Day 25 Glaciers National Parks 2011
The rain stopped at 6am this morning. I had quinoa, blueberry croissant and Bao Chung tea. The Southern German couple came to chat with me at 7am. They pulled out a map and I recommended that they stay at Many Glaciers and then come back and do this part when the buses run tomorrow for the season. They have six weeks of summer vacation. They are going to cross Canada and that they have already done Olympic National Park, Mount Rainer National Park, and Cascades National Park. They worried for my safety in traveling alone. Their RV is 25 feet and 5 feet too long for the road. So they will have to take the bus to do the road for Logan Pass area.
I rolled off at 8am. I did not know how many miles it was going to take me to get to the Cut Bank trail head. The ranger said to look for houses on the side of the road and the East Glacier National Park sign, that it is the right turn onto the gravel road. Well, it was five miles of very gravel road. The entire five mile drive was filled with flowers in purple, sky blue, heather, yellow, and white flowers, totally storybook stuff beautiful and fun. 
I went to look at the Cut Bank campground sites. It was $10 a night, no flushing toilet, had an outhouse, very gross, no drinking water, and no sink to wash. I say it is better to backpack, nature is cleaner.
It was 9am when I was on the trail. I stepped onto a hill filled with wild flowers. It took me a long time to travel the first 100 feet. I stopped to admire the flower on a very windy cold day. The walk was along the river. The forest bed was covered in lush greens and flowers, I even found orchids. It was a storybook setting, way better than Hollywood or Disney. I was the only one on the trail. I turned around when I came across a muddy section of the trail that I could not cross. I was close to the snow block where I would have to turn around. I really enjoyed my hike. Rangers, the ones that look like they hike the trails, they really know what they are talking about, their recommendations so far has just been right on, perfect!
This day was a day for contemplation. I wondered if Ralph Waldo Emerson came here first, would his Walden be called Glacier?
I thought about this on the trail. That I had been so careful to stay away from others who are in authority with bad habits and for those whom I had authority over I felt reckless and freed, immune to their bad habits. I was wrong. I was not immune.
I drove on the unevenly paved gravel mountain road 49 to Two Medicine Lake. It was beautiful. I didn’t feel a strong connection to the area. Maybe it was the wind. Maybe I was tired. I went on the scenic point trail. I walked .6 miles to the falls. A big sweet honest kind man come and approached me with joy that he just saw a mountain goat with horns on the trail and got it in pictures. He was happy as Christmas morning.
I also came across a female ranger who recommend the hike, she along with two female friends who were visiting her just backpacked it. The ranger had clear bright laser crystal eyes, not an ordinary spirit in a common human body.
At 2:45pm I turned around, it was thirty minutes before I had planned. On the way back I saw a mountain goat run towards me on the trail. I quickly pulled out the camera and he jumped, flew and leaped around me on the trail. It was cool, we were just a feet apart. He went for the greens ahead. It was actually a dangerous situation because he could have ram his horns into me. I am glad he didn’t. I followed him and he disappeared to dodge me. What a delightful experience! The goat might as well has been an unicorn, it was that much fun for me.
I saw a mama horse and a pony today on the drive back, it was a pretty sight. When I was back on 49, I was very sleepy and I decided to take i90 instead to Cascades. I pulled over to St. Mary’s gas station to fill my gas tank. I shopped in the store and saw a hammock I wanted with mosquito net for $110. I found it to be too expensive, I will keep looking. I checked out the café. More Chinese ladies working behind the counter and I tried a huckleberry ice cream taster. I noticed these workers served ice cream scoop size that was of Asian standard, tiny.
When I returned to camp, the German couple left and a young couple from Amsterdam arrived. Their RV was a $10,000. used van they bought off Craigslist purchased with the help of friends from Boston, MA. They said renting a car for six months was going to be $7,000. That with rental there is car insurance to come fix your car. But with this they can sell it when they are done. They had two months left. I showed them photos from National Parks I've taken in the past few years. After seeing my photos they decided to do Antelope Canyon. They schedule three to four days in each place. They have traveled a lot and done many things so they skipped things that aren’t up to the par. They are tourists visiting, passing through. I am passing through and living in each place, very different approaches, same destinations.
Tonight was very windy, I put on three layers and then I went to the amphitheatre to catch Blackfeet storyteller, singer perform. He had and intense serious no none sense eyes and a joyful childlike mouth that smiled and laughed. He was interesting to watch.
At the end of the night I gave the Amsterdam couple my Yellowstone map with Tetons on the back.
The wind shook my tent violently tonight. I didn’t mind. I put on gloves because the temperature for tonight was in the 30’s. I decided to just sleep in what I needed to be in tomorrow so that I wouldn’t complain about the cold clothes I have to change into.
