Category: Hiking

Glacier is stuck in time in the most beautiful of ways.  Established as a park in 1910 Glacier has quite the impressive stats.  Here are a few facts about Glacier NP courtesy of the NPS website.

My folks have been here numerous times and told me of a few great places that I absolutely had to check out.  My friends Dingo and El Cap also gave me a few must see places so I did have some idea of where I wanted to go.  This park is so huge and the suggestions were only a fraction of what the park has to offer one’s senses!  I wandered on in and came upon Lake McDonald first and couldn’t believe the size of that sucker!  HUGE!  Surrounded by glacial mountains, big pines and whispy cloads floating above.  I pulled over to snap a few pics and really man I could have stayed there all day!   Seriously people, it would take years to really discover this park on your own.  Not just because there is SOOOOO much to see but also because each place that you stop to see along the way just captivates you and you want to spend a lot of time there.  Spend time to take pics, watch the wildlife, listen to the music of the streams, feel the wind and soak it all in nice and slowly.  Kind of like savoring a great cannoli combined with a delicious cup of coffee…Mmmm!  Well it is breakfast time here and I’m hungry 😉

 

 

I drove around for a little bit and after about an hour was I dying to brush my teeth, shower and rest in a comfy bed.  Sometimes when traveling I just need to lay my head in a bed.  I would never give up camping, hammock or tent, but sometimes you should find respite in a space bigger than a little tent!  I stumbled upon Lake McDonald Lodge.  It is this giant beautiful inn that takes you back in time with all the carved wood work, nooks and crannies that give this place a sense of mystery.  I inquired about vacancy but the cheapest room on short notice was $250.  I was so tired and in of a deep cleaning that I almost said, “Heck why not?”  However,  my practical side took over and convinced me to find some place cheaper.  The lady at the desk gave me a list of all the inns in the park and I called every single one of them.  I finally found a spot at the Village Inn at Apgar.  Now keep in mind I was super tired, in need of a shower and a solid nights sleep and therefore was a bit cranky when I found out a few things the lady didn’t mention on the phone about the hotel.  I checked in and they gave me my card to a first floor room.  It was cute and quaint but it didn’t have a/c (there was a box fan in the closet) nor a telephone in case of an emergency.  The manager actually told me that if I needed help immediately then I should bang on my wall to alert my neighbors.  I was like, really dude?!  You only get cell service if you have Verizon.  I did complain a little because none of this was mentioned when I booked the room via telephone.  (When traveling alone it is always safety first.)  So after a bit of battle they gave me a room on the second floor that was less noisy and a bit more secure.  I didn’t want anyone crawling through my first floor window.  (The windows have flimsy locks.)

After I showered and scrubbed my teeth I was ready for an ice-cold beer and snacks. I was way too tired to put any effort into eating a proper dinner so I moseyed on down to the little market and picked up a six-pack of local IPA brew, some sugar snap peas and cheese.  (I fell of the vegan wagon after an amazing french dessert in Oregon…but I am back on it and my body is happy again!)

brews and views 🙂

(side note: this guy running the coffee shop this morning as the best playlists.  I don’t even need ear plugs!)

After vlogging (is that even a word for video blogging?..lol), I crawled into a nice big comfy bed with comfy pillows and totally drifted into a deep deep slumber.  HEAVEN dudes, heaven!  I woke up so wide-eyed and refreshed that I did not want to leave my hotel room for the next several days but at $180 a night , I did just that but not before brewing TWO cups of coffee simultaneously!!!  For an obsessed coffee lover like me I was so stoked that I had a cup of coffee in each hand.  I drank those two and then brewed two more!  BLISS!  While drinking my coffees…hahaha, I took a time lapse video.

The clouds were sparse but still it was fun to tinker around with time lapse.  I really could have stayed there for days on end.  Oh, to have unlimited funds and live the life of luxury but I don’t want nice hotels and comfy beds all the time.  I want to feel the elements and sleep under the stars, I much prefer that.  After that I packed up my room and crossed the parking lot to a giant wooded area designated for camping.  To pop my tent was only $20 a night.  There weren’t any showers but there were nice bathrooms and potable water.  Hahaha!  I spent that night testing out bear spray.  Note to anyone who has never sprayed bear spray before.  DO NOT spray it toward a tree!  Even if you are good ten feet away because that stuff comes out like a canon, bounces off the tree and right into your eyes and throat!  My eyes burned a little for the next half hour and I swear my throat was going to peel off in layers.  The lessons we learn while out on adventure! 😀

Up next, the alluring beautiful spot I found along the McDonald River.

~Lori

“Give what you have.  To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Let me take a moment to express my feelings…..

It has taken me way too long to write about Montana but honestly I was totally bummed about being back.  I had this really crappy moment when I was leaving Glacier.  I woke up on a crisp sunlit morning, neatly packed up my tent, loaded the rest of the stuff in my car and started driving to my new found favorite spot along McDonald Creek just north of McDonald Lake.  I was just about there when I felt a strong urge to leave and move on to my next destination.  So I turned the car around and said to myself, “I don’t want to rush my time here.  I don’t want to try and see everything in one fell swoop.”  I knew I’d be coming back Glacier sooner rather than later so I felt that it was a good time to leave.  I drove along Route 2 down the south end of the park and into the east end.  The southeast end of the park is beautiful with rolling landscapes of tall grasses and subtle views (compared to the stark ones of Going To The Sun Road) and way less traveled than other parts of the park.  This long winding quiet road allowed me ample time to get lost in my thoughts and desires about this magical, humbling, nurturing place I just spent the past several days in.  Glacier is a place that resets every part of your being.  It is pure and lovely, towering and intimidating, patient and raw.  Glacier will make you fall in love, threaten you with crazy storms and then it will wrap it’s arms around you with it’s wild, raw and free loving energy.  I fell in love with Glacier…hard…I fell in love fast.  I hated to be leaving but knew it was time to go.  That wasn’t the end, it was only the beginning.

Driving down route 2 to East Glacier I just started crying, sobbing buckets of tears.  Screaming in my head, “I KNOW I AM NOT READY TO STAY BUT I AM NOT READY TO GO HOME EITHER!!!!!!!!!!”   I was just done.  DONE in every sense of the word.  I just wanted to wander off into the woods, follow the rivers, find a great place to take a nap and wake up with all the answers.  I wanted to drive back up to Bowman Lake, dive into it’s crystal clear cold waters and just SCREEEEAAAMMMM.  Scream so loud that the fish scattered and the mountains trembled.   I pulled off the road somewhere in Black Feet Nation and just sat there staring out into nothing, wishing like heck I could fast forward to the place in time where I am ready to be ready.  Five to seven years ago I would have just given my notice to my boss, had someone pack  up my apartment and just stay.  Now I am in a different place.  This place of making a life that I can take on the road.  I don’t want a house, land or permanent address.  I want the country to be my home and the landscape of this wondrous land to be my life’s work….

Now back to the beginning…

Sometimes you experience moments and are happy you are by yourself.  Then there are some moments that are so EXTRAORDINARY that you wish you had someone by your side to share it with because you want someone to feel what you just felt.  Whether that someone be a lover, friend, niece or nephew, anyone to just to soak in that moment with you.  The emotion, the beauty, the chills flowing all over your body!  I had two of those moments on my travels this past month!  TWO!  I also experienced many many other great moments…how lucky am I?!?!?! 😀

Montana:  (facts courtesy of  http://www.50states.com/facts/montana.htm, except #10….that’s mine own fact!)

1. Montana is the only state with a triple divide allowing water to flow into the Pacific, Atlantic, and Hudson Bay. This phenomenon occurs at Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park.
2. Home to more elk, deer and antelope than people.
3.  Has the largest grizzly bear population in the lower 48.
4. It’s river and streams provide water for THREE oceans!!!
5. Has the largest variety of mammals than any other state.
6. It has the largest migratory elk herd in the United States.
7. Montana means mountains in Spanish.
8. At Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge it is possible to see up to 1,700 nesting pelicans.
9. 46 out of Montana’s 56 counties are considered “frontier counties” with an average population of 6 or fewer people per square mile.
10. So far THE MOST BEAUTIFUL STATE I have ever been to.

After I had five wonderful days with my best friend Shannon I was anxious to get on the road and travel to my homeland.  I was born in Great Falls, Montana.  I was a wee baby when we moved away but that is where I drew my first breaths and they have stayed with me all this time.

I never thought that I would be able to live in a state that is land locked.  I learned that the hard way living in Florida for a short time and although Gainesville is nice, it was torture living inland!  Never again.  And that is why when I lived in Venice and San Francisco, CA I had to be with in walking distance to the ocean or no more than a 10 minute drive.  Same goes for here in Ohio.  The country is beautiful for a little Sunday drive with its little farms and back roads but nothing is more beautiful than the wide open waters of the Pacific Ocean and Lake Erie!

Well…until I hit Montana.  Montana with it’s wide rivers, towering mountains, cloud shadows on the rolling hills and glacial lakes!  I cried when I experienced this beauty.  I was driving out of Butte, Montana when I hit a thunderstorm.  The rain was pouring down and dark clouds hovered above but all the while the sun was still shining.  A rainbow that was so bright, arced high above the mountains.  Between the rainbow and the sun the rain looked like crystals flickering to the ground.  That my friends, I have never seen anywhere else.  I cried.  I was soooooo contently happy and overcome with peace that I had to pull over just watch it for a while.  This happened many times while driving through Montana.  It really is one of the last frontier states and it’s vast openness is unsurpassed by any other state in the lower forty eight.

Montana rivers are huge.  I am talking wide, with clear rushing waters that just BEG you to go swimming in them.  One of my goals this trip was to swim in as many bodies of water as possible!  So I did!  I was driving into Montana moseying along down the road when I spotted a nice cool river to take a dip in.  Now Montana has great rivers for fishing and they have fishing access points all along the rivers.  Lots of fly fishing happening up there.  So when I came upon my first access point I pulled off and there was one camper and one car.  The only person I saw was a cute fly fisherman from Vermont (didn’t get his name…shucks!)  So I scurried down to a spot where the water pools and waded over to two giant rocks.  I saw the cute “fly” guy (hahaha) but had to wait until he made his way down stream so I could get in.  Yes, I swam in my t-shirt, bra and underwear that time and it was AWESOME!!!  Clear sparkling waters, tall pines and gorgeous river rock.  Gosh I felt SOOOO free!

Look at that technique!  Lol…  I came up with a way to take pictures while traveling solo.  Setting a timer was not conducive to getting a decent candid shot.  I cannot pose for anything and when I try I look ridiculous!  :p  So I set up my flexible tripod ($5 on amazon), hooked my phone up, set the camera to video that way I could record and swim around for as long as I wanted.  This way I wouldn’t have to rush out trying to get in the frame and not look like a dork!    When finished, I just played the video, paused it on a shot I thought was cool and screen shot it.  Wahla!!!  Last time I traveled out west it was with a disposable camera…lol!   But hey dudes I took some great pics without knowing if they were going  to be good or not!  Technology man…it’s a love hate relationship 🙂

But with Montana….it is just pure love!

To be continued…

~Lori

“Give what you have.  To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Duuuudes…  you ever have one of those mornings when you feel an overwhelming desire to get the heck out of town or you may just lose your mind?!?!?!  That is exactly how I felt Saturday morning.  I was suppose to go snowshoeing with friends and was really looking forward to it as I have never been snowshoeing before.  However, when I opened my eyes I knew I had to pack up a few things and hop in my car.  It was a loooong week at work and some personal stuff was just brewing up inside me and that my friends makes for a great “get the heck out of dodge and drive to somewhere beautiful” kind of a much needed day!  So I pack a bunch of warm clothes, a thermos of hot coffee, some snacks, loaded up on gas and hit the highway.  I am not going to lie…. the weather was somewhat crappy but I didn’t care.

I knew exactly where I wanted to go.  I friend had told me about a place called “The Grand Canyon of the East” about a year ago.  I googled it and found it to be located in Letchworth State Park in Castile, NY.  So dudes, I plugged it into the map app on my phone, hit the open road and let my car take me there.

There is something about a road trip that gets me so totally excited and I feel so at peace and free.  I remember when I was moving from Venice Beach, CA up to San Francisco, I felt this feeling of relief knowing that I get to move someplace new and exciting…again!  Having the freedom to travel whenever I want to is so….sacred to me.  Sacred is the only word that I can think of to describe the feeling.  Although Cleveland is my home base for now, I would never rule out moving someplace new again.  😉

First I entered Pennsylvania (very short drive through this part of PA) then onto to New York.  The drive to New York wasn’t that bad.  I hit a few snow squalls heading of out Cleveland and in PA as well but I never thought to turn around.  It turned out to be a pretty decent drive for the most part.  I just took my time and wasn’t in any kind of hurry 🙂

I love driving along long stretches of land and looking out over the farms with really old barns and old houses with high pitched roofs.  Everything looks really pretty when it is snow covered.  Like a moment from a postcard from 60-70 years ago.  The landscapes seem to stand still in time when they are blanketed with snow.

After driving 4.5 hours and plenty of beautiful farms, I finally arrived at Letchworth State Park.

It. Was. Cold….very cold!  I arrived and checked into the ranger’s station only to find out that that part of the park was closed due to the weather.  A lot of roads in the park were closed because they were not passable.  I also inquired to see if I could get a cabin for the night.  I had this idea in my head that I was going to take a nice warm shower, read, write, relax and meditate until my heart’s content.  That didn’t happen!  I figured no one would be wanting to spend the night in a sub zero temps out in a state park, even if it was in a cabin.  Wellll I forgot that it was Valentine’s Day weekend.  Bummer because there was not single cabin available.  So what’s a lady to do?  I put on my winter gear and went for a hike around that part of the park.  It was breathtaking!  The following description is from the New York State Park website,

“Letchworth State Park, renowned as the “Grand Canyon of the East,” is one of the most scenically magnificent areas in the eastern U.S. The Genesee River roars through the gorge over three major waterfalls between cliffs–as high as 600 feet in some places–surrounded by lush forests. Hikers can choose among 66 miles of hiking trails. Trails are also available for horseback riding, biking, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. Letchworth offers nature, history and performing arts programs, guided walks, tours, a summer lecture series, whitewater rafting, kayaking, a pool for swimming and hot air ballooning.”  It was also named by USA Today,  America’s favorite state park 2015.

I cannot wait to go back in the late spring or early summer!  I want to hike for a couple of days and tent camp.  I don’t know if there is much backpacking in the park but I will have to find out for sure.  Wikipedia does a great job of explaining the history and formation of the canals and waterfalls within and around Letchworth State Park.   I tell you guys it’s worth the read 🙂

I hiked around and soaked up the scenery for while before heading back to Ohio.  The skies were so blue with wispy clouds spread out over the horizon.  The sun was bright and I could not have asked for a better day.  Even if it was insanely cold out!  The cool (pun intended!) part was the contrast of the blue sky against the evergreen trees. The trees just POPPED against the blue.  Very cool 🙂  Also the water below that was flowing through the canyon was a greenish blue color.  The color of VERY VERY VERY cold water.  Brrrr….  I had this thought that what if the cliff gave way and I slid hundreds of feet to the bottom of the canyon!?  Morbid I know but seriously…lol!  As I drove out of the park the wind picked just enough to blow some snow of the evergreen branches and they kissed my car gently as if to say, “Thank you for wandering around and see you soon.”

I stopped in a little town (the name of it has slipped my mind) to have dinner which was much needed after eating only a few snacks over the course of 8 hours.  I thought about staying in that little town but I really wanted to be in a cabin surrounded by snow and trees.  A small town hotel would not have had the same effect!

Well folks that is it for now!  I hope you had a good start to the week and I will check in again very soon.  I have to tell you about Sunday’s mini-road trip!

Oh and my friend Pete just posted a trip to the Wind River Range in Wyoming in August!  So stoked!!!

Happy road trippin’ ;D

~Lori

“Give what you have.  To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow