Pearson and Alison: Nuptials and Much More: Montana 2010

I didn't realize that the house we rented didn't have an internet connection and unlike living in the city we weren't able to "steal" any broadband from our neighbors.

The trip was truly spectacular. Glacier National Park and Montana was breathtakingly beautiful. The stunning vistas, the unspoiled wilderness, the clear water, the moments to pause, the fresh air, the smell of the land, and the time we were able to spend as a family, will be missed.

Day 2 - Montana: We Love You

The last time I wrote, I mentioned that Mae was sound asleep. Yeah, so that lasted for about two hours. At which time she woke up screaming. I couldn't let her cry it out in a hotel room since I didn't want to wake everyone on our hall so I brought her to bed. She wasn't tired because she had been in a car all day. After an hour or so of playing, she passed out. At which time, the fire alarm went off. Now, you would think that we would both sprint into high gear and rush our child out of the hotel. We didn't (yes, we are bad parents). We decided to have Pearson go check out what was going on, at which point, when the door shut Mae woke up. Just to let you know, there was no fire. Some drunken kids pulled the fire alarm as a joke. Needless to say, we didn't find it a laughing matter. We were a little groggy the next morning but set about exploring Missoula. Our hotel was right next to the Missoula Farmer's Market. As Pearson says, "My wife is attracted to Farmer's Markets like moths are to flames." It is true, there isn't a farmer's market that I wouldn't like to explore. We went through the stalls and enjoyed an extremely yummy breakfast - a waffle stuffed with organic eggs and bacon. After checking out a couple shops and driving through campus, we hit the road heading North. We spent the afternoon settling in to the house we rented in Lakeside (45 minutes south of Glacier), hanging out on Flathead Lake, and the local brewery.

We rounded the bend in the road and this was our view. We had to get Mae out of the car for a photo op.

Mae clearly not as thrilled as I (or maybe it is the popped collar).

A visit to Flat Head Lake. Of course, Pearson had to get in.

Mae excited about watching her Dad jump in the water.

The brewery that Pearson visited EVERY day. It is called Tamarak Brewery and was might tasty.

Day 3 - What Were We Thinking

After being in Montana for three days, we woke up ready to hit the park (aka our own Wally World). We had a great plan of hanging out at the house till Mae's morning nap at which time we would load her in the car to sleep. On our drive up to the park, the skies looked ominious and my Iphone was predicting rain but we were optimistic that whatever would happen we could all deal with it. What were we thinking?

We had a great strategy of getting to the park, unfortunately, I don't think we had a strategy of how to tackle the park. Glacier is large and there is quite a bit to see. Add that we have an 11 months year old who also her own idea of what is fun. Let's just say sitting in a car seat all day is not, especially when you can walk.

We crossed through the gate and stopped by the visitor center to get the lay of the land. After grabbing a map, we headed up to Logan Pass. There is a very easy 3 mile hike from the visitor's center at Logan Pass. It was getting rainy and was already cold. We bundled Mae in her jacket and hat and Pearson and I put on our rain gear. We started up the hike. It was pretty spectacular (despite the number of folks on it). We both exclaimed, "I feel that I am in another country. It is amazing." We passed some big horned sheep and continued our walk up the mountain, where it got progressively wetter and colder. Mae was still ok and she was dry. Then all of sudden the wind and rain picked up and Mae was no longer happy. We kept trying to shove the pacifier in her mouth thinking that would calm her down. Not so much. We, as first time parents and first time Glacier visitors, treked on with the hopes she would eventually stop crying. The crying picked up. We turned around. Of course, everyone was staring at us. One nice couple said, "don't worry we have been there," but everyone else looked at us like we were torturing our child. We took Mae out of the backpack and ended up carrying her the mile down the path. We got to the car and her hands were frozen. She continued to cry for the next 10 minutes in the car, while we blasted the heat. She finally calmed down. Pearson cursed Mother Nature for the next two hours that it was 45 degrees and raining in August.

This is when Mae was happy. Right when we put her in the backpack.

If you look closely you can see the big horned sheep.

On our way up, we are still smiling.

And the rain started.

Pearson a.k.a Clark. This is how he felt about the day. He was giving his finger to mother nature.

After the cold day on the mountain, Mae passed out.

Day 4 - Bearly Able to Walk but Chatting and Singing

After our first day at the park, we decided to stop in a local outdoor store to get some bear spray. Reason being when you enter the Park, you are handed a brochure with this scary looking grizzly bear on it. The flyer warns that grizzlies have hurt and killed people in the park. It also gives all these other tips including not turning a corner without making a lot of noise - you don't want to startle a bear. Along with buying some bear spray, which cost $50 and only lasts 7 seconds, Pearson asked the shop owner about some good hikes in the Southern area of the park. We decided to hit the South end to see what was going on in that area. He mentioned a hike that was in National Forest (a road divides Glacier from the National Forest) that was pretty mellow and goes to a lake. Pearson hearing Lake was in. Along with giving us the tip where to hike he also mentioned to Pearson, which Pearson relayed to me, that you should carrying bear spray with you at ALL times. You can't be too carefu and bears are everywhere. Of course, I started worrying more than when they gave me the brochure.

We finally arrived at the location of the hike and there was not a single car or living specimen around. I, of course, started worrying even more. I don't know, I figure that bears won't be around if there are other folks in the area. Total false sense of security. Anyway, we start out and I can barely put one foot in front of the other since I am so fraught we fear. Pearson, understandably, is now a little anxious as well since I have gotten him so spun up about it. We essentially talked and sang the whole way to the lake and back. We also moved at the pace of molasses but Mae didn't cry the entire time and could have cared less about bears. She was happy to be out and enjoying the nicer weather and honestly, that was all I could have hoped for.

Bear spray close by.

Family Self Potrait

Mae was tired from the hike to the lake that she fell asleep on the way back to the car.

We spent a lot of time in the car so we had to figure out how to entertain Mae.

Day 5 - Thanks to our guardian angels.

By Day 5, we had a clear idea of what we were going to do for the day. Clear was the word for the day. The water was clear, the sky was clear of any clouds, and we cleared the path before a tree almost killed us (more about our near death experience). On the fifth day we decided to explore the North part of the park near the town of Polebridge. To get there you had to drive on a dirt for about 30 miles. Mae was a road warrior and actually enjoyed the bumpy road. We got to our destination of Bowman Lake, where we decided to do a hike, more like a leisure walk, around the parameter of the Lake. We considered for a second attempting a hike that was six miles one way and gained 2,000 feet in elevation but again, I repeat we thought about that for a second. Pearson and I really wanted to do it but we knew we would be asking too much of Mae.

We set out on our "leisure walk" with our bear spray again. You can't be too careful. Everything was going great, Mae was in a fantastic mood. We got passed by a man with five horses, which Mae just loved and she took another little snooze on her dad's back. We turned around to head back to the car. We were about 15 minutes into are walk back when all of sudden something crashed 10 feet behind us. Pearson and I both jumped and looked (I was thinking bear). Pearson instantly said, "let's move." (You are not supposed to run with a bear). As I turned, I saw a tree crash into the trail. Yep, a tree crashed about 10 feet behind us. We both swear it would have killed us. We were both shaken and I think we both have yet to process it. After I told Heather she said, "you have a lot of guardian angels looking after you." And truthfully that is all I can think of that makes sense. So to Gary [Pearson's dad] and Ian [Pearson's brother] and all our grandparents, thank you!

Despite all the hiccups with this hike, it was truly, truly breathtakingly beautiful. We think that Glacier was a pretty special place for our family this year.

Family Shot: Bowman Lake