MWRT 2: Many Glacier

 Sunday afternoon, we continued the Mountain West Road Trip into Glacier National Park. We rattled up over rough state route roads and between grazing cows to the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn, where we refilled our water bottles and started hiking. We walked past family groups on afternoon hikes along and above the river. Finally, the sound of rushing water got louder and we reached Red Rock Falls.

Most of the hikers called Red Rock Falls the end of their hike. We continued up towards Bullhead Lake. A bit past the suspension bridge and just above the first lake, we chilled out, read the map, and took our water break. Looking up at the bowl at the end of the valley we could see the last of the quickly melting glaciers ringing the rim. 

There seemed to be an inverse correlation between our rising hunger levels and the quality of our conversation. Despite our amazement at the soaring peaks and crazy geology, we were ready to be back at the lodge for dinner... only there was an hour wait for food! Then we realized that we had passed the historic Many Glacier lodge on the way in... maybe it was worth a try?

After surprisingly delicious dinners (M had a 1/2 lb burger, I had a loaded Cobb salad) we decided to just see if they had any rooms free. we had a reservation for camping, but not having to set up a tent for one night sounded fun... And in a lodge with massive wooden timbers! It turned out that even though they are usually booked months (if not a year) in advance, they often have cancellations. It was totally worth checking!

We spent the evening by the lake, watching the sun set over the last of the many glaciers and Swiftcurrent Lake. A "few times in a lifetime" sort of memory!