Holy cannoli! We decided at the last minute that we were going to get a trail ride in before we left Montana. All of the outfitters in Glacier were completely booked so we began looking for independent outfitters in the Whitefish area. After a few tries, we came upon Artemis Acres. Mr. Cecil is the owner and also the person who answers the phone and takes reservations. What a true gentleman and cowboy he proved to be!
Our ride began at 10 am and would last for just over two hours. We needed the restroom when we first arrived at the stable- here was our option:
It was clean and beat popping a squat in the wilderness!
We were then sized up and paired up with a horse. My horse was named Frankie. Dean, Becky, and Steven rode on Archie, Cappy, and Sam respectively. Everyone boarded their horse and our wrangle, Alexis, lead us off to climb the mountain.
It was a beautiful ride up and down and our horses were so very calm. The only issue we had was trying to keep them from eating grass along the path when we got a little slow.
When we reached the top of the mountain we were so excited about the view. All of the Flathead Lake area was in clear view.
We stopped to eat at a local restaurant in Kalispell before heading back to Whitefish Mountain. We drove straight into the resort and took the chairlift to the top of the mountain to take in the view. Becky was very apprehensive about the chair lift. Her first ride ever was on the 4th when we did the zip lining tour. When we first spoke about going to the summit, she insisted she was taking a closed gondola and not an open air chair to the top. By the time we were ready to board the lift, she was coming with us on the open chair. It was nice because all four of us could fit in one lift seat.
The ride up consisted of two separate lifts. The view from the top of the mountain was fabulous!
The view from the summit
Us at the summit
Becky & Steven at the summit
The man at work...
We then went down the mountain to eat dinner at the Boat House at The Lodge. Dinner was lovely as well as the view.
Wow. Got an early start to our day with the intention of making it to Logan Pass. There is a visitors center there and the start of Hidden Lake Overlook trail. Snow everywhere. We left the truck without our hiking sticks but made a quick run back to grab them once we saw the amount of snow that we would trek through. Total knock of confidence when you slip and skid walking over snow. At more than one time or another we each looked like those new born calves testing out their legs for the first time. (After note: Becky is my proofer/editor on each post and when she read this comparison she said she'd give me extra points for such an exact comparison! Yay me!)
As we began the trail a sign was posted saying that the trail that is just beyond the overlook to go to the shores of Hidden Lake was closed due to 'bear activity.' Good enough for me. I want no part of 'bear activity.' We decided to continue on to the lake overlook for the scenery and numerous mountain goats.
This was a very different hike from yesterday. We were on dirt paths up and down the side of the mountain in thick trees. Today, we were in an alpine meadow with snow covering everything.
Panorama of Logan's Pass
There were some fairly steep parts that the snow made so tricky for our footing. About just over a mile into the trail you have to go around the curve of a mountain. The problem was that the trail was maybe 12 inches wide. The rock here was very loose and you basically needed to lean towards the mountain and side step the skinny path.
The red arrow indicates the skinny trail around the mountain side. The yellow star marks the spot where Becky and I both stopped and contemplated going around the mountain...
Steven went. Dean went. Becky was next. The path was so skinny here that it was single file. Becky was uncertain of her intentions. I slipped and landed right there on my backside and decided that I needed to make a decision. Either go or get out of the way. The more I thought about it, the more anxious I got. I took a quick look at Beck and told her I was not continuing on, I was heading down. She said she was in decision making mode. I did not look back- I started a very nervous descent ever so slowly. After ten minutes or so I heard 'Nick I'm here with you' - Beck had talked herself out of that scary next segment as well. We spotted an island of rocks or isolation... amongst the sea of snow that made for a lovely spot for lunch and watching even old people go where we were afraid to go....
Pano of Hidden Lake Overlook
Dean & Steven at Hidden Lake Overlook
Can you spot Nick & Beck?
Becky & I on the Island of Isolation- we ate the best turkey sandwiches ever at this spot!
Close up of the skinny pass
Our home while waiting for the guys to return from Hidden Lake Overlook
After an hour or so the guys came around the bend and we watched them walk the treacherous path back to where we were. We wore hats, gloves, and our down jackets today. The temperature at Logan's Pass was in the 40s. Skies were very overcast which was a little disappointing in not having blue skies in our pictures. The pattern has been overcast mornings with blue skies early evening until sunset (close to 10 pm).
On our way out of the park we pulled on the side of the road for Dean to get pictures of and in a meadow. Not two minutes after we pulled over, there were flashing lights behind us. Park police walk up to the truck and tell us that you cannot 'off road' in the park. 'Can I have your license please sir'. Steven obliges and gives Mr. Officer his license. ...there is a hole punched in his license... 'Sir is this the only license you have?' Yes sir! 'Sir, this is expired.' <collective gasp from inside the truck> Steven digs through his wallet and produces another license (no hole in this one). Officer walks back to his car while Mrs. Officer stood alongside the truck to ensure we didn't leave I guess. While he is away, of course we all question Steven as to why is he keeping an expired license in his wallet. Mr. Officer comes back and says well, you aren't wanted for anything <sigh of relief from inside the truck> so I will let you go with a warning. I also suggest that you not carry an expired license on you. It is a huge red flag when we are handed an expired license.
Two lessons learned:
Don't off-road in a national park.
Don't carry an expired license on you.
The photo that almost landed Steven in jail... it was worth it right?
(As I reflect on this incident, I am so disappointed in myself that I did not snap a picture of Steven and the officer as a keepsake. I originally didn't think the stop would result in much, until Steven handed the officer his expired license....)
We exited the park on the East side, drove north and reentered Glacier to get to Many Glacier Lodge. The hotel is a Swiss influenced resort. Very quaint. Heading back to the condo in Whitefish- we will drive Going to the Sun Road (east to west) as the quickest route back to the condo.
We did finally spot a bear... well, sort of... is this considered 'bear activity'?
Our drive today was through Glacier (west to east) on Going to the Sun Road. Majority of this road is easy driving. The drive over the Continental Drive (highest point at Logan's Pass 6,646 feet) requires mountainside driving where there is no rail, let alone shoulder. Dean used one of his GoPro clip mounts to aim the camera out of the truck window to give a closeup and personal view of our drive. Hopefully we will post those clips as well.
A GPS pictorial track of our route today. Click on the picture and then the play button.
What an awesome Independence Day for us! We began the day with zip lining and ended it with an incredible hike in Glacier. Here are the deets:
We signed up for a 7-zip line tour at Whitefish Mountain Resort. We were there for 9; got fitted for our harnesses, helmets, etc. Dean put a GoPro on his helmet and I had one on a chest mount. The tour is a great design in starting you out on tiny lines, building to long lines. We started out with a short line to practice the different forms we needed to use while zipping. It was my first zip lining experience and I thought it was so exciting. I had no idea the lines coming up as we went up and down the mountain were going to allow us the speed we obtained!
The first two lines were near the lodge and were short hikes. We then got on a chair lift to go up the mountain to line 3. The chair lift was definitely Becky's least favorite part but it is so very peaceful and sure as heck beat hiking up the mountain. It is the newest line at the resort and was a site to behold! We were 250 feet above the ground on this line that was just under a thousand feet long. The view was incredible but more impressive was the speed you could build up if you assumed the 'pencil' position all the way in. I laughed out loud the entire ride- such a thrill!
After each line, we'd hike to the next line. Going uphill was a challenge. Being able to zip made it worth it.
It was an awesome experience that I would definitely do again.
Becky and Steven going down line 5
Nicky and Dean coming in hot!
We went back to the condo and gathered what we needed for an afternoon hike in Glacier National Park. On the way out we stopped at Piggyback Barbecue for a late lunch. It was delicious and so fitting for a 4th lunch.
We then drove into Glacier. We stopped at Apgar Village to look around and get a closer look at Lake McDonald. It was windy and very chilly. There were people swimming in the lake though. We were looking for our long sleeve clothing options.
On our way to Avalanche Lake we stopped at Sacred Dancing Cascade along the highway. Beautiful area for great photos. We are traveling on Going to the Sun Road, but the stretch we covered today was very mild travel. No real mountain side driving yet. That will be further into the park.
Sacred Dancing Cascades
Behind the scenes shot of what it is like to travel with Dean & Nicky...
It was now after five in the afternoon which seems late to start a hike. However darkness does not fall into this area until after 9:30, closer to 10. We parked just up the road and began on the Trail of the Cedars which starts out as a boardwalk. Really nice family friendly hike. The boardwalk ends when you reach a beautiful gorge where Avalanche Creek is rushing through giant boulders. Gorgeous views and the sounds were so relaxing. Our hiking path then turns into a dirt path for the hike to Avalanche Lake. This hike was tougher on me than I thought. Lots of uphill trekking. Along the hike there Steven would question every person as to 'how was it' etc. He did this to every person we met. I would like to give you percentages here as to the responses but he was not keeping track. This led into my questioning him as to what he was planning on doing with all of the data he was collecting. He said he didn't have a plan for it. He was just curious. After what seemed like hours of huffing it, we arrived at Avalanche Lake and what a site to see! There are at least five waterfalls spilling down the mountains into the lake. So quiet and serene (especially after my labored breathing stopped...lol). We took some time to take it all in and get lots of photos.
Avalanche Lake - it was worth it
We were by this point considering the time and the long hike back. We started on our return trip just after 8 pm and moved somewhat easier downhill for the most part. I took out my portable speaker, attached it to my pack and put on a playlist for the hike back. Music motivates me and made the return trip so nice. It also helped with being noisy to deter bears. We shouted out every so often as a preventive measure. We also had our bear spray handy if needed.
We saw deer, voles, birds but no bears (thank goodness!)
Our return hike had us back at our truck at 9 pm, it took 52 minutes! Much quicker than our hike in.
We stopped at Lake McDonald Lodge for dinner and made it back to the condo just before midnight. I'm pretty sure we were all asleep within 5 minutes of hitting the pillows.
Wow- just wow! To our family and friends back in Louisiana, the weather here is absolutely incredible! When we walked out of the jet onto the tarmac we were all giddy! We kept looking at one another and laughing at the lovely temperature (72 degrees, no humidity) and breeze.
Upon arrival we found our accommodations (absolutely beautiful four level condominium) and set out to purchase necessary supplies. The view from our balcony...
We got everything squared away and decided to go out to dinner at a recommended restaurant in downtown Whitefish- Casey's. Dean, Becky, Steven and I sat and enjoyed drinks downstairs while waiting for a rooftop table.
Drinks on the lower level
Casey's rooftop dining experience was awesome!
Panoramic view of the rooftop experience- btw, this was probably after 9 pm....
Cucumber Gimlet, French 75, Fleur de Summer, Casey's Moscow Mule
Black and blue burger! We all made happy plates.
After dinner we stopped in at Red Caboose for fro yo (frozen yogurt). Steven added a pin to represent us on the map!
We walked the streets of downtown Whitefish and took in all views.
We have a full day of activities planned for the 4th- will be back to post that later.
