On huckleberry shakes
During the summer of COVID I traveled to Glacier National Park with Valerie and Paul. Once there we met up with my parents and the five of us stayed together in a small cabin. There was a bit of tension between Valerie and myself that I’ll explain first before diving into the rambling.
You see, many summers ago Valerie visited Glacier National Park with Saul, and the two of them bought huckleberry shakes. They are a fixture of the area. Valerie and Saul raved about them as well. Naturally, I wanted to have a taste of one of these huckleberry shakes. Valerie initially thought it’d be a good idea, but her interest waned quickly and then she did her best to avoid a trip into town. I considered this a broken promise on a very simple request. The two of us simmered with a small rage.
Eventually I forced the issue and threatened to drive into town myself, at which point everyone yielded. Valerie did her best up until the very end to put off the plans by casting fear of long lines. However, I eventually got a huckleberry shake, and it was delicious. Then we all went and jumped into a cold river, which lifted our spirits.
Into Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park is a great place to do a hike. It’s out in the middle of nowhere, and the mountains are magnificent. They call them the American Alps. Our first afternoon we drove in and walked to McDonald Lake where we sat and gazed at the mountains. Valerie also fear mongered that day, claiming the lines to get into the park would be excruciatingly long at such an hour. This doomsday prediction, like the long lines for the huckleberry shakes, also failed to materialize. We drove right in.
The Kootenai called Glacier Yaqawiswitxuki, or “the place where there is a lot of ice.” The ice is of course packed into those glaciers. I’m going to refrain from fear mongering myself here, and I won’t talk about the inevitable disappearance of the glaciers. Instead, I’ll just remind everyone what a glacier is: a permanent pack of ice and snow.
I like to think of Glacier National Park as a slice of the Canadian Rockies that snuck across the border. Sure, all those mountains are interconnected in some way, but something about it feels a bit foreign to the rest of the area. It’s something to do with the ruggedness of the mountains and their snowy peaks. Or maybe it’s just those huckleberry shakes.
The wind was whipping that day my friends
One morning we got up bright and early to do our first big hike of the trip. Yes, I’ve officially yielded; hikes are a form of rambling. Valerie was on edge, worried that we wouldn’t be able to find a parking space at the trailhead. This of course irritated me, since we drove up Going to the Sun Road and were not allowed to stop and smell the flowers.
In any case we blitzed up the mountain and arrived at our destination, Siyeh Pass Trail (we were one of the first cars in the parking lot). We all put on our traveling packs and started the walk. After tracing a cascading stream, the trail turned sharply and eventually headed into a forest. Then there was a fun creek crossing where we had to hop from boulder to boulder.
It seemed the perfect place to spot wildlife, but we had no such luck. There were some birds, but none of the big stuff. No bighorn sheep, no mountain goats, and no bears. Glacier National Park is home to a population of Grizzly Bears, so if you go, be sure to bring that bear spray!
After the creek crossing, we passed into Alpine territory and started a steep climb up the pass. Now, loose rocks graced either side of the trail, and the wind really whipped in our faces. This made my Dad’s day. His favorite kind of hike is one that reaches a high elevation, with open exposure and wind that really whips. We then reached the top of the pass and got sheltered from the wind by the mountain peaks. Then, we ate lunch and rambled back down.
Mountain lakes of Glacier National Park
There were two more hikes from that trip that are noteworthy. One was a short hike to the spectacular Avalanche Lake. It is surrounded by mountains and a great place to observe the distant glaciers. Waterfalls plummet down the rocky faces, making it the place for photography.
The next lake hike was much longer and fulfilled one of my dreams. I don’t remember the name of the lake, but I brought along a fishing pole. The hike ascends gradually, and then rapidly descends to the lakeshore. Once there I rambled around the perimeter and fished. After some initial failure, I found where the school was and couldn’t keep them off my hook. They were small trout and I practiced catch and release.
Despite the tensions between myself and Valerie, the trip was a success. Huckleberry shakes, rambling, fishing, and Charlie Parr on the radio, what more could I ask for? Not to mention the tiny cabin we stayed in. I love a cozy little cabin, the Rambler’s Lodge if you will.
