Purple pinecones, paddle boarding, and a hungry bull moose

This morning I am writing to you from a cozy coffee shop in Missoula, Montana! Such a cool little college town. Artsy vibes, tons of breweries, and a walking path along the river -- all of our favorite things. We are making our way towards Boise, ID today, and then the Sawtooth Range to meet up with friends next week to celebrate Matthew's 30th birthday! But first, we had the most fantastic week in Glacier National Park and I can't wait to tell you all about it! 

Day 1 Glacier- There is still so much snow here!! I guess it kind of makes sense that a park named after glaciers would have snow in July, but holy moly! The hike we did today was just a giant snowy hill with a bunch of tourists slipping and sliding all the way up. Like hundreds of baby deer all taking their first steps, but they’re on an ice rink and they’re all trying to go to the same place. Needless to say, it was funny to watch. We did our fair share of slipping, but it was such a warm day that falling onto snow felt pretty nice. We slowly slid our way up the snowy field to catch a glimpse of Hidden Lake. It was tucked away between snow-covered mountains and was a sharp, navy blue with ice still covering some parts. We had my personal favorite hiking lunch- PB&J with Extra Toasty Cheez-its and enjoyed the view. We took advantage of some more snow luging on the way down the mountain. Turns out that is a thing around here! It was a pretty funny (and cold!) feeling sledding down a snowy mountain in shorts with no sled. We also discovered running down the slushy snow was a good strategy to get down because you got a good foothold, so it soon became a race. A few snowballs were thrown— I’ll let you guess who had better aim and who made it down the mountain first. We decided to check out a few shorter hikes to some waterfalls in the afternoon and were quickly roasting in the sun without any snow around. Our trail meandered alongside St. Mary Lake and offered beautiful mountain views in the background. We saw three stunning waterfalls, each unique in its own way. The last was a giant, water spilling from a hundred feet up at least and its splash on the rock below caused a refreshing, but powerful mist— also a nice spot for a photo. On our way back, Matthew had a staring contest with a mean-looking elk. We ended the day with a VERY brisk, very quick glacial lake shower and a few cold brews in the sun at a secluded beach spot we discovered. The days feel endless here in the best way possible, the sun doesn’t set until at least 10. So much daylight to do so many wonderful things!

Day 2 Glacier-  Rainy day hike this morning to Red Rock Falls. Much cooler today and less people out and about, most were headed in when we were on our way out. This hike was through a nice thick forest and provided some protection from the rain. The falls were a short distance in and splashed over several levels of brick red rock. On the way back, Matthew “had a feeling” about Fishercap Lake and jogged down a side trail to see if he could spot a moose. He was right. He even sprinted back up to get me (what a guy!!). A giant bull moose stood right in the center of the lake eating his lunch. He kept his head underwater for an impressive amount of time to eat the plants at the lake’s bottom. We stayed and appreciated him for a while and then decided we needed to go warm up. We were pretty soaked from earlier so we found a nice little lodge and had coffee and a bowl of soup. The rain kept up so we decided to stay warm indoors and read our books in the pop-up tent we have and we wrapped up in the extra blankets we bought for sleeping. We made a very tasty stir fry for dinner (favorite camp meal so far!— second time we’ve had it) and had some hot cocoa for dessert.

Day 3- Today we decided on a hike just a short drive from our campground. Siyeh Pass was a beauty. It started nice and gradually and offered trickling falls crossing back and forth over our trail and quite a few marmots who did not seem to care how close we got as long as they were snacking on something. It was a steep push to the summit across Siyeh Pass but we were quickly rewarded with the views on the other side. The colors of the mountains and landscape in the distance were unreal, like they belonged in a painting. The mountains were almost purple, the trees striped them with emerald green and several lakes dotted the ground with aqua. Against my better judgment, we decided to go down a different way which several hikers told us had several snowy parts. Matthew and I’s personalities can be summed up in our preference of hiking trail type. I prefer an out and back style trail, this way I know exactly what to expect when I am heading down— knowing what is coming makes me happy. Matthew likes loop trails best, he prefers a new and exciting way down and is always up for a challenge or adventure. Today we went with Matthew’s preference and to his credit, the views were even better coming down Sunrift Gorge. I was definitely not singing his praises, however, as I was tiptoeing across the many steep and slippery snow field paths required to get down. I put my spikes on and took my time— meanwhile Matthew was “boot skiing” his way down and running full tilt down the snowy mountain. Part mountain goat that kid, I swear. We both made it down safely though, and that’s what counts. That afternoon we found our way to another lakeside spot for a sandwich, beer and sunny hammock book sesh.

Day 4- This morning we made blueberry pancakes on our camp stove! Solid start to a great day. We chose a longer hike with several good snack stops along the way. It was another nice gradual climb through some lovely meadows sprinkled with all colors of wildflowers and a snowcapped mountain backdrop. Our first stop was Ptarmigan Falls where you could sit right out on the rocks and enjoy the water rushing by. The hike got much steeper after that and the trail was engulfed by thick coniferous trees. We saw several different colored pinecone buds— it was the coolest thing! Some were purple, others were blue or red. We hiked to Ptarmigan Lake for a snack and could see the steep switchbacks we would take to get to our destination— Ptarmigan Tunnel. As we gained elevation, the view of the lake became just gorgeous, the water was a sapphire blue and behind it was a long stretch of snowy mountains. We weren’t sure what to expect for the tunnel, but it was exactly that. Near the top of the switchbacks, instead of having to go all the way to the top of the pass to see the mountains on the other side, you could walk through a tunnel!

Zoom in for a nose-plugging how-to from an expert

Day 5 Glacier- After a windy ride across Going to the Sun Road, full of sharp turns, tunnels through mountain rock, and steep cliff edges, we managed to snag a campsite at Fish Creek campground. Best spot yet! We are within walking distance of a beautiful lake and have access to Fish Creek right from our site. We couldn’t have asked for a better day weather-wise, so we decided to take the paddle boards out for their maiden voyage! Lake McDonald was absolutely beautiful. The water was calm, clear and surrounded by Glacier’s signature snowy mountain views. After exploring the lake for a bit, we paddled into the nearest campground village, checked out a few shops, and had a signature Apgar Margarita on an outdoor patio. When we made it back, we plopped our chairs right in the middle of the cool creek for the afternoon and read our books in the sunshine— or I should say I did that and Matthew attempted to do that, but instead hung a hammock on the side of the creek and tried for the better part of an hour to dam the small creek up in one area so we could have a spot deep enough to swim. What can I say, the man needs activities. We're both living our best lives out here.

Day 6 Glacier- Today we took it easy and checked out a popular hike out to Lake Avalanche. It started in the Trail of Cedars, where we got to practice our tree identification skills surrounded by some giant beautiful trees that towered above us. We learned how to identify red cedar, western hemlock, and black cottonwood by their bark and leaves/needles. And the trail up to the lake pleasantly followed Avalanche Falls most of the way up, which was a beautiful aqua blue and flowed powerfully through a rocky gorge We stopped into Lake McDonald Lodge for a beer and snack, but they had just stopped serving food. We must have looked hungry because the bartender took pity on us and gave us a free side of french fries. Nothing like free fries to make your day. Back at our campsite we plopped our chairs in our sunny creek again and did some reading. Also, a deer stopped by to say good night before we fell asleep.

Zoom in on Matthew's face for a chuckle

Last Day in Glacier- The Highline Trail opened up just in time for us to get to hike it! This trail was our longest yet I think (13 miles), but was mostly flat along a ridge with mountain range views extending the whole way. At times, one side of the trail was cradled by an interesting rock wall with colorful layers and intricate designs carved out by the glacial waters above. Other times there were meadows full of marmots, deer, prairie dogs and beautiful wildflowers. The other side was a rather steep drop off down the mountain, which made for great views and a few butterflies in the stomach. We also hiked up a short, but steep overlook to get an up close view of Grinnell Glacier and its surrounding lakes. So cool to be so close to something so impressively large that has been around for thousands of years! After making it down we rinsed off in Sacred Dancing Cascade, maybe the coldest waters yet--Matthew's face tells the story!

Already looking forward to the adventures the Sawtooths have to offer us this week and celebrating 30 trips around the sun for Mr. Matt!! Talk to you next week :)