The Glacier Park Trip
June 17, 2004
This one's going to be huge. We're taking Amtrak to Glacier National Park, renting an RV and camping for a week. Lots of hiking and campfire time are on the agenda. We're planning to spend one night at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton, Alberta.
July 5, 2004
Well, this one was a megatrip and it really turned out great. Tracey loved the RV. Couldn't imagine taking Tate along any other way. Even renting a car and staying in lodges would have been more work schlepping things in and out of hotels every day or two. So, we love the RV lifestyle and are so grateful for each other and for the glory of God's creation.
Quinn's friend from across the street, Shelby, took this one. Here, we're ready to go. Tate's in the car seat already.
We met Tracey's sister, Pat, and her husband, Mike, at Mall of America. Tracey drove her Honda up since Pat had bought it from her the week before when Tracey got her new minivan. We always meet at the Mall of America because it's easy to find but always leave swearing we'll never do it again. Wherever we eat there, we emerge jangly and overstimulated. It's just so loud and intense there. Man, am I getting old or what?
The train was late, but we enjoyed sitting in the 1st class waiting room reserved for sleeper patrons. We watched old home movies on the camcorder and Quinn relished staying up late. He played with a girl named Laura for awhile, then fell asleep at 11:00.
We were not completely enamored by the train. The train stations aren't the grand terminals like Grand Central Station in New York or Union Station in St. Louis. They're like bus stations and the trains are always late. Our 11:15 pm departure left at 2:00 am. We had booked a standard sleeper, which is designed for 2 adults. When our porter, Gul, helped us board, he said to us, wide-eyed and with some alarm, "Have you seen the room?" We made it through the first night with Quinn and me on the top bunk and Tracey and Tate below. It was a short night anyway, since we didn't want to miss breakfast. The food in the dining car was good and there was plenty of it. The service was generally cheerful and competent. We went to the observation car and enjoyed that until Scooby Doo 2 started playing. Great for Quinn and the other kids on board, but it was so loud, Tracey and I were relieved when it was over so we could return to the peace and quiet of our little room. When the beds are put up, it seats two, so Quinn and I spilled over into the unoccupied rooms for the rest of the trip. I thought about upgrading (we did upgrade for the trip home), but we'd made it this far, so we settled in and enjoyed the best part of the train trip, just sitting back and watching our great landscape roll by. That's something that is unique to the train experience.
This was a photo-vest vacation. That means I was rarely seen not wearing my Nikon photo-vest with my Sony TRV20 camcorder/still camera hanging from the built-in strap. It's loaded with pockets, so it's really like wearing luggage. I'm a family journalist. And I look dead sexy in it. Like Marlon Perkins' sidekick, Jim, in Wild Kingdom.
Here, we arrive at East Glacier for the last leg of our trip. Our porter, Gul, really made the difference in our enjoyment of the train trip. He's one of those rare, remarkable people who thrives on service. I told him we'd rarely received such attentive service anywhere and never with such genuine joy. He said, "It's because I love myself". He's an Amtrak Angel and a model for me when I'm at work serving my customers. I'm going to mention him when I write to complain about the complete lack of security on post-Madrid Amtrak.
We rode in moonlight the rest of the way to West Glacier, where our 2005 Gulfstream Ultra Limited RV was waiting for us. Sweet.
Next morning, we bought groceries and headed up Going to the Sun Road as far as we could. Vehicles over 21' aren't allowed over Logan Pass, so we stopped at Lake McDonald, then the trailhead for Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Creek. We got our hikers on and hiked the 2.3 miles up the mountain to see the lake and Sperry Glacier and had lunch up there. There were plenty of other people, so we weren't too concerned about bears, although 3 weeks earlier, the trail had been closed because a bear was feeding on a bear carcass near the trail.
Back at Fish Creek campground, Quinn plays Torch. He lights a stick and waves it around, watching the smoke patterns. We love that game.
Next morning, we rented a car so we could drive to Logan Pass. Just couldn't miss the world-class scenery on Going to the Sun Road. Reminded me of Norway's fjords. When we returned the rental car, we headed for St Mary campground on the east side of the park. The weather and climate here are different due to being on the opposite side of the Continental Divide. The mountains stop much of the precipitation, making the west side wetter. We like the west side better, but the really magnificent scenery of Going to the Sun Road is more accessible from the east.
Here we're at Sunpoint overlooking St Mary Lake, with a tour boat steaming by. From there, we embarked on the trail for Baring Falls and Sunrift Gorge.
Driving back to camp, we (along with a dozen other vehicles) stopped to see a bear browsing and tearing up an old tree for ants or grubs. That night, everyone slept soundly....
In the morning, we drove north on little highway 89 to Waterton, Alberta. It was Canada Day, so Canadians were out in force celebrating the long weekend and all the campgrounds were full. This was the only place I hadn't made camping reservations because they weren't accepted. Being ever flexible, I checked out the Prince of Wales Hotel and, remarkably, there was a lakeside room with a balcony available. We had booked a room here last February and cancelled it because we had the RV. But now, since we couldn't camp, the choice was made. If we must, we must!
We had dinner in the dining room. Tate was fussing, so we stumbled through it. Quinn had his first Baked Alaska and Tracey ruined her 5th shirt of the trip. She got to the point of just laughing about it because feeding Tate while traveling meant none of her clothes were safe. When we were finished, John and Jennifer Scott and his parents sat down. We had first seen them at the car rental place, then on the Sunrift Gorge trail, and now at Prince of Wales. They're from Atlanta and were apparently on the same vacation we were. We exchanged addresses and Quinn wanted to stay with them for the rest of the trip. They invited us to dinner the next night at Many Glacier Lodge, but we ended up staying at St Mary again, so we missed them. They were very kind and actually invited us to stay at their spacious home if we ever visited Atlanta. Tracey's too polite to ever take them up on it. I'm not.
John just sent me the pic they took. It doesn't feature the stroller handle as prominently as mine does.
I left the curtains open as we went to sleep that night. Wanted to get my money's worth looking at that view. This was the day Quinn and I planned on doing the strenuous and popular Crypt Lake trail. It was tough, though, since it meant Tracey and Tate would have to spend the day in Waterton. They made the best of it by taking a 2 hour boat tour to Goat Haunt at the other end of Waterton Lake, which lies inside the US. Thanks, Tracey!
My dad and I hiked to Crypt Lake in 1977 or so. We flew to Kalispell in his plane with my mom and stayed at the Prince of Wales. I loved that trip and remember how awesome the hike was. You trudge up 2300' (beginning at about 6000' elev.). The last hour or more is very steep with many switchbacks in the trail giving great views of your final destination: a magnificent, remote glacial lake held back by an awesome 600' cliff deep in the Canadian Rockies. The trail resolves like a massive Mahler symphony, forcing you, after hours of concentrated effort, into a final exertion. The built-up anticipation at reaching your goal and the caution and physical strain required for the last segment create a tension-filled hanging cadence. The trail becomes a mountain-goat-style cliffside ledge, then a low, natural 100'-long tunnel, then more cliff-walking, this time with a cable for a handrail. After all this, you emerge into a gentle strip of forest, which lowers you into an idyllic, distant lake. Crypt Lake shimmers like a quiet beacon, sort of an oracle with a different message for each who makes the trip. For me, it's a reminder that we live most of our lives on our ant-trails, going between home, work and a few other places, while almost all of creation continues, majestically, beyond our notice.
Quinn was amazing and had a great attitude the whole time. We had climbed Harney Peak in the Black Hills 2 years earlier, so I knew he was physically able to do it. He was fresh as a daisy while I was panting, trudging up the steepest parts. He even wore the backpack some of the way.
When we returned, we were sore and tired. We drove to St Mary campground back in the US, I made spaghetti in the RV and everyone sacked out early. The next day was fun and easy. We drove back around the park to Fish Creek campground (our favorite) and my Norskie 3rd cousin, Doug Sandstad, and his wife, Christie, drove up from Helena to have dinner with us on our last night! It really made a nice ending to our trip.
Doug brought pictures of his trip to Norway where he and Christie visited my mom's 2nd cousin, Jon Vaagan, and his family. I visited the same cousins in 2001, so it was great to see them together. They brought the biggest ribeye steaks I've ever seen, Christie's homemade rhubarb pie and presents for Quinn and Tate. We feasted and laughed and talked all evening in the cool mountain air. Thanks, guys!
I put the fire out, but will soon light another one. Probably by the hammock in our back yard, where my time in these beautiful areas enhances my appreciation of Iowa's gentle beauty. Wherever we are, we breath the same air, drink the same water and walk on the same land.
