We headed off to Glacier and as we were packing up at Yellowstone I managed to break the line that controlled the black tank valve. We wound up stopping in Missoula and Bretz RV did a quick fix for us on Friday morning. We were able to get into the SanSuzEd RV park in West Glacier by early afternoon. Judy bought fresh cherries on the way as we drove past the beautiful Flathead lake. We decided this is a good place to spend the summer away from the Texas heat. Kalispell is a pretty little city with access to Glacier and the National Forest around Flathead Lake and River.
Four of the couples gathered at this park. On Saturday we all went our separate ways and got ready for the Sunday hike up to Sperry. Judy and I drove up to Polebridge on the east side of the park. Not a recommended trip on the park road - 27 miles of gravel road - very narrow and rough. The road just west of the park is not so bad. Great bakery at the Polebridge general store. We are still eating their beer batter and applesauce bread.
Sperry Chalet - The Chalet is a hike 6.7 miles and a climb of over 3200 feet. On top of that when you get there, after paying your $140 per night per person, there is no electricity anywhere, heat in only the kitchen/dining room, no hot water but the pit toilets are nice. Light in the dining room is provided by propane lights. The food is included and good. The staff is wonderful and friendly. By the time you leave, the $140 sounds like a bargain.
We have had great weather on this trip up until the day we started up to the Chalet. It rained lightly on us most of the way on our five hour hike up. There is about 100 yards of downhill on the hike so we can't say all 35000 feet of the hike is up hill. Our views were restricted by clouds so few pictures on the way up. When we arrived the dining room had lemonade and hot chocolate ready for everyone. We all warmed up, listened to the rules, unpacked. Dinner was turkey and dressing with all of the fixin's. After dinner, the clouds broke and we took many pictures of the sunset and Lake McDonald below us.
After freezing our bottom off all night, we got up to a great breakfast and a beautiful sunrise. The clouds were laying in the valley below us with the nearby mountain ranges poking through. The only other time I experienced this was on the volcano Haleakala in Maui. The 10 of us headed off to Sperry Glacier with our fresh packed lunches and bear spray. The hike was (surprise??) uphill all the way and about 3.7 miles of climbing. The trail and the mountains were majestic and gorgeous. It was one of the prettiest hikes ever. Glacier pools stair stepped up the mountain and we crossed the top of the pass by holding on to a cable and shuffling across rocks that sloped down the steep hill and then climbed through a slot to be greeted by freshly fallen snow, mountain goats and Sperry Glacier. Please check out our pictures for this part of the trip. They do not do justice to the beauty of God's creation. The hike back down was great and we were again welcomed with lemonade and hot chocolate.
There is a supposedly beautiful hike out of Sperry over Gunsight Pass but it is 13 miles out. When we got up Tuesday, it was raining again and we all opted for the shorter hike out the way we came. The hike down was easier but we hurt more due to the severe down steps we had to take. Everyone had either sore toes or knees by the bottom.
On Wednesday, we drove the Road to the Sun even though it was still cloudy and rainy/snowy. It is a magnificent and scary road. The mountains are spectacular due to the patient results of ten's of thousands of years of glaciers.
Thursday and Friday we drove down Hwy 93 to Arco Idaho. This is one of the most beautiful rides we have ever made. Much of it is what Lewis and Clark saw as they started dwon the west side of the continental divide. We followed the Salmon River much of the way. Deer and game were along the road and unfortunately we hit a young deer. He darted right in front of us trying to follow his mother. No damage was done to our vehicle but we did feel bad for the poor deer.
Tomorrow we see the Craters of the Moon National Monument.
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