glacier park

here it is...the final post of our sojourn through the northwest. we spent three nights in glacier park, including the first night when we arrived and just camped. the following morning, we drove toward and past the center of the park to lake mcdonald. we were hoping to score a campground right on the lake, but for the first night, we had to settle for a spot that was more inland. the second night we moved a few feet over when one of neighbors cleared out and attained a camp spot with beautiful lake mcdonald as a backdrop. you can't really tell by the picture, but it was nice. this was probably the best campground we stayed at during the whole week. it was quiet and intimate and the water in the lake wasn't too cold, so we went swimming. which was nice, since we hadn't showered in a few days.

each day in glacier park started the same. lorena would drive over to the general store. the store offered just the basics, but it importantly provided us with a coffee to start the day. she would get a half cafe/half decalf (she's trying to ween off caffeine), while she would get me a french vanilla cappucino. yum!

our first day in glacier park, we decided to try our hand at an 11.6 mile hike. the highline trail, as its referred. there was one problem though...we did it backwards. we started at loop trail and went to logan pass. it's supposed to be done in the opposite way, and for good reason. the first 4 miles (when you do it backwards) are uphill, and there's only dead, burnt tress to look at it, trees that provide no sun cover i might add. this was the spot of the great trapper fire of '03.

so, we were sweaty and grumpy for the first part until we FINALLY reached the chalet where we could rest and restock on food and water. we were so tired. the thought of completing the remaining 7.6 miles seemed horrible, but after we played a few games of gin in the chalet, we trudged along.

the next part of the hike turned out to be much more pleasant. lorena wanted to talk about religion and spirituality, and this made for a nice time. it felt appropriate, as we hiked along cliffs with beautiful mountains surrounding us. towards the end of the hike, we had a scary moment. as we turned a corner while we were on a cliff, we came across a mountain goat and her baby. we froze. eventually, they ran past us, but it was a little scary for a moment there.

finally, we made it to logan pass, and we felt amazed with our achievement. we slept very soundly that night.

our second day, we went for a horseback ride in the morning. this was so fun! i can't remember the last time i was on a horse. i had a flannel shirt with me, so i had no choice but to where it that day. i really looked like i belonged on that horse!

after our ride, we went for a pleasant, 4 mile hike around st. mary's lake that passed three waterfalls on its route. this was a beautiful hike, the weather was cooler than the day before, and instead of looking at burnt trees for four miles, we had big, green trees surrounding us, providing sun cover. we took our time on this hike, stopping at each waterfall to relax and enjoy the scenery.

we headed back to our tent after the hike, and this is when we went for a swim in the lake. it was so refreshing! by the time we got dried and changed, it was after 6 in the evening. it stays light until almost 10 there, so we thought about going for one more short hike. but we were both tired. we opted instead to go get ice cream at the small restaurant next to the general store. it was a great night. we ate ice cream and talked and talked and we must have been there for about three hours!

the next day was our last day together, and the end of the trip for me. we did one final hike after tearing down our tent and leaving the campground. we hiked to the hidden lake overlook, by sperry glacier, and when we reached the overlook, we cracked open a beer and chilled out for a bit, celebrating the end of a wonderful week together.

on the way back to our car, we say some big horned sheep, to go with all the mountain goats we had seen. also, there was a patch of snow that we could walk over to, so lorena was excited. floridians always get so excited over seeing snow. she immediately packed a snowball and yeah, eventually she hit me with it :)

then it was time to depart. we left the park and headed south, where lorena dropped me off at the airport in kalispel. i took a short flight over to seattle, and then a seattle to orlando red-eye. it sucked saying goodbye to lorena at the airport. i got teary-eyed. we had such a great time together, and now it was over. i didn't want to leave her. i wanted to drive with her to orlando, but i had to get back to work on monday.

the end result of the trip is i know i want to live in the northwest now. it suits me. vancouver would be my first choice, but we'll see where things go with lorena over the next few months. she really liked portland, which i'm yet to see. i'm going to plan a trip there and check it out for myself. i don't know what i would do for work, but at this point, i'm so ready for a change and i'm not getting any younger...

return to calgary

our plan, as i mentioned, was to rise early and head back to lake louise for a hike to a teahouse overlooking the lake. this did not end up happening.

we got to sleep a little after midnight, before a night of hell ensued. at least for lorena it was. i slept through the first part of it. apparently, around 2 a.m. some asshole twenty-somethings strolled in, set up camp close to us, and made all kinds of noise, boozing and laughing til about 3 a.m. i don't how i didn't wake up.

they only slept a couple of hours, then they got up at 5 or so and resumed the obnoxious chatter. they were such asses. this is when i woke up. they shut up and split around 6. we guessed they were in and out so quick to avoid paying the whopping $17 (cdn.) camp fee. did i mention they were assholes? well, to make a long story short (i know, too late), our planned rise at 7 a.m. was no longer a good idea. lorena was getting bitchy so i said, "let's just sleep", which we did til almost 11. she needed the sleep, badly. she had been awake almost all night.

so a return to lake louise was scrapped. we made breakfast, packed up our camp, and headed out of banff, along highway 1 east towards calgary.

i told lorena i wanted to stop on 17th ave in downtown calgary for lunch. this is "the red mile" i wrote of earlier, the street where fans party after flames' hockey games. we arrived around 2 p.m. and soon we happened upon the ship and anchor pub. i had eaten there twice, both times alone, when i was there for work three years ago. i had forgotten all about that place, but as soon as i saw it, i said, "we must eat here!". i insisted it be my treat, and lorena let me do so. she doesn't usually when i try to pick up her bill, but she sensed my excitement and let me go with it. after subsisting on campfood for a few days, it felt good to sit back and let food come to us. she got fish and chips, i ordered a tasty veggie burger with fries. we both also got a pint. it was such a nice lunch. we had such a good time. we were both in good spirits again.

as much as i didn't want to leave calgary or even canada, there was still driving to be done, so we headed back out and made our way south towards montana. soon after exiting calgary, the whitecap mountains disappeared, in their place long stretches of flat alberta farmlands.

going through customs was easy. we were the only car! thirty minutes or so later, we arrived at glacier national park in montana. it was getting late, so we grabbed a campsite on the far eastern part of the park, near where we entered. we would venture in and explore the park the next day. by this time, though, we just wanted to set up our camp, make our dinner, and cuddle in our tent. we watched another episode of "peep show" on one of our laptops. lorena loves this show, and during our vancouver stay she hooked me on it. it's a funny bbc show. highly recommended viewing.

of note, i should mention that, while the campground was nothing special, it did provide a beautiful sunset to welcome us to montana. we slept soundly after calling it a day, knowing we would change campgrounds first thing in the morning and then spend the day hiking glacier national park...

banff bound

the campground in kamploops provided the necessary respite. we left early and made way for lake louise near banff, in alberta.

three years ago, i was in calgary (about an hour and half from banff). i was told to go to banff, and i was planning to. but i was there while the flames were in the stanley cup finals, and after calgary's OT win in game 5, i ended partying on "the red mile" (17th ave downtown). one shot led to another, and the following day i was in no condition to drive to banff. i vowed i would return, somehow, someway. today was the day i made good on that promise.

the first stop was lake louise. as we entered the banff region, the whitecap mountian views were stunning. but that served merely as a warmup to what was to follow.

numerous people had told me "you have to go to lake louise!". we did, and they were right. lake louise may well be the most beautiful place i've ever been. with a whitecap backdrop, the lake shimmers at you with its sparkling, perfectly clean, clear, teal glacial water. the most perfect water i've ever laid eyes on. wow.

lorena was as floored by the scenery as myself. we were so glad we went. we had packed a lunch, and it was perfect. we found a cozy spot on the right side of the lake and enjoyed a leisurely meal, basking in the beauty that surrounded us the entire time. after we ate, i rolled up my pants and ventured into the water. it was freezing. so cold! but lorena timed it, and i stayed in for a full 60 seconds. :)

we then wanted to hike up to a teahouse that overlooked the lake. it was only about a 1.5km hike, but it was getting late and we still had to drive about 35km to get to banff to set up our tent. we decided we would come back first thing the following morning.

the campground in banff was nice, but what would follow that night altered our plans. still, we managed (and by we, i mean lorena...she's the camper, not me) to get a fire going to cook dinner. we made medicocre spaghetti and enjoyed every bite of it before finally getting to bed...