Glacier Grumbles

Well, Mom and Dad did it AGAIN! They took us to a cool place with lots of dogs, and I thought we were going to just play like last time, but no, they LEFT US THERE! For days and days - I thought they were never coming back - and they were having fun hiking! Stupid National Parks don't let dogs on the trails, so when Mom decided to re-live her youth they had to leave us in a kennel. Did I mention it sucked? Especially since I had to room with Blockhead!

So, they went hiking in Glacier National Park for four days. The pictures are are here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Daphne.ItchyDog/Glacier2010?feat=directlink

They don't all have captions yet, but that should happen shortly.


So, for those who don't know, Mom worked for two summers at Many Glacier Hotel in 1982/83. She was a maid the first year, and a singing waitress the second - this was back in the days when the employees also provided the entertainment - there were "Hootenany" Monday nights, a musical theater production each summer, multiple other evening entertainments, and the wait staff in the dining room sang 4-part harmony songs twice a night. There's a nice display in the Many Glacier Hotel lobby about those years, but Mom isn't in any of the pictures. BTW, for those who have a hard time believing Mom was a maid or waitress, she freely admits she was BAD at both of those, and was not invited back for a third summer, due to her "poor attitude" - big suprise, huh?


They spent the first night at the Belton Hotel which is just outside of the park in West Glacier. This hotel was orginally a dorm for the railroad workers building tourist facilities in the park. It has an awesome restaurant! They also drove up towards Logan Pass that afternoon/evening since the weather was so nice and Dad had never been in Glacier before. This turned out to be a very good idea, because the weather quickly deteriorated and was downright lousy the next day. Unfortuately, they had to hike the next day because Mom, trying to fulfill her childhood dreams, had booked the next night in Granite Park Chalet, which you have to hike to - there is no other way to get there, so they hiked in a cloud (and rain) all day. They did get to see a bighorn sheep up very close, and there weren't very many day hikers on the trails since the weather was so bad. They also got to do something else Mom hasn't done since her Glacier Park days - hitchhike! The park shuttle shuts down after Labor Day, so they had to leave the truck at "the Loop" lot, and hitchhike up to Logan Pass. Fortunately, a VERY nice couple from Lake Tapps picked them up (in the rain!) and got them up to Logan Pass in style! Thanks again folks!


So, even though they were hiking THE iconic Glacier trail, they couldn't really see anything - fortunately Dad was a good sport about the whole thing. It helps that the trail, although it's 7 miles long, is pretty easy hiking. He wasn't so thrilled with the "Chalet" - even though Mom had warned him it was basically just a hiker's shelter - he was still expecting cute girls with hot cocoa and a mint on his pillow, which needless to say, didn't happen. The other historic, hike-in chalet is like that, with full service meals etc...but Granite Park doesn't have a certified water system (although they did lots of testing this summer, and that's probably going to change) so they can't offer full service. What they do have is bunkbeds (you can bring a sleeping bag or order linens), a full kitchen for guest use (you bring your own food or pre-order it and it will be waiting for you), a pretty extensive list of basics for purchase (water, cocoa, candy, etc), a wood stove in the main dining room area and lots of boiled water for use in the kitchen. While the main dining area is warm and cozy, it did get a little confining - if the weather had been better, we would have spent most of the time outdoors. The bunkbeds are in individual rooms (unheated!), but the walls are pretty thin - you can definitely hear your neighbor's conversations - and they give out ear plugs before bed time! Mom slept pretty good in her cozy sleeping bag, but Dad said he was cold in the rented linens.

The next morning had better weather, but it was still pretty socked in - they did get to see a black bear in the distance, and lots of mule deer by the Chalet - and they got "attacked" by an aggresive grouse on the trail out. Evidently people have been feeding the grouse, because it was very forward, pecking at everything and climbing all over the packs. See the pictures at the link above.

So, Mom and Dad hiked out, then checked into a cabin at the Glacier Outdoor Center - they're very nice cabins and quiet - then bummed around West Glacier a while, and drove to Whitefish for dinner. The next day they went back to Logan Pass and hike the first part of the Highline Trail again, so Dad could actually see it. He was pretty impressed with the scenery - said it matches or beats Colorado - and Mom was really happy he got to see the real beauty of the place.

Then they drove to Many Glacier Hotel - it was REALLY windy there, so they didn't do much outside - but they fulfilled more of Mom's childhood dreams by eating dinner in the hotel dining room (the food is still kind of marginal) and explored the hotel. The employees don't put on entertainment anymore, and the basement area where they had the musicals and dances has been cut up into banquet rooms, so that was kind of disapointing, but it was still fun to see. They also drove over to the Swiftwater area (the other side of the lake) to see the motel and camping areas, then drove back to West Glacier. Dad took lots of "Hail Mary" photos out the window of the truck, and got some nice ones!

On their final full day, they drove up and over the pass again, and hiked 4 miles up the Piegan Pass trail on the east side of the park. They were planning on going back to Many Glacier to ride horses or hike, but the wind was going to be howling there again, so they decided to stay closer to the Pass area. But it was good decision - it was a beautiful day, and a beautiful hike - next time they plan to go to the top!

The next day they drove back and picked us up - finally free! - and we all got home safely. Mom and Dad say they're going back next year, which sucks for us, 'cause we'll be back in the kennel. Stupid National Parks and their stupid rules!

Well, we've done other stuff since then, but Mom wants to get this part posted, so I'll write further updates shortly. Have a great fall!