Going To The Sun . . . Sort of!

Left late last Saturday on vacation - the annual bicycle trip - this time, again, to Glacier Park and western Montana.  I love Glacier Park, and most especially the magnificent Going To The Sun highway, this my third time over the top, trying to get closer to the sun.

Except . . . well, we'll get into that.

Boarded Amtrak for East Glacier, and had a fairly uneventful ride, only an hour late pulling in which is pretty good for this route with its tardy history dodging oil trains in NoDak.  But I love seeing the varied landscapes, this time in beautiful weather and a comfortable seat that afforded me only modest sleep over the 21 hour trip.

Stayed in the East Glacier Lodge - conceived by Louis Hill (son of Great Northern Railroad founder James J Hill) around 100 years ago, one of three such railroad lodges in Glacier.  A very smart move on the part of these railroad men - while magnificent in its use of soaring timbered spaces, the rooms are less than "modern" and really hark back to a simpler time.  But the prices are definitely modern.

East Glacier Lodge

Climbing SR 49 north out of East Glacier

 I missed the opportunity to visit Many Glacier two years ago at the end of our Icefields Parkway tour, so this time I made a point of heading up there yesterday, skirting the east side of Glacier Park with some fairly good and lengthy climbs, definitely tested my absence of solid training.   But the day was magnificent - cool, clear and only the fairest of breezes - perfect riding weather, and some amazing scenery.  Many Glacier is as deep into the base of these mountains as you can get on a vehicle - you can reach out and touch then, or so it seems.  And the alpine lakes are crystalline with a blue green mineral cast.

Approaching Many Glacier along Lake Sherburne

After three good climbs and 54 miles, arrived early and set up camp at Many Glacier in the hiker/biker spot, and quickly befriended Chris, a recent PhD recipient in biomedical engineering from Pittsburgh, seven months into a one year trip around the country, along with two through hikers on the Continental Divide Trail - both living to hike on long journeys, escaping (for now) the reality of work life.  The four of us enjoyed a lengthy evening conversation - I find it amusing as an elder (I could be their father) as to what these folks talk about - quite fun to learn actually.  Took a four mile hike around the lake, and stopped in for a beer and a pretty good sandwich for dinner in the Many Glacier Lodge and its soaring "swiss style" dining room - yes, another Hill legacy being extensively restored. This was perhaps chosen in favor of camp food as I erroneously forgot to stow my camp stove in my trip gear!

This morning I awoke to a familiar patter of light rain on the tent - it is a somewhat dreaded sound as it tends to add a level of morning stress (how much rain? Scramble to take down camp?  Breakfast how?).  It was light and intermittent, but dark clouds forebode more to come from the west. Broke camp around 8 and headed down to the Babb valley, and on to St. Mary, and a blistering headwind to start the Going To The Sun highway ascent, with dark clouds draping the crevices of distant peaks.

Departing Many Glacier - chased by rain and rainbows

I'd like to consider the notion of having taken a wrong turn, for this was not going to the sun, but going into the head-windy rain, that became heavy, cold, and loaded with sleet and snow after my 2.5 hour ascent (18 miles, about 12 steeply up).  And there was still much snow along the roadsides in the upper reaches. This is a bad time to realize that I forgot to pack my rain pants, and so I ascended in my shorts and sandals with wool socks - it was 44 degrees at the top, and just ugly cold, with an unheated Visitor Center, and no hot beverages, or even cold ones (no water).  But they did have hand warmer pouches and fleece gloves, both overpriced, but at this point, a saving grace for my upcoming rapid descent through this crap.  I put all 3 layers I had under my raincoat, and still shivered, almost uncontrollably - I do not recall ever being so cold.  The descent would be difficult in the rain and fog, having to grip the slippery brakes harder with potentially cold hands.  But the gloves and warming pouches saved me - not so much my feet which froze - and it was everything I could do to prevent full body shivers causing me to uncontrollably alter my trajectory.  But the rapid descent did get me quickly into slightly warmer territory.

Approaching shrouded and wet Logan Pass.  There were so many waterfalls!

But in spite of  the conditions, the ride was epic, not only testing my endurance, but also giving me a different view of Glacier in these conditions - still a monumental, awe inspiring sight

A moment later - shrouded - a true fleeting capture

The Going To The Sun road - west side descent

The sun finally came out, enabling me to shed my layers to warm up as I approached West Glacier a few miles away, 72 on the day, and a nice, hot shower and a good meal at the Glacier Highlands Motel revived my spirits, body temperature, and proclivity to actually write about it.

First day of summer?  Hrumphh!  I guess I'll just eat my sweet reward now: homemade huckleberry peach pie.  At least that is summery!