I sincerely hope everyone has just enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving Holiday with family, friends, and loved ones! I am sorry to not have wished you all a wonderful feast prior, I found myself quite busy helping a fellow landscaper finish a project before the holiday and then fell a bit ill unfortunately. But, alas I did have a nice visit with my family and have been able to rest and reset!
And no time to waste, as the great MidWinter festivities are a mere few weeks away! Speaking of, I will announce a Holiday surprise or two early next week, and yes, I am making Calendars again! I am currently in the works of it and plan to have it complete by the weekend of the 14/15th so that orders can get out it time for Christmas! Official announcement and ability to pre-order coming next week as well…
In the meantime, I still have MUCH I have promised you! Allow me first to complete my epic tale “Just Be Here” relayed directly from my journal entries of my time out West this past Summer. If you find yourself needing to refresh your memory or if you are a newcomer to the blog - parts 1 and 2 were posted September 20th and 30th respectively if you wish to scroll back through to find them. I last left you with my time in the Tetons and Yellowstone and now to a place I am most thankful for…
Glacier National Park, MT
August 20th -
“Quiet along the Cut Bank… Out for a leisurely late afternoon/early evening hike on the Pitamakan Pass Trail and taking a nice sit down enjoying the peace and solitude along the North Fork of the Cut Bank Creek right now.
I drove through these beloved gates of Glacier Sunday morning the 18th. Finding myself in the Two Medicine region of the Park for the first time, I am so pleasantly surprised at how lushly green it is here! I feel many pictures I have seen have depicted a more barren (albeit still incredible) landscape in this part of the Park, but not so in the least!
I backpacked out to Upper Two Medicine Lake Sunday evening, reveling in the glorious play of the setting sunlight upon the mountainsides. Most excitingly, I encountered my first Moose!!! And my what a big bull he is! Startled by a grunt and thinking I was about to have my first Grizzly encounter, I looked up in to the forest to see this magnificent animal checking me out. What an experience!
And if that were not enough, that evening while conversing with the group at camp (being lead by a Glacier Guides man whom I had met at Bowman Lake in 2o16 (what are the chances?!), and consisting of a wonderful couple, Alex and Katie, whom I hit it off with), the big guy decided to come join us for a twilight drink at the lake and chomping of the brush, giving us quite a show for at least a half hour or so! Even in the dark, by headlamp, one could gauge the enormosity of his head just by seeing the distance between his eyes, ahhh Glacier!
That night I sat at the lakeshore getting lost in the bounty of stars and spiritly spires of the cragged mountains, like ghosts glowing white in the rising moonlight. These moments are what magic truly is.
The next morning I lazily relaxed before hiking out, enjoying the blue-green sparkle of the lake and the morning light on the mountains. I waded into the lake to refresh for a while and cleanse the Spirit, feeling the Mountains blowing in the Wind...
Wouldn’t you know it, while hiking out, another Moose! This time a female, not 20 feet away munching on the brush without a care of me in the world I don’t think. I would say she was almost as hugely impressive as the male - minus the rack and a little bulk perhaps.
Last night I built a fire at Red Eagle Campground on Blackfeet Indian Reservation ground just East of Two Medicine and relaxed into the star rich night under the Milky Way.
An early start this morning to see what other backcountry plans I could ensure gave me such a graceful sunrise moment on Two Medicine Lake as the pink glow illuminated the mountains through the valley I had just hiked. And after a lazy kind of day overall, here I sit enjoying this peace and quiet along the Cut Bank.
I think it’s time to go build a fire and converse with some of Glacier’s Spirits. A long day lies ahead…”
August 21st - “Wow… that about sums it up. This morning began at 3:30am, making coffee by moonlight at my Cut Bank campsite and driving over to Many Glacier. I began hiking by the soft glow of pre-dawn through the forest along the shores of Swiftcurrent and Josephine Lakes. Very early on, a movement in the forest and a couple sets of eyes met my headlamp - Bear, deer?? Not so sure to be honest?!!
Although I began hiking about an hour later than I had hoped, it proved not to matter in terms of the photograph that was in my head. As the sun angle now in later August takes a while to rise up over the mountains to where it lights the scene - late July I think would be ideal for the Sun breaking the horizon in the valley between and basking what lies before me in fresh golden glow.
Nonetheless, the colors, mood and light upon these lakes, forests, and granite peaks I witnessed this morning on the roughly 3 miles in were nothing short of spellbinding.
And here I have sat, so peaceful and serene, soaking in the fortune and glory of this blessed life!”
