Where do I begin? How do you describe an experience that left your cup so full?
I travel solo 98% of the time, so taking a hiking trip to my favorite place with five other women was daunting. I was nervous if they would get along, would they enjoy it as much as me? Would the accommodations meet their expectations? Could my introversion handle five other women for four days?
The answers were all YES. In fact the answers were so resoundingly positive that we committed to repeating it on Labor Day Weekend 2024 before we even left.
Of course the scenery was grand but the company was the best part. It's not that the trip was perfect, we were far from immune to travel woes. First, the three South Florida gals got delayed due to a car accident BEHIND the airplane on the tarmac. It was apparently severe enough to warrant first responders and left us sitting at the gate for over an hour. We were strategically aligned to meet Natalie in Chicago on her way from Columbus and all be on the same plane to meet the two Montana residents who were driving up. Needless to say, Natalie was the only one to make that flight.
The remaining three of us had sought the help of flight attendants to hold the plane, I bought an hours worth of WiFi from American to seek other connections to Kalispell on different carriers. Those would have gotten us in after 9pm and would have cost an additional $375-500. Before we hit the ground Natalie texted that the gate agent had already rebooked us for the first flight out the next day. We made our way to customer service to collect our bags and complimentary Hilton hotel accommodations and off we went to make the most of a half day in Chicago!
If you're ever in that position, I recommend eating deep dish pizza at the downtown Lou Malnati's, having rooftop craft cocktails at Cerise, checking out the Bean, and taking a sunset lake/river cruise.
Once back at the hotel I FaceTimed the three who made it in the park and checked into The Duck Lake Lodge to make sure they were ok and had a game plan for their day until we could meet them around 3pm.
The other three ladies did a build your own adventure hike up "The Loop", which most hike down as a finisher for the Highline. The next morning they hiked Piegan Pass and met us at Logan Pass afterwards. Just a note about parking in this small lot after 7am, it's damn near impossible. Jesus answered my prayers after roughly 30 minutes of circling and missing spots opening behind me. Still praising him for listening!
Once we were settled, we headed off to hike to Hidden Lake. Natalie had injured her foot and stayed back to rest in the car. She was clearly in pain and was such a trooper. She could have easily complained and asked us to just go back to the house, but she didn't.
On the trail to Hidden Lake we saw marmots and a grizzly. The Grizzly was roaming a meadow for food and at one point faced us and pounced on something. We all took a deep breath thinking he was coming our way, but he ran parallel to us and down the ridge. Either way, we were ready with bear spray and pistols thanks to Lauren and Emily. This event was significant because there was an older gentleman calling to us from above about the bear and lots of communication along the trail about the bear before we saw it. Yet another reminder that most people are good.
That evening for dinner we had another adventure. I knew food options would be limited and close early, but I didn't anticipate the best restaurant in the area being closed on Saturdays or the second best restaurant being so short staffed they ignored two beautiful blonde women at the bar for 45 minutes, ultimately forcing us to an alternative taco stand in St. Mary's. They had run out of chicken tacos but we survived and then took cold showers due to all 6 of us showering as soon as we got home. Like I said, it wasn't perfect and if I'd had different people on the trip they could have been upset about any number of things. But we never stopped smiling and laughing. There were no issues in our worlds worth frustration. Someone forgot a tank top, we shared. Someone was hungry, we gave them a snack. Someone was sore, we passed out Advil, Tylenol, and Ibuprofen like they were candy. Someone needed to pee on the trail or fell behind, we waited for them. Someone scraped their hand stumbling over a rock, Emily got out the med kit and gave them a wipe.
The next day we got up very early (4:30am) and hauled ass (cutting 6 minutes off the GPS arrival time 🤣) into Many Glacier before 6:00am. We did this because we had to get in before the reservation system started since I hadn't gotten one for that area. I have now witnessed two amazing sunrises in this section of the park and it is hands down my favorite.
Next we hiked 11 miles of the Swiftcurrent Pass Trail, and would have gone all the way had it not started raining near the top. Swiftcurrent was a strategic choice based on half the group having tired legs and the other half being relatively inexperienced hikers. It was pretty perfectly matched to the group for Day 3.
Upon returning to the car we changed out of our sweaty clothes in the parking lot and headed outside the park for lunch and an afternoon trip into Two Medicine for a 5:00pm Glacier Park Boat Tour. Definitely stop at the little sandwich place in St. Mary, the sandwiches are about as big as your head. The boat tour lasts 45 minutes and the captain provides commentary on the history of the area, the native Blackfeet tribe, and the names of the mountains. You should walk to the front of the boat to get the best views as its enclosed with windows unless you're in the bow.
The last supper. My favorite restaurant on the East side is Two Sisters. Yes, it's family owned, open seasonally, and closed on Saturdays which seems to keep the staff happy. It's great food and great fun. We capped the night with wine back at the house.
The next morning everyone wanted to sleep in. With flight times we would have had to do another early wake up to hike. I was a little disappointed the girls missed some great hikes (The Highline and Avalanche Lake) due to the delay, but they were fully satisfied with what we did see, which was still quite a bit. We prepared the house for check out, took a few group photos, expressed our gratitude for each other, and split off with the Montana girls driving home and the other four of us crossing Going to the Sun Road one more time to return to Kalispell.
En route, just before losing service I got a call from Yellowstone Park Reservations and booked our inside the park accommodations for next year. Thanks Autumn for listening to our car's excitement on speaker phone when we booked.
I asked everyone what their favorite part was, for some it was having to only take care of themselves for four days, for others it was the sunrise, for some it was recognizing the beauty and seclusion of Hidden Lake, for me it was just being with them and sharing in their collective experience, oh and seeing my first Grizzly in the wild!
All I knew when we started was that I'd combined a group of women that to me were badasses. Some recently divorced and redefining themselves, one changing their life with weight loss surgery and being in the best shape of her life, one who quit her police job and moved to a new state for the third time while starting two new businesses, and another who three years prior had been my favorite boss that fired me but somehow stayed connected and in my corner.
It was the perfect storm.
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