Glacier Days 44 and 45

Day 44- I hit 10,000 miles today!

Sore. That's a great word of the day.  Today's drive, while not long in distance was another difficult day behind the wheel.  Most of the 5 hours to our motel was wet, and much of it was steep and winding on mountain roads, the last 3 miles were gravel. This requires a lot of focus and in many cases "White knuckling" it through until there was a safe place to stop and stretch. 

We are OFF THE GRID and on the reservation (Blackfoot Reservation) tonight, less than 10 miles to the Canadian border, 20 miles from the last bar of cell service for me (Verizon) and at least 30 miles from the last bar of service for dad (ATT). This place is remote, but beautiful. More about it below in the Hotel review. 

We were unable to get a timed entry ticket for "Going-to-the-sun" road, so we attempted to do it after 5pm when a ticket is no longer needed. This resulted in another 90 minutes of white knuckle driving for me.  It started off okay, but the higher up and deeper in that we got the worse the weather became until we were in heavy rain and in the clouds with almost no visibility beyond my nose. We stopped at Logan Pass - which is about 1/3 into the road from St. Mary's entrance (where we came in). Dad and I split a muffin and waited for the clouds to clear enough for me to feel comfortable taking on the descent. We did not drive through the park, as we stayed on the east side- because it's closes to the Many Glaciers entrance and the walk we will take tomorrow. Hopefully the weather is better. 

Okay back to the Motel. Hooks Hideaway is located about 7 miles north of Babb, MT on the Blackfoot Reservation. We arrived around 4pm and my first thought was when was the last time I got an actual room KEY? followed by, OMG it's so clean.  While it isn't much it certainly met our needs as a place to stay for the night. 

The room is simple, 2 beds, a desk (no chair), a reading chair, 3 lights on the walls, a floor fan (very powerful), an electric fireplace for heat, a small bathroom with everything you'd need and nothing you don't and that was it.  There is a shared space between the rooms on each side of the motel with a mini-fridge, microwave and coffee pot.  

This motel does not have wifi or access to cell service and that's okay with me. It was nice to be able to fully disconnect.  When we got back from St. Mary's it was cold and raining. I was happy to curl up in a warm dry bed and sleep until I woke up. There was no city light coming in my window in the morning, no noise, though there were at least 8 cars in the lot. 

Day 45

I got 10 hours of sleep. I slept from just after 7pm until a little after 5am. I felt so rested.  I grabbed our muffins out of the car and took a few photos at first light this morning.  It is such a beautiful place.  Even though the place was so simple I would without a doubt stay here again. 

Because there is nothing to do at the motel, dad and I got on early start and made our way down another awful road, to Many Glacier. Our motel is only 8 miles from the turn off to go to this entrance, which is why we stayed on the east side.  After the turn off we were only about 8 miles of some of the worst road I have ever driven- and after the last 10,000+ miles, that's saying a lot. The road is in the very early stages of being re-done, but it was actually impossible in most places to avoid potholes and ruts in the road.  The road speed was between 10 and 25 miles an hour for 8 miles, so if you are planning to do this at any point this summer- plan in extra time. We beat the construction workers on the way in, but had additional delays due to work on the way out. 

Once in the park the roads are paved again and very nice. We parked at Many Glacier hotel and walked the 2.6 mile loop around Swiftcurrent Lake.  We walked clockwise on the trail, which I would recommend.  We saw very few people for the first half and saw a lot of people the second half as our trail becomes the trail head for many longer hikes.  About 2/3rd of the trail is paved, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it accessible.  Most wheelchairs I've seen are wider than the trail is, the trail isn't even in all spots, even when paved, and there is no way 2 wheelchairs could pass each other.  Additionally the two paved sections are connected by a non paved section which would make the loop impassible.  It would be 2 short out and back trails for individuals looking for a paved path on the lake. 

All that said, if you are able, this is a great way to start the day.  It was very brisk this morning 46℉ I used my puffer jacket for only the 2nd time on this trip and I put on my gloves for the first time.  I also wore socks with sandals, because I wasn't going to put on hiking boots, for a paved path.   

Many Glacier Swiftcurrent Loop Trail

Every step we took on the trail was a postcard moment.  The whole place is phenomenal, but it is sad to think about how much snow and ice use to be there, compared to what it looks like today.  The whole loop took us about an hour, after which we got on the road. --To find out how our last overnight on the road goes read tomorrow's blog.

Signing off for now

-C