Glacier National Park, Montana

Well, FINALLY, I made it to Glacier National Park!!! No openings at the only campsite available in the park, but I proceeded towards the end of the "going to the sun road." 

The views were not only beautiful, but breath taking stunning. It was exceptionally hard driving while taking in the views while navigating. Its all that a park should be. Mountain vistas, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, snow capped peaks, snow drifts, glaciers, beaches, rock cliffs, gorges, pine forests, fields, wildflower meadows, and more. There is an option of viewing wildlife, such as grizzly bears, black bears, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, deer and elk, and plenty of chipmunks, squirrels, and birds.

The forest ranger at the visitor station recommended the St. Mary Lake Falls hike. Past Logan's Pass, only open to vehicles of 21' or less. I qualify! So, I decided to bypass the many other overlooks and pull overs, that were so intriguing, to get to this particular hike. I arrived at the site, but with only about 20 parking spaces available,  I pulled over and waited nearly 15 minutes to secure a parking spot. Throughout the entire drive to get here, which was over an hour and a half, from the entry,  I wanted to get as far into the park as possible with a plan to come back for the next several days. 

I did the 2.2 mile hike in about an hour and a half with a bit of time at the end at St Mary Falls. I watched younger people jumping in the river, off the bridge into the glacial melt waters, which must have been ice cube cold. It was actually funny as they rose to the surface screaming, apparently, in reaction to the frigid waters. Its glacial runoff. It was a stark beauty between the former burnt forest, being able to see through to the mountains, and the wildflowers growth in between. It was dark overcast, threatening to rain, in between puffy clouds and blue sky. As always, I worry about JoJo, but it was in the low 70's and I have my precautions to keep the RV comfortable. No dogs allowed on any National Park trails.

I worked up an appetite, and had some lentil soup which I amended with ground beef and pasta making it into a stew. This is after I found dispersed camping along a reservoir. The reservoir was as good as a lake to me, and surprisingly warm, as I took an evening swim. A few people were actually leaving, as I talked to them, and as I finally retired, back into my RV, I heard a blast of music. It went on for a while.

It was getting louder and louder. Obnoxious in fact. I was getting more and more annoyed. Just about the time I like to unwind, and collect my thoughts, and it was all too invasive, at dusk. It's one of those situations where I have to pick my battles. If I were a big imposing man, looking as intimidating as it gets, I might have confronted them, and told them to pipe it down. But as older white woman, I don't have a chance for that battle, as much as I think I could, and only in my mind do I imagine myself being Wonder Woman, or Lindsay Wagner, bionic woman. Thank God my self contained RV is simply a turn of the key, to take off, which is what I did, though still annoyed as I drove away. I managed to find another dispersed camping site, not too far away, and other than occasional traffic drive-by, so far it's been unbelievably silent and peaceful. Please!

And even though I can't get to the lake from here, I have a pretty good view of it. It's what I seek every single day. A slice of peace and silence. It's truly what feeds my soul, as I am not one for an overload of noise.































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