Surprises Like Spring Rain: Glacier National Park Day 2: Arriving at Glacier and Setting Up Camp (July 6, 2014)

Hello everyone!

I apologize for my absence, my computer decided to extend its vacation by going to Minneapolis with Bob! BUT I have it back now, so I can once again start sharing the wonderfulness that is Glacier National Park!!

Day Two involved a pleasant morning in which Bob and I slept in till the awfully late hour of 8, and went to Kitty's for coffee with Sue before picking up the perishable food items we needed for the trip and hitting the road. I drove this portion of the trip so that Bob could watch as the mountains steadily rose higher and higher across the plains. As the mountains loomed ever larger, our excitement levels rose, and by the time we drove through the West Entrance into Glacier both Bob and I were bouncing in our seats with enthusiastic energy.

Our first move was to check into Fish Creek Campground and find our site. I had picked the location online, and as such was nervous and unsure about what we would find. My worries were unnecessary, however, because our site was almost perfect. We were across the street from both the fresh water spigot and the restrooms, which meant that we had the convenience of those locations without having to deal with people walking onto or through our campsite to reach them. To top it off, walking to the lake took less than 3 minutes.

Upon arriving at our site and after our exclamations of satisfaction over the location, we started to unpack. First order of business was the tent, which turned out to be a frustrating venture. While our location was perfect, the site itself had no flat spots, and (as both Bob and I are from relatively flat portions of the country) it was no easy task figuring out exactly how to set the tent up on a tilted surface. There was some frustration, huge sighs were heard, and there might even have been some muttering, but (after a snack break) Bob and I finally had the tent set-up complete.

We then dug through our suitcases and removed all scented items, which we stored in the car for the remainder of the trip. The food related items, including dishes (even if washed), were also left in the car. Bob and I take the bear safety instructions seriously, and we wanted to be certain that no bears would be tempted to wander into our campsite.

Finally, with our camp set up to our satisfaction, we drove to nearby Apgar Villiage to look around and purchase ice for our cooler. We also walked down to the shore to get our first real glimpse of Lake McDonald.

wow.

just wow.

You see pictures, and you read the facts, but nothing really prepares you for the sight of that massive glacial lake. Absolutely stunning- surrounded by forests and views of the mountains from all angles. A rich turquoise color with shockingly clear water, plunging to depths of 472 ft., and stretching for miles and miles, this lake was absolute breathtaking perfection.

have i mentioned "wow"?

Bob and I finally tore ourselves away from the lake, purchased our ice and firewood, and returned to our campsite to make our first meal. We decided to try making noodles over the fire, a fun idea, but it turns out that boiling water over a campfire takes.... well it takes a while, so we eventually gave up and made our noodles on the camp stove. We ate, and then tackled the task of cleaning up, which involved discussions on how to best set up a wash and rinse station and then transport all dirty water to the appropriate dumping station- never underestimate the need for a 5-gallon bucket and leave it at home like we did. Finally, at around 9:00 P.M. we had a clean camp again, and started to think about finding the showers. We found them, froze in them (ice cold water the whole trip), and scurried home were we settled into our nice warm sleeping bags and drifted into contented dreams.