We packed up and left Lexington to stay for 5 ish days in Port Clinton with Sara's family, then flew from there straight to Glacier to kick off the biennial friends trip. We kicked off at Backslope Brewing and Jeremiah Johnson and then made our way to our AirBnB in Columbia Falls (just outside the west entrance of the park).
The group acclimatized on the patio taking in both a beautiful sunset and rainbow taking full advantage of our first evening in Montana.
After a chill first day we hit the trails followed "Trail of the Cedars" towards Avalanche Lake. We had our first glimpse into some of the wildlife which was quite stellar (jay). We even had a deer pose along the trail before moving along. This trail was great for being mostly flat and a good intro to the national park.
After the Trail of Cedars we bopped over to the Lodge at Lake McDonald (where we just happened to miss the opportunity for food or drink) so we had to audible to Eddie's Cafe for a few Huckleberry based cocktails/seltzers/desserts that were all much too pleasant after a hike. The lake also made for a great calm lookout spot to take in the magnitude of the area.
Once we knocked out a level of comfort with the calm flat trails, we had a good nights sleep and then moved on to something with a little more elevation gain: Apgar to Mount Lookout. This was pretty much an elevation gain on the way out and a drop on the way back. The views were solid (with no stellar jays tho) or any other wildlife for that matter.
From Mount Lookout a crew went back to the AirBnB while two too many of us (given the number of seats in the Grand Wagoneer) ventured off to Rocky Point for one more trail before taking a load off. This trail was flat and good for the feet, letting us take in some post BLT views. The drive with 9 in the boat (Wagoneer) wasn't hateful, but I look forward to having a seat going forward.
With two days of longer hiking under our belts, the vibe felt a little more mellow the next day. We lazily got up, downing coffee and flipping thru some of the park literature that was scattered around the AirBnB. There was a short river trail that took us into town, and we meandered that way to peruse the shops and let the legs take it easy.
Refreshing back at the house, the dudes latched onto Colossal Solitaire and video games while the ladies had an impromptu bachelorette celebration for Holly. They took off for a winery/distillery combo and we put Lee to shame at Smash Brothers (that's not true, Lee wrecked us all).
Both groups convened at the Gunsight Saloon for drinks and live music which happened to be on point. Anytime we were out and about in Columbia Falls, we continued to be impressed with the quality of the entertainment. Gunsight also impressed with the food menu. Sitting down I wasn't expecting much, but the brisket was fantastic!
Brisket aside, we had some work to do for the next day. A group would be doing a 10 mile hike with substantial elevation gain, while the other would be doing 28-30 miles on bikes depending how much of the Going to the Sun Road was open.
According to the map, it would be 16 miles out and 16 miles back. The way out would be nearly 3,500 feet of elevation gain with hardly anything on the way back. This felt manageable to me as I should be able to turn around at any point and just coast to the trailhead. Going to the Sun Road connects the east and west side of the national park, but is partially closed as the snow melts and poses avalanche threats thru the pass. While it is entirely closed to cars until the summer, it is open for bikes up until the actual avalanche danger.
We took the shuttle from the Apgar Visitor center along Lake McDonald to Avalanche Campground that would be our actual starting point. After our team selfie we got going, the initial section was flat, but it didn't take long for the incline to begin.
The climb continues thru the West Side Tunnel and takes a hairpin turn at "The Loop" looking out to Heaven's Peak. I don't know if my seat became radically more uncomfortable here, or if the route steepened, or if I was overly flustered by e-bikes blowing past me with happy people, but this is where the fun began.
I found myself stopping to "take in the beauty" and capture these great moments (definitely not to get a rest from the seemingly never ending uphill. Birdwoman falls was surpassed by the mountain view above it, dwarfing the 500 foot falls.
Around mile 12.5 I was struggling pretty good. Ben and Kristen had popped off their bikes to stretch their legs and walk around another minor waterfall. Everything in my being hoped this was the end. It was not.
Do you know when you're cruising a hike, and you've just gotten started but you see people sitting and resting on benches already? You're kind of appalled because they should just "not be tired" and "keep going" because it "hasn't even gotten hard yet". Yea I don't have those thoughts anymore. This ride I was that person. Stopping at every bench (or rock that was hip high).
Luckily it was only another 3/4s of a mile before the road was closed even to the bikes due to the possibility of an avalanche. The views were great or whatever. The way up was "satisfying" or whatever people say. Going down was great except when I had to pedal. My butt was over it, and I'm glad to be writing this from my comfy office chair at the moment.
If you asked me today I would probably recommend biking the Going to the Sun Road. I would also recommend to book an e-bike well in advance.