family hit by one motorcycle from the Netherlands.

Since this park is as far north as you can go in the US (it borders Canada) we are certainly getting prepared for Alaska.  First of all, it is 9:30 pm and I am sitting in light dusk typing this.  Plus I have on long pants, two shirts, a sweatshirt and socks.  We are sleeping under our summer and winter quilts.  The days warm up nicely, however.

Lots and lots of lakes and waterfalls.  Lots of deer and chipmunks, but almost no glaciers.  They seem to have melted (global warming?)

The next day we went into Whitehorse to take care of some emails and then took a wonderful hike through great, green mountains and gushing icy streams to Avalanche Lake.  David wanted a real odilesque (which would have meant getting naked, but I objected)  The hiking trail was right by our campgrounds.

The next day, to get away from all of the people we drove to Bowman Lake which was quite aways away on a dirt road.  Since Glacier is only open from the end of May until the middle of September, the whole season is so short that the visitors swarm into the park.  As a matter of fact, the ranger ho checked our pass mentioned that all of PA must be in Glacier because she kept checking in PA residents.  And, wouldn't you know, the car following us through the gate honked us over to the side and told us they were from Paoli.  On the way to Bowman Lake we passed through Poleridge, a town of one store and about three houses all on generators.  The store, however, was the most marvelous bakery ever and we certainly stocked up on goodies.

Our hike around Bowman Lake was peaceful and relatively people-free.  For those of you who think that David is not on this trip...here he is.

Our final day in Glacier was spent canoeing on lake Macdonald, one of the largest glacier lakes in Glacier.  It was cold, calm, clear and beautiful. 

That evening, after many failed attempts, we managed to meet up with our friends the Davids and their three children who just happened to be in Glacier (more of those pesky Pennsylvanians) the same time we were.  We had a wonderful dinner and it was great to see folks from home. (David's the one behind the camera)

Lucky for them, we decided that dinner went on so long that we did not impose upon them for use of their shower in their hotel room.  However, things were getting rather desperate, having not seen a shower since we left Bozeman 5 days before.  Washing my hair in a pot and resting my tush in the lake is certainly not enough.

Life is beginning to be reduced to basics and David and I began plotting our next shower.  We knew that the campgrounds we were going to in Canada were pretty basic, or very expensive so we were getting desperate.  Once we got into Canada I called one of the RV parks, not to stay but to see if they would sell us a shower.  "Oh, no, the manager told me.  No one will do that."

Riding through a little town on the way to Calagary (the hometown of Faye Ray) I saw a sign that gave me hope and shouted "Stop!" to David, who obligingly pulled over, did a "u-ey" with Celeste and tracked down the campground that advertised SHOWERS.  Needless to say, I went to speak to the manager while David hid.

"Hello.  I don't want a campsite, but do need a shower.  Can you sell me one, or two?"

"What?"

"Shower.  I haven't had one in 6 days.  Please can we buy some?

And, believe it or not, for $3.00 each, David and I GOT CLEAN.  What is our life coming to?