Mile 3033 Day 6

Today we had the entire day in the park. Sean left in the morning to ride up to Many Glacier, which is in the very North of the park. There is only one access road to that area. Sean realized that is where all the “hardcore” backpackers stayed and no trendy tourists. He saw a grizzly and two cubs high in the mountains and said the views were spectacular. I choose to go to Logan pass and do an easy 3 mile hike so we could return to our base at the same time. I took the park shuttle to Logan pass and was disappointed to see the entire area covered in snow. In fact, this has been one of snowiest springs they have ever had. Logan pass is the only road that goes through the park and it opened last week for the first time this year. I saw numerous people attempting to do the hike, but I choose not to. First, I didn’t have my hiking boots or walking sticks, and second the line of people walking straight up hill without any tree line reminded me of the crowded peaks of Mt. Everest as people slowly make their way to the peak. I was not interested in being around so many people! So I waited, for what seemed to take forever, for the shuttle bus. I returned three hours later frustrated and irritable. I hiked along a trail by our car and enjoyed one of the many fast, cold flowing streams to find my center. After we joined up we both took showers, for the bargain price of $1.25 for 8 minutes, and ate at the park inn. A young girl about 6 or 7 and her mother were in the shower area (there was only 1 shower) and as I waited she told me she hadn’t taken a shower since Friday. I mentioned it may have been 3 or 4 days for me and she said Mommy, “can you believe she hasn’t taken a shower in that long!” It was a good laugh and I certainly agreed with her. Luckily, we have been taking what Rosie kindly refers to as a “whores bath” everyday. Showers are a luxury here. I have happy to have regular toilets, running faucets, and drinking water most days. We decided lunch would be our main meal today. We try to only pay for one meal a day and eat the rest out of the cooler, and yes, sometimes we eat more than one PB&J a day. Then we got back in the car to visit the other side of the park, almost 43 miles. The drive was spectacular and rugged. When we stopped at the Logan pass visitor center it was 5x as crowded as when I had visited in the morning. We got our picture taken at the continental divide sign and were off. The congestion and crowding intensified as we drove on. We realized that most people must enter from the West (since it is close to the interstate) and drive to Logan pass then turn around. We felt fortunate for staying on the East side with less people and more solitude. We ended the day with a 4 mile hike to Avalanche Lake. Before our hike we were able to secure a campsite at the Avalanche campgrounds and it was nice to not have to drive to the trailhead. The hike was enjoyable walking along a fast flowing water fall until the lake; however, the trails were extremely crowded. When we returned to the campsite and ate our delicious turkey sandwiches (I am very envious of camp fire meals) we had enough time to make another interpretive talk in which the ranger discussed the culture of the local Indians. The mountains in this area are called by the Indians as the backbone of the land. They come to the mountains for visions. I can certainly understand how these mountains could talk to you and reveal your destinations in life. Tomorrow we are doing a long 8 mile hike early in the morning and then driving to South Montana. I am looking forward to seeing friends and driving less; however, feel a sense of loss as we leave. I hope to return one day and spend more time in the backcountry.