But first, Montana. Glacier National Park was incredible! And an example of how the world is incredibly small. On one of our hikes that I will talk about later I actually ran into one of my friends from freshman year of college. How insane is that? At first we were just excited to see another guy in Michigan clothes, but as he came closer I was like oh my god I think I know him. And I did. Bizarre. Anyway, we drove in to the park on the east side, which was one of the most treacherous drives I've experienced. It wasn't necessarily that dangerous, except for the fact that the road turned into dirt and gravel for a few miles every once in awhile. Even this wouldn't have been that terrible if it weren't for the fact that there was NO ONE AROUND to save us if our car broke down. We drove for miles without seeing a soul, and on top of that we had absolutely no cell service. I finally understood why Montana was dedicated as Big Sky Country, because for miles all you could see was sky and mountains in the distance. But regardless, we eventually made it to right outside the park for our first night in Montana.
For our first hike in Glacier National Park, we decided to do the Heart of the Glacier trail, otherwise known as the Iceberg Lake trail. This ranger-led hike was approximately 6-8 hours long, depending on how long it took you to get down the mountain. The ranger led the trek up the mountain, explaining the landmarks as she went along. Our ranger's name was Monica, and all three of us liked her instantly - she was around our age, had a good sense of humor, and was really personable. As we went up the mountain, we found ourselves in a giant forest that was home to so many different creatures. I was surprised to see how big of an ecosystem can live on a mountain. Even more surprisingly I found myself ENJOYING science - like who knew?! Learning about how the brilliant rock colors were created (they were sedimentary) and how the glaciers actually MOVED to create the mountains we were hiking up, was intriguing. I guess to really appreciate Science, you have to see and experience it. Hopefully I will be able to keep that lesson in mind next year when I'm teaching my students.
The desired destination of our hike was Iceberg Lake. I didn't really know what to expect when I saw it, except that it would be a body of water in the heart of the mountains. But my expectations were definitely surpassed, because this lake was unlike anything any of us had ever seen before. The water was crystal bluish green like you see in movies, and mounds of snow - actual snow - were sprinkled throughout it. I couldn't believe it was summer and there were still permanent snowdrifts up in the mountain. The water was approximately 38 degrees (according to Monica), but felt very cold. Some of the other hikers actually went in the water! We just decided to put our fingers in to be on the safe side (I know, we are finally becoming mature - incredible!). But regardless, this experience was unreal. It was also extremely relaxing sitting by this lake eating lunch and feeling the cold (instead of hot) air blowing on our faces.
After we hiked back down from the lake, we drove on the Going-on-the-sun road to the west side of the park where we were staying. Prior to the drive we had dinner at Three Sisters, a hole in the wall restaurant that tasted amazing. We even had milkshakes to go, and Shannon got to try the Huckleberry shake. Yes huckleberries are real people! This drive literally took us up, down, in, and out of the mountains. We arrived at Lake Macdonald lodge just in time to watch another sunset! It was again beautiful, but the colors weren't as brilliant as in the Grand Tetons. However the lake was blueish purple, reflecting the color of Glacier National Park's sedimentary rocks. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip because the lake was just so peaceful, and the rocks were so smooth.
The next day we actually took a boat tour around the lake, which was just relaxing. It obviously fueled my love of boats even more. Afterwards we went on a hike that was part of the Highline Trail. This was funny to me because we have a highline in NYC that takes you on a trial over rooftops. This highline was legitimately on the side of a mountain, and if you fell you were pretty screwed. Jacki loved this trail because she said she felt like she was inside the mountain. I thought the views were just incredible. At one point I just had to sit down on part of the cliff and take it all in.
After leaving Glacier National Park, we drove to Missoula, MT, one of the stops on the way to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. I was pumped about Missoula because I knew it was a college town, and my friend Heberto had given me a lot of suggestions of things to do. When we arrived we went to Taco del Sol for dinner, and I swear to god I had the best burrito I've ever had. It had cod in it instead I chicken, and was divine. It was also incredibly cheap, as were the Montana brews that we drank ($2.50, can you believe that?!). Afterwards we went to Charlie B's, a bar that my friend recommended. This bar had a very western feel to it, and it seemed like it catered to all age groups. Portraits of people who had frequented the bar in the past were also up on the wall. It didn't really feel that much like a college bar, which was nice. If I had to compare it to a bar in Ann Arbor, I would probably compare the crowd to the crowd at Ashley's. We were definitely fans. The next day we walked around the campus and had breakfast at an awesome farmers market, where I had my first tamale. So good! I think we have been surprised the most by how much authentic Mexican food we have found in the states we have passed through. Like its been pretty damn good.
After we left Missoula, we headed to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. This lake side resort city looked absolutely as gorgeous as the pictures! When we checked in at the hotel we were faced with another small world scenario - the girl at the hotel check in desk studied at the same university in Ecuador as Shannon's sister Bridget! Once we arrived we immediately put bathing suits on and hiked through the woods to these secluded beaches on the lake. And of course we jumped right in! The water felt so refreshing after being on the road for two weeks. It was so refreshing that we ended up going back the next day and renting kayaks to take out on the lake. This experience was definitely an arm workout for sure! I was obviously the last kayak in the line of kayaks almost always. We loved getting to travel all around the lake, via our own mode of transportation (kayak). God it felt so great being out there. Hopefully we will all get to go back one day :)
And I almost forgot, Jacki finally got her Idaho potato! We had potato skins for dinner at a restaurant called Iron Horse, and they were giant:
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