Footprints of Glaciersby Emily and CK | |
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On a November day in 2009, after five hours of repeatingly dialing the same number (bless the redial button!) and getting the busy signal every time, CK was surprised to find himself finally talking to a human being. The other end of the line was in Montana. He had been taking calls non-stop since that morning, when the two backcountry chalets in Glacier National Park were open for reservation for 2010 summer season. CK was relieved to find the two nights in later summer he was trying to book were still available. When the reservation was being made, we chatted about this annual avalanche of calls for these hard-to-get rooms above the Montana mountains. The long and severe winter closes the park for most of the year, compressing the tourist season into the two short months between Independence and Labor Day. The agent said in a few day, almost every single night for the 2 month summer season would be fully booked. Those who fail to secure their reservations in adavnce would have to hunt for cancellations. A week later, CK went to the chalet website and found indeed the whole summer was solidly booked. It looked like we were not the only one who wanted to visit the Glacier National Park before the glaciers were all gone. A hundred years ago, when the park was first established, there were more than 100 glaciers in the park. Today, fewer than 30 survive the increasingly warmer atmosphere, all expected to perish in the next 20 years. However, even with the glaciers gone, their footprints remain. In this corner of Montana, at the congruence of the Pacific, Altantic and Artic watershed, the glaciers flowed in all directions of the compass, carved out an intersecting network of deep U-shaped glacial valleys, separated by slender fin-like ridges and sharp horn-like summits. It was exactly this dramatic landscape which attracted the investment of the Great Northern Railway Company, which built a series of lodges and chalets (including the two backcountry chalets which we have booked) after the establishment of the park. Modeled after the Swiss alpine chalets, these lodges drew tourists from the east (via Great Northern Railway, of course) to see the wild west. Through the years, some of these lodge had fallen into disrepair, and some of them were no longer standing. But those that survived had been restored/renovated during the 90s, and now stood as major attractions in the park. We were visiting Glacier National Park for the hiking opportunities, so we have chosen the end of the season -- the week before Labor Day. (Sometimes snow renders trails impassable until August.) Late August was also supposed to be prime wildlife viewing season, with animals on a feeding frenzy to prepare for the long harsh winter. By May, our itinerary was finalized. Besides the two chalets, we were also staying in two of the famous lakeside hotels. These lodges were positioned to be a day's hike from each other, which allowed our hiking around the park without renting a car or carrying a tent. A later addition to the itinerary was a 2-day detour across the border, to the Waterton Park in Canada, where one of the most popular hiking trail in Canada awaits. While we usually undertake a "great hike" almost every year, most of them were done in foreign countries under the assistance of professional guides. This time we were back in USA, and we would be hiking on our own. Let's hope everything will go as planned. |
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Created on 18th Sep 2010. Last updated on 31st Oct 2010. |