Am I in a hurry and don’t know why?

Sure, I’ve tossed some big numbers up early in this summer adventure.  But look at the facts.  I am here for only TWO months of what should be a 3 plus month season. So I was behind before I even showed up.  Then there is the weather, which can really eat away at planned hike days.  

You NEVER have a month without multiple storms blowing thru Glacier.  Mother Nature decides when the forest it too wet to walk, or when the summit will be too cloudy, or when the trails will be closed from lions and tigers and bear (oh my!).  

You have to expect things to go south at any time, and always have backup opportunities laid out.   I have tons of small hikes that I never bothered with because with because they were …. too small.  

I know there are hidden gems scattered here and there, so if I don’t explore such places during the week I would really be missing out on many new-to-me experiences.  Weekend are the coveted gold coins to be spent on the full day classics that Glacier has to offer. I cannot iterate enough how my work shift is truly horrible – 3:45p to 12:30a.  Horrible for everyone but a true hiker. One with commitment and dedication that has been forged in fire and fifty-five years in the making. 

The downside is I basically work when most of my fellow RV Parkers are off, so there is no real social time with the merry band of vagabonds.  I miss sharing backstories around dinner time, but even more so not being able to sync up on days off and hike with other people.  They probably couldn’t keep up with me now anyway. 

I started keeping a list of re-do hikes.  Any hike I do with marginal conditions (bad lighting, weather, smoke), I’ll jump back on and re-experience in a new way. If there is time, of course. The goal is to minimize that downtime. That means I’ve got to get done what I can early in the season and keep working the master list (which obviously has no end).

A list I know I’ll never finish. Got to keep putting in the miles mid-week and get the mountain legs along with the lungs tuned up. I can already feel the summer slipping away. 

Depending where I hike in the park, and if I’m up early, I get a solid 8 to 9 hour window before I have to turn the key to the shuttle van. A job that of course should be fully automated, or better yet, be an on-call service given the low number of passengers.

That being said, I’m moving into the climbing phase of my summer.   Means less trail miles but shorter and much more intense gains.  Which translates to more off trail and more communication with my roommate on how many nights my bunk should be empty before calling in Ranger Rick.  

I’m ripping apart different muscle groups now, which need more sleep and down time.   And I need to find more time to write.   Six days hiking and one off isn’t giving me what I need to hone the narratives and media the way I’d like. 

I currently get up at about 4:30a, get in my hiking and back by 2:30p, clean up and start work at 3:45p, then hit the pillow a little after midnight. I’m pretty much burned up in a couple of days.  I’m going to try and move to a 3-4 days on trail and 1 day off cycle, and keep my fingers crossed the weather holds for the next couple of weeks.  

Another factor is berries.   With all the early heat in July, the berries are all coming due early (huckle, service, thimble, etc etc).  The bears will start to forage early this year, which will reduce a lot of trails and climbing access points that I just won’t feel safe bushwhacking through.

Last but not least, I could get pulled up as a Red Bus Driver at any time.  Most of them started this season driving the employee shuttle (that I now own), because they needed interim work.

Ready at the drop of a hat to swap over to Jammer driving, as the NPS slowly eases Covid restrictions and allows more more tours to run.  If that happens, I’ll pretty much be done hiking for the summer.  As I mentioned before, they do 10-12 hours days.  I would actually have a day job. Wow.

So by no means am I rushing thru the park this season.  Nor am I pretending I’m 20 again. And it is sure the hell not 1986 (although I do miss Reagan in the White House).  I think 1986 Dave would have bragged to 2021 Dave how cool spandex was, and how the CD was the best music media EVER.  

2021 Dave would counter with why yoga pants are way too accepted in way too many circumstances, and how the smartphones has put the knowledge entire world your fingertips so you can waste half your life thumbing thru mindless social media. Or some guy’s blog.

Stats for the week:

Current as of:	7/25/2021		Last Day:	9/2/2021		Days Left:	39
Category	Count	Miles	Elv Gain/Loss	Hours	Avg Grade	Avg MPH	Drive Miles
Hikes	15	180.0	38,125	75.1	8.0%	2.40	820.0
Climbs	2	21.0	4,619	11.6	8.3%	1.82	160.0
Down Days	6						120.0
Totals	23	201.0	42,744	86.6	8.1%	2.32	1100.0