Wading Weather
We made it through another night, waking up in the Love’s parking lot. After packing away my sleeping bag and pad, we boiled some water for our breakfast oatmeal. Our version of a tailgate worked well, and we were soon on the road towards Kalispell. Dad took the first three hour shift, and I the second. When we got to St. Regis, Montana, I got an email from Cornell about the status of the Fall semester: campus will be opening! I read the email aloud to Dad and we discussed it while he was driving.
Once we arrived in Kalispell we did a grocery shop for camping food to give us more flexibility. We stocked up with enough food for the next four days (maybe more). Realizing we would not make it to the Apgar Information Center in Glacier National Park before they closed at 5:00 PM, we ventured to an REI in town to pick up some additional gas for our stoves.
In forty-five minutes we were entering the Park. We went straight to the Fish Creek campsite rather than the Information Center hoping it would have vacancy for walk-ins. We were not so fortunate. The Ranger referred us to several campsites just outside of Glacier, so we ventured to the Big Creek campsite in the Flathead National Forest. The directions getting there and finding a campsite were more ambiguous than in Olympic National Forest, which was made worse by rain. After perhaps driving backwards more than forwards (because we were confused by several signs), we found a camp area where several other tents and cars were located. We pulled into the campsite, parked, and discussed what we should do next.
The Glacier National Park welcome sign at the West Glacier entrance
We have been blessed to have had excellent weather so far on the trip, but Mother Nature has finally caught up to us. Rain is expected to continue both today and tomorrow. We spent over an hour in the van hoping for a gap in the rainstorm so that we could cook dinner in better conditions. In an attempt to stay productive, while sitting in the car I folded the laundry we did at the hotel and cleaned the van a bit while Dad organized the groceries we bought in Kalispell. The sun began to peak out, giving us hope of a break. After several false breaks, the sky substantially cleared up, and we began to set up for dinner.
Our creamy chicken fettuccine dinner being prepared on our stove in the Big Creek area of the Flathead National Forest
Despite distancing ourselves, our neighbors were not very pleased to see us. They made some rude remarks, making it clear we were not welcome. A bit uncomfortable with the situation, Dad and I packed up and headed farther down the road hoping to find another campsite. Less than a mile down the road we found several vacant turnouts. We parked the car and made our dinner of chicken fettuccine. After enjoying the meal, we cleaned dishes down the road and got the van ready for bed. As we were washing dishes around 10:00 PM, the sound of nearby gunshots made us clean up a bit quicker. After half an hour daylight had been completely overwhelmed by the darkness, and the shooting stopped. We went to bed just before 11:00 PM, eager to spend our first day exploring the “Crown of the Continent,” tomorrow.
