After being turned back by the snowstorm, we stopped for coffee at Glacier Highlands Restaurant and turned in at the West Glacier entrance. There were blue skies overhead so we stopped at McDonald Lake again for another look. The lake was bluer but the wind was relentless, stirring up waves that Long Beach would be proud of. There was a guy sitting cross-legged on the rocky beach completely at one with the beauty of the lake. I know he must have been pretty blissed out because he was wearing shorts in 40 degree weather in a stiff wind.
We drove up the Going to the Sun Road to Avalanche where the road was closed to car traffic. We pulled into the same parking area that we used yesterday for the hike to Avalanche Lake. There were only about 10 cars when yesterday it had been packed. A few miles into the park and the storm clouds were forming. Did everyone else hear the weather report except us?
Phil had his thick sweater and gloves and I had my wool hat, alpaca gloves (thanks, Katherine) and winter coat, so we felt pretty equipped. The wind rose and fell in icy gusts, and snowflakes began to drift down shortly after we left the car and headed up the Going to the Sun Road. I had a sweatshirt on under the coat so the weather didn’t concern me much, although the clouds did cover the peaks more often than not.
Unfortunately, bears were very much on my mind. The farther away we got from the parking lot, the harder it was for me to ignore the fact that we were the only people there, i.e., the only likely grizzly food. After we passed an exhibit that noted that bears often ranged in avalanche chutes hunting for berries in close proximity to the bloody carcass of a large-ish bird, which might have been a hawk and might have been a crow, I began to feel my sphincter tighten with admittedly baseless fears. Phil finally took pity on me and we turned back after an hour of walking.
There were moments when the views of the majestic peaks were all the more special because they were all our own, but I just couldn’t shake the stomach churning fear that we saw no one coming down the trail and the only people we saw going up were a couple who quickly passed us. I think I really could have made it up the 14 mile round trip to the Loop if only there had been a little more human presence.
We got back to the car and drove to a turnoff by Lake McDonald to eat our sandwiches. The ham and Swiss plus some carrots and an apple helped bolster my pride a little. Only after I got back in the warmth of the car did I realize how cold my hands and feet were.
We left the park around 2 in the afternoon and drove over to Kalispell. It’s one of the largest towns in the area with a Walmart and various other chains. We drove by an anti-abortion demonstration with about 20 to 30 people grouped on all four corners of an intersection with large pre-printed posters. It wasn’t clear whether this was a local protest or something to do with health care reform.
Phil fired up his Blackberry and navigated us to an Internet café, Colter Roasting Company, along Main Street in what must have been the old downtown. We had some good strong joe and a walnut caramel thingy that was very good and worked on our blogs for a while. Most of the people there were in there 20s and could easily have held their own at most Santa Monica coffee shops with their tattoos and dreadlocks. A couple of young women got to be a little annoying with their non-stop man-bashing, but fortunately they didn’t stay long.
We came home and I read up on Flathead Lake and the Jewel Basin as possible destinations for tomorrow while Phil took a long walk in the woods around the cabin. We had a little yoga session before supper. Phil grilled up some chicken breasts to perfection and I got all the vegetables together. It’s so relaxing not have to get in a car and drive and park and study a menu before driving back to a hotel again. Did I mention I love this cabin?
We drove up the Going to the Sun Road to Avalanche where the road was closed to car traffic. We pulled into the same parking area that we used yesterday for the hike to Avalanche Lake. There were only about 10 cars when yesterday it had been packed. A few miles into the park and the storm clouds were forming. Did everyone else hear the weather report except us?
Phil had his thick sweater and gloves and I had my wool hat, alpaca gloves (thanks, Katherine) and winter coat, so we felt pretty equipped. The wind rose and fell in icy gusts, and snowflakes began to drift down shortly after we left the car and headed up the Going to the Sun Road. I had a sweatshirt on under the coat so the weather didn’t concern me much, although the clouds did cover the peaks more often than not.
Unfortunately, bears were very much on my mind. The farther away we got from the parking lot, the harder it was for me to ignore the fact that we were the only people there, i.e., the only likely grizzly food. After we passed an exhibit that noted that bears often ranged in avalanche chutes hunting for berries in close proximity to the bloody carcass of a large-ish bird, which might have been a hawk and might have been a crow, I began to feel my sphincter tighten with admittedly baseless fears. Phil finally took pity on me and we turned back after an hour of walking.
There were moments when the views of the majestic peaks were all the more special because they were all our own, but I just couldn’t shake the stomach churning fear that we saw no one coming down the trail and the only people we saw going up were a couple who quickly passed us. I think I really could have made it up the 14 mile round trip to the Loop if only there had been a little more human presence.
We got back to the car and drove to a turnoff by Lake McDonald to eat our sandwiches. The ham and Swiss plus some carrots and an apple helped bolster my pride a little. Only after I got back in the warmth of the car did I realize how cold my hands and feet were.
We left the park around 2 in the afternoon and drove over to Kalispell. It’s one of the largest towns in the area with a Walmart and various other chains. We drove by an anti-abortion demonstration with about 20 to 30 people grouped on all four corners of an intersection with large pre-printed posters. It wasn’t clear whether this was a local protest or something to do with health care reform.
Phil fired up his Blackberry and navigated us to an Internet café, Colter Roasting Company, along Main Street in what must have been the old downtown. We had some good strong joe and a walnut caramel thingy that was very good and worked on our blogs for a while. Most of the people there were in there 20s and could easily have held their own at most Santa Monica coffee shops with their tattoos and dreadlocks. A couple of young women got to be a little annoying with their non-stop man-bashing, but fortunately they didn’t stay long.
We came home and I read up on Flathead Lake and the Jewel Basin as possible destinations for tomorrow while Phil took a long walk in the woods around the cabin. We had a little yoga session before supper. Phil grilled up some chicken breasts to perfection and I got all the vegetables together. It’s so relaxing not have to get in a car and drive and park and study a menu before driving back to a hotel again. Did I mention I love this cabin?
