Glacier Welcomes Me Back With Open Arms

Since I’m a product (or some would argue byproduct) of the 1980s, whenever I hear Open Arms, my mind immediately goes to the power love ballad by Journey. It’s the ultimate 8th-grade slow dance song when I was scared to spin around in circles in an awkward hug with a girl and didn’t know why.

But that’s not how Glacier treated me on my return. Instead, it was more like a Bath out of Hell by Meatloaf. It draws you in with that welcoming beauty and then drops the hammer when you are at the point of no return.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Yeah, I’m back at Glacier this summer. Why not have the big hoopla, fanfare, and leadup like last summer? Well, because I’m basically following the same game plan. You know, train in May and hike, then come back a month later and work (and hike). Those details are boring.

So here I am, barely out of the first week of May, and they are having the BEST weather of the entire year so far. The last three weeks have been extra cold and cloudy. As I drive up Lake McDonald, I’ve never seen it look this incredible.

I was looking for 10 miles of rutted dirt road, but I was on actual pavement! And most of the pullouts were even open. Ah yes, my old friend is very glad to see me again.

There was some traffic on the Going to the Sun Road—what you would expect for the first clear day in many, many months—and then it all came to a standstill. I guess the last mile or two of paving isn’t done up to the lodge.

So, I sat for just almost 30 minutes, watching these guys roll forward and back, getting paid by the hour, although that is still work that I wouldn’t want to do.

Finally, I rolled up to the Lodge. I need to get my dorm assignment. Then, I can change and squeeze in a quick afternoon hike. And guess what? There is zero parking.

I tried the front lot, back lot, and employee lot, and nothing. Just cars driving around in circles. It’s kind of crazy for noon on a Friday in early May; that’s what I was thinking.

I thought this was weird but later discovered it was the perfect storm. LMD Lodge opened today for the first guests of the season. Because of paving, no traffic is allowed past the lodge. So I drove around and parked by the cabins that were not occupied by guests yet.

I found the property manager, got a key, and dumped what I needed for the week in my room. It’s a lot better than last season. There is only one stranger I have to tolerate for a week with a real bathroom and not a shower from a Turkish prison movie.

Everyone is here to bike the lower stretches of Sun Road while they still plow higher up—very few hikers among all the vehicles that plugged up the parking lots. And you know the worst part? About 90% of those I’ve seen (and that is a lot) are electric. Yeah, all reward with no effort. Our society is in moral decay.

But I wanted to write somewhere peaceful, away from the sound of people and traffic. So, back to the cabins along the lake that are still being prepared for an active summer. They are nice and quiet, with a shielded view of the lake. All I hear is the light breeze in the trees and the birds chirping.

I look 75 yards to my left, and I see the back porch of the Lake McDonald Lodge crowded with people trying to relax. I guess you could say that solitude is always just around the corner. But you have to look for it.

But all of these bikers leave more room on the trail for me. I’m looking forward to this summer. I also have a special announcement to make. I won’t have Kirk as a roommate this season, but I will have someone else who should be equally enjoyable. But more on that later.