I got Liv to go with me again. This is Prue and Zach’s new house in Alpine, WY. It’s two blocks from a huge reservoir.
Glacier National Park. No way were we getting a campground at Many Glacier without reservations. A long line had been waiting for hours hoping others would leave. Some had been in line all night. We went to the village and decided to hike to Iceberg Lake. 9.7 miles with a gain of 1275 feet. Highest elevation of 6160 is low for us Coloradans. We’ve both climbed fourteeners.
Awesome hike. My feet were killing me. We showered and headed to the lodge for dinner, but since we had no place to stay, we opted to head out and dine in. We stayed in a funky campground in the Blackfeet Nation. The guy said a grizzly came running through the night before but it’s okay, he was heading somewhere in particular. The old couple next to us were on their way to Alaska from Wisconsin on a motorcycle pulling a tent trailer loaded with so much stuff you wouldn’t believe it. Had to be 1500 pounds. They were having some mechanical difficulties and had been there for two weeks. I’d say Alaska wasn’t happening. There was just one toilet for both sexes and it was in the same room as the shower.
We went to the visitors center to see about camping. Everything was full except a few very remote places that are first-come-first serve. We headed north on the west side of the park. As it turned out, it’s an incredible place. We found a great camp spot and spent two nights at Bowman Lake. Lush vegetation and towering forests on a pristine lake. Going in and out one passes through the tiny outpost of Polebrigde, home of an incredible bakery that bakes fresh huckleberry bear claws daily. And good coffee. The original store has been there since 1914.
Another night on the road. Dinner at the Trillium in Hood River. Extra fries. No beer. Maybe one. Camped at a nice county park near Mount Hood. Got fresh roasted coffee on the way to the coast. First time for this camper at the beach house. I keep the other one out there. This was the first time they’d met. I was solo for the trip back to Colorado since I stayed longer than the others. I had a hard time getting out with all the forest fires, camping the first night in a remote spot in an ancient juniper forest in very smoky eastern Oregon. The second night I found a super nice new place to camp near Twin Falls, but it was also thick in smoke. I was the the only one there. I slept with my head under a sheet. It’s Lake Cleveland in Sawtooth National Forest. Idaho. I went there again in a later year. Much nicer without the smoke.
