Unfortunately, when we got to the starting point it was raining, windy windy windy and cold. Quite miserable. Cathi and I were going to start the trail with him and Nick was going to go on for the remaining 13-16 miles (depending on which way he went). Let me tell you, there was no small amount of planning involved in having one car and no cell phone coverage for three people in a huge national park.
My big takeaway from this trip is that you canNOT out plan my mother-in-law. If you need anything (including a first aid kit), she has it. It's been a life saver several times on this trip. Additionally, she always has good food with her. YAY for us! Also, if I was planning a crisis team, her and my dad would be my first two picks. They seem to know how to shut the fear down and go into action. I on the other hand would be oblivious to the fact there's an issue and would probably be trying to find a Snickers bar I dropped between my seat in the car. What can I say... we all have different gifts. ;)
Eventually Nick made the decision to try again tomorrow and we voted to go to Canada! Glacier National Park is an International Peace Park that is connected with Alberta, Canada. Fortunately we all brought our passports along, so we were golden.
Another beautiful park and the pictures will tell that story, but we also stopped and got yummy hotdogs at an awesome lunch place that served FREE POP!? I couldn't believe it. I think I was like a three year old that found out they were getting an ice cream cone. Apparently saving me $2.50 is really all I need to be happy.
From there we headed back to glacier (it's now about 3:00pm) and the rain had stopped. The wind was still whipping and was cold, but not nearly as miserable and the cloud and fog had lifted so you could actually see something. So... we decided to head out. Highline trail skirts the highway below and is very high in the air... oh.. and... it's a ledge on a mountain (for the cool part). Soo.... this came with several free lectures from my husband. I think the long and short of it is we were all comfortable doing it, but none of us were comfortable watching each other do it. I wish we could have gone further, but we only went about 1/2 way out on the ledge and then came back. This also included several free lectures from Nick. It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have no words for what holding on to a garden hose, bolted on to the side of a monolith ledge overlooking the most glorious scene (you wait for Noah's ark to land and all the animals to get out - it's that beautiful) you will ever see is like. No. Words. I guess those are words though. lol. :)
In the spirit of editing I'll cut to scene 3, once we came down from Highline we headed out on a short hike on Avalanche Creek. How God dreamed up so many beautiful things in one place that man hasn't managed to destroy is still beyond me. I have said so many times on this trip, "this is really something special." And it is. You feel so small... but in a good way, as Nick says. It makes me weepy just thinking about it... but what doesn't make me feel that way.
Well... on to the beauty, enough of the words.
The fog and clouds over everything this morning.
Alberta, Canada - Watertown National Park
Alberta, Canada - Watertown National Park
Wild flowers by Highline Trail
Me! On Highline Trail! AWESOME!!
The view from the middle! How amazing!
My husband, the adventurer, adventure planner and all around amazing fellow.
Nick and Cathi loving the Highline Trail.
Beauty.
Uprooted tree on the Avalanche Creek trail.
That water, is THAT blue. No lie. Not joking. So mind blowing.
Further up the falls from the picture above. On the Avalanche Trail.
Amazing what these trees grow in, on and around.
Cats out of the bag, Nick's a tree hugger. :) He doesn't even really try to hide it.
Nick lovin the land.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha!!
Balance Beam
Skiing through the creek
That's all folks. This day feels like there were three years packed into it. Awesome, awesome, awesome.
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