Welcome to Big Sky Country!

Erik and I decided to take a little vacation time this year in a place we've dreamed of for some time - Glacier National Park. We drove to the park Thursday morning and hit Hidden Lake Overlook trail. It's only about a 3 mile round trip, but I was a little surprised at the belly aching and outright refusal to try it by many people who stopped at the Visitor Center there. C'mon people - what are you doing here if you aren't willing to hike? Some people used their kids as excuses, but I didn't buy it.

The mountains there are so unbelievable that I had to remind myself I wasn't looking at a gigantic painting. Thursday and Friday night we stayed at Many Glacier Hotel which was built early in the 20th century. It's a beautiful, huge place overlooking a lake. It also capitalizes on the all American principle of supply and demand. While their prices certainly reflect the 21st century, they didn't seem to feel the need to make the ammenities keep up with the times. Our room was quaint, which is a real estate word for really small. I was glad it had a shower, but there are a lot of big Americans who would not fit in it. I think though that most of those people aren't usually the kind to go out and attempt to climb really big mountains.

Thursday's stats:
Miles climbed: about 5
Wildlife spotted: several mountain goats at close range (about 4 feet) and 2 well-fed chipmunks, bordering on gopher size. They got so close I thought they might scamper up my leg looking for food.