Backpacking: Day Three

Day Three: 11 miles.
Glenns Lake to the Canadian Border

We started early in the morning due to bad weather warnings.
Stopped for a break where a couple of us went swimming. And by us I don't mean me. Way too cold!

This was about the half-way point of our hike for the day.

It was all fun and smiles until the rain and snow. And that, folks, is when the real fun started.I have no photos of the last six miles but not to worry. I've improvised with a little artistic interpretation.

We stopped at the ranger station and were warned that it was best to hike out due to winter-weather warnings. The ranger gave us some advice. And to my eternal detriment I followed it.

Ranger: "Just embrace the mud, and you'll be fine."
Ann's thoughts: Well, fasten your seatbelt Ranger Joe, cause I'm about to embrace the crap out of this mud.

Within 20 minutes I was covered in mud from ankle to my thigh and had two inches of standing water INSIDE my boots. This experience provoked so many deep reflections and thoughts...

Three miles before completion I injured my knee on a downward slope of mud. Walking became unbelievably painful. However, I made it to the van. Yay for Ann.

We arrived back at our campsite, I hobbled into the trailer in tears, and had this conversation while icing my knee....

Bruce's Mom: "Do you think you can make it to the shower house?"

Ann: "Shower? Did someone say shower?!"

Bruce's Mom: "Yes, there are showers just around the corner. But I'm concerned you might not be able to make it."

Ann: You don't know who you are talking to. "If I have to crawl on my hands and knees across that parking lot, I will get there.....even if it's the last thing I do!"

That's right, friends. Don't tell Ann what she can't do.

Then I saw a vision of myself. What if it was the last thing I did?

My vision looked something like this.....

Bruce had the same vision and told me that he saw a group of mystified archeologists digging up my bones at the threshold of the shower house. Sounds like an episode for Unsolved Mysteries, if you ask me. (That show scared me to death when I was a kid. And, of course, that meant I had to watch it faithfully every single week. Ok. I digress).

Thankfully, I did make it to the shower house. The rest of the week we rested before returning home. Bruce and I spent one afternoon at the Polebridge Mercantile in the middle of nowhere (a.k.a. the most amazing bakery on the planet). Coffee. Cinnamon Rolls. Mmmm....everything tastes incredible after backpacking.

And yes, I would still do it all over again. Despite my knee injury, it was an amazing trip!

Backpacking: Day Two

Day Two: 7 miles
We headed out from Elizabeth Lake and made camp seven miles later at Glenns Lake.

Came upon a waterfall within the first couple of miles of our hike. A couple of the guys took a brief swim.
Almost to our lunch stop at the creek below. Unbeknownst to us, a black bear had just crossed the creek and was headed our way, but Bruce and I never saw him.

Lunch Break! Most of our group had beat us to the creek and ate lunch while Bruce and I caught up. That's when they all looked up and saw the black bear crossing the creek about 100 yards away.

Anyone whose ever backpacked knows the feeling of taking off the pack and walking around without it. Your body feels so light you think you could fly (or at least run super fast).

Getting ready for the rest of our hike.... Glenns Lake: our campsite for the night.

On our last leg of the trail, we spotted this. Oh yes. Fresh grizzly tracks.

Almost there!

We made it to our site just in time for a light rain shower. And honestly, I remember thinking that the cold rain felt really good on my tired, weary body.

If you missed our pics from Day One, Click Here.
For Day Three, click here.

Backpacking: Day One

Day One of our backpacking excursion in Glacier....

The trail began at Mini Glacier and we camped the first night 11 miles north at Elizabeth Lake.

Just getting started on the trail...

Our group stopped for lunch at the creek. We backpacked with seven others from the Air Force, and although a little intimidated at first, I quickly enjoyed their company along the way.

Getting ready for the climb upward...

After hiking for a while after lunch, we eventually stopped at the lake for another break, and then began our ascent to the top of the ridge where this photo was taken. What an extraordinary view!

Saw some mountain sheep while we climbed upward.

Taking a little break before we descend the other side of the mountain.

On the other side of the ridge, we had an incredible view of Elizabeth Lake. From this point we descended five miles to our camp site at the far end of the lake.

I should have been a geologist. I think rock formations like this are so cool, and I wish I had paid more attention in Geology 101 about 10 years ago.

This might be my favorite picture of Bruce and I. Quick story: Just before we were married, Bruce took me backpacking in Glacier. I had fun, really enjoyed all the scenery and outdoors, but unfortunately emerged in so much pain and with so many blisters on my feet that I swore I would never backpack again.

Here we are years later. We worked hard all summer to get in shape for this trip, and we had a blast backpacking together! While hiking I thought a lot about how hard we've worked in our marriage, how we've basically been to hell and back together, and how we've found happiness on the other side after so much work, so many days of wanting out, wanting to give up, loving each other, hating each other, and yet here we are doing something together I once swore against. And we're genuinely happy, which several years ago seemed so elusive. Life's greatest accomplishments to me consist in learning to be honest about who I really am (not who I wish myself to be or who I have pretended to be) and learning to be at home with myself and with the man I married. And lately I've felt like, if I can make it through that and be happy, then surely I can get myself in shape and try backpacking again. And surprise, surprise, I had such a blast on this trip!

Getting closer! Not gonna lie. Those last three miles were neverending and so painful. I know that 11 miles doesn't sound that long, but with 30 pounds strapped on your back, 11 miles might as well be 50.

We made it! And we got to see a beautiful sunset at the end of the day. Bruce said that this day was the most difficult hike he's ever done in all his years of backpacking.

Oh, I so love it out here.
Check out Day Two:  click here

Going To The Sun Road

Anyone who has ever been to Glacier National Park has surely experienced the grandeur of Going To The Sun Road, a two lane road which begins at MacDonald Lake at the base of breathtaking mountains and lands you at the top of Logan Pass.

Keep your eyes peeled and you might just see a grizzly or two (or in Bruce's case six on this trip alone). I will spare you the intensity of my grizzly-phobia. It's pretty intense.

All of these photos were taken from the car.

Stay tuned for pics from our backpacking trip.

30 miles in three days? 30 miles in three days.

Through sun, rain, and snow? Through sun, rain, and snow.

And it was AWESOME!!!!!