One of those students was Sierra<\/a>, an extremely bright and charming young woman studying the effects of Climate Change on mussels around the world. She and I got to chat a bit at a gathering on the first day of the workshop and on the last day I offered to show her around Missoula\u2019s fantastic farmer\u2019s market<\/a> the next morning. At one point along the way we bumped into a very friendly Obama volunteer who was so excited for Sierra\u2019s planned trip to Glacier that he ended up telling us more about places to go and see than the upcoming election. It was then that I decided I need to see Glacier myself (having only been once before) and offered my services as chauffeur.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s impossible to put into words the majesty and grandeur of this place, so I\u2019ll just say you have to see it <\/span>yourself one day.<\/span> In fact, I\u2019ve thought of little else than getting back as soon as possible ever since leaving.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3047\/2756121656_322d10f3bc.jpg?v=0\")
<\/a>Sierra took me up on it and by midday we were in Glacier National Park. Yet that wasn\u2019t before our Obama-man\u2019s advice to drive up the Swan Valley<\/a> paid off. On Swan Lake we happened across the annual Huckleberry Festival<\/a>, a gathering of local artisans, musicians, and of course \u2013 huckleberry products of all kinds. We picked up some huckleberry fudge, skipped some rocks in the lake, and headed on down the road.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3001\/2756139676_ba90d0057b.jpg?v=0\")
<\/a>Once in the park, I could barely keep my eyes on the road, as one stunning vista after another greeted us at each turn.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3092\/2755299475_3b0cd87378.jpg?v=0\")
<\/a>Sierra and I had less than 48 hours to try to find the very best of the park, a daunting and unfortunate task indeed. Our first day <\/span>was spent mostly in the car, driving the breadth of the Going to the Sun highway, from West Glacier to St. Mary and back. <\/span> The drive was gorgeous; we could barely stay in the car for all of the amazing views that drew us out to be seen in person.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3249\/2756128304_ec01b17c0c.jpg?v=0\")
<\/a>Around late afternoon dark clouds swirled in with amazing speed, consuming entire mountains in just minutes. Just east of Logan Pass they caught up with us, delivering a downpour nearly too thick to drive through. Surviving <\/span>the torrents and reaching<\/span> St. Mary, we turned back only to be greeted again by those<\/span> same clouds, this time spitting down <\/span>hailstones the size of <\/a>quarters<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3044\/2755297743_6018fbe3e7.jpg?v=0\")
<\/a>On day two the plan was for a long hike, a jaunt into the back country to escape the people and cars and take in <\/span>the <\/span>wilderness experience. <\/span> Our goal was to climb all the way up and on to Sperry Glacier, a 10.1 mile one-way journey. Yet the amazing views and, even more so, our conversations on life and trees (Sierra knows far more about the trees around here than me, including the Latin names of most of them) slowed us down a good bit and we only made it about 6 miles in before deciding to make our way to the town of Hot Springs, MT, for a soak. We did get to pick huckleberries<\/a>, share the trail with a young mule buck<\/a>, and see some other great sites, so it certainly was time well spent.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3147\/2755305857_a967ccbb22.jpg?v=0\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/tracker\/7907151-8282716427620882318?l=americanbuddhist.blogspot.com\")
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