Here is a video I forgot to share of the cliff swallow nests below the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls, MT. I pan around at the end for the beautiful river view and for a sense of scale and context.
Day 17 started with the rain that plagued us the previous few days. Thankfully, by noonish it had tapered off. Our planning was already underway even as the rain continued. Given how early we had to be at the horse corral for our ride the next morning and the increased density of tourists due to so much of the park being effectively shut down, we agreed that it made the most sense to go ahead and stay at Sprague Creek on Lake McDonald. After a quick stop at the Apgar ranger station and some coffee and painfully slow WiFi at the coffee shop nearby, we decided to take John Fothergill's advice and enjoyed a nice walk up to Avalanche Lake. Lots of people were packed into the trail but, as Knak regularly points out, the further we go up these trails, the quieter it gets. The swollen creeks and streams continue to be a beautiful theme and the snow-capped mountain thaw led to beautiful waterfalls cascading off sheer rock faces. To continue the Lord of the Rings theme, it felt like we were heading to Rivendell. The Lake turned out to be shallow, still, and crystal clear. The Sperry trail was even more intense of an ascent, but maybe it was because it didn't have the scenery of Avalanche. Knak was getting pensive and I headed forward for a little hiking on my own while he sat and wrote. I found a few nice overlooks and stumbled on what I was later told was beargrass, a flower that is apparently poisonous to bears. After dinner in a now incredibly packed campground, Greg and I enjoyed a bit of alone time. I spent the evening reading Leonard Cohen interviews and listening to Tears for Fears, Ghostface Killah, and some old recordings I have made. The old tunes got me thinking a lot about future plans and what maybe to re-explore for work over the summer when I return. The next morning we broke down quickly and headed to the coffee shop for the third morning in a row. We'd later discover they had only opened a couple weeks before and after our fourth visit we were confident we were the most regular customers. Knak excitedly told me there would be perhaps up to ten other people and he proceeded to theorize on what possible archetypes would be joining us on the overnight journey. When I walked up to the corral to get the scoop on what I should bring and what they were providing I was surprised to discover we would be the only ones on the overnight (the first of the year for the company). I think Greg was more disappointed than me, as he had hoped to meet some new random folks and enjoy a bit of social interaction with someone other than me. We still ended up having a blast as two young female wranglers (one experienced, one being trained) led us around on a five or six hour ride. We ended up at a clearing on a hill that had our tent and a strange kitchen area in the middle of the wilderness. I think my two disappointments centered around my expectations. First, I had hoped to be led on the trip by an old grizzled retired cowboy or something. Second, I had hoped we were carrying it all with us and setting up rather than arriving at a site with counters and picnic tables. That said, we had an absolute blast. There were some hiccups on their end, but nothing that affected our enjoyment. I hadn't ridden a horse since the family vacation I regularly reference. Just east of Yellowstone my family indulged in a similar adventure over a half day ride. Every little moment on the horse was satisfying and joy inducing. Thankfully, my steed sensed my need to gallop occasionally and would slow down, munch on nearby vegetation, and then have an excuse to catch up to the others. My inner ten year old with a cowboy fantasy was so very happy. It was fun getting to know the two wranglers and get a sense for their life out west and their life as wranglers leading these trips. After a quick fourth (and final!) stop at the coffee shop we headed to Missoula to visit my pal and KCD '97 alum: John Fothergill and his wonderful girlfriend Sarah.
Sorry if this seems rushed. More abstract ruminations will be forthcoming. Just a quick note, we're alive and busily planning our next steps before leaving my friends John and Sarah in Missoula, MT. It's been a great three days and two nights. I don't have time to update on Glacier just yet, but I realize I forgot to post this picture. We are in beef country!
Expect updates in the next few days if we can find WiFi. At this point Glacier National Park has been our longest stop. The weather has caused our pace to slow down. We've been dealing with rain non-stop for the last few days, but the skies have changed. We're on track to have nothing but sunshine and mild temperatures for the next few days.
The last adventure we're going on in Glacier is a one and a half day horseback riding trip through a forested area south of the park. I've been looking forward to this part of the trip since I booked it a few months ago. When we got to the corral we were greeted with the surprise that we would be the only two going on the overnight trip. When the trip was scheduled I was told that we would be part of a group. So the opportunity to go riding alone was an added plus. Shortly after a quick rundown of the rules and an equipment check I met my steed. His name was Tank and was light tan in color. For the next five hours we weaved our way through the pine forest stopping from time to time at the top of a ridge to see the surrounding lands. Tank had a particular habit of eating various grasses mid stride as he walked the trails. It took a little bit to get to know his mannerisms, but after an hour or so of riding we found our bond. My lack of training riding horse does provide for fun times while on the trail. Trying to figure out the right posture and body movement is fascinating. I tried to mimic our trail wranglers the best I could. I will say though after the first five hours my knees ached and my hips were a little sore. The ride was fantastic though. Being on a horse going through a trail offers a perspective that you can't get by walking. First, you're much higher and can see further away. Second, you really don't have to pay as much attention to what's in front of you. That gives you many more opportunities to survey the land and give points of interest a much harder look as you move. The last advantage of being on a horse is that your mind is a little more free to explore ideas. The horse is making a lot of the choices for you so you can relax a little and connect to the environment more. This freedom lead me to the following thoughts. During the ride and time at camp my mind was focused on the question "What is nature?" and the idea of how people experience nature differently. This concept has been a driving force to much of my mental rumination on the journey. It's also an idea I thought about in college a great deal. As a science teacher this concept is also important. By having a better understanding of how someone has an authentic experience in nature I can construct better more personal lessons, but how does one have an authentic nature experience? I think for most people their experiences are connected to how far away from home they are. The greater the distance from a known environment the greater the experience will be. I think a lot of that is due to the romanticism of wild and raw nature. To me this belief is detrimental. The more and more we remove ourselves as a species from nature the less and less we care about it. If "real" nature can only be found in distant and exotic places than people lose their connection to their local ecosystems. One idea I try and impart on my students is the one that nature is everywhere and is amazing. You don't have to travel thousands of miles to see something unique. If you just take the time to look around you can find the same level of natural intrigue as you would find in "raw" nature. Whether it's watching a series of plants reclaim an abandon parking lot or watching the progress of a multi-day ant war in your backyard. There are amazing things happening all around us. Once we as a species reconnect to our local environments we'll be much better off. As we wrap up this journey I plan on spending a lot more time thinking about this concept. It's especially metacognitive for me because I haven't really thought about this in detail since college. It will be interesting to see how my ideas have changed in the last decade. Maybe when I get back I'll dig up some of my old papers on the concept of what is nature and compare them to what I'm writing now. It should be an illuminating experience. Here are some pictures from the last few days. Our internet connection in Glacier was slow so I wasn't able to upload them as I posted my text entries. Great Falls, MTGlacier National Park |