And the Honeymoon Continues….

After our taste of urban life, it was time to get back to our roots and get dirty. We got off the train early in the morning in West Glacier and drove into the Park. After some research, Tim chose the remote west side of Glacier for our overnight backpack trip. We drove through Agpar Village to pick up our backcountry permit and to watch the required and slightly scary Backcountry Bear Aware video and then turned north towards the Canadian border to Bowman Lake. Though only 40  miles away, the narrow, rough roads took an hour and a half to drive, dissuading many RVs from attempting the journey.

Evening at Lake MacDonald Lodge

About 6 miles from our destination, we arrived at the peculiar gateway town of Polebridge. With only dirt roads leading to this remote outpost and a population of about 50, it’s a surprise to step into the 100 year old Mercantile and be greeted by the smell of fresh macaroons coming out of the oven.

Melt in your mouth Huckleberry Macaroons at the Polebridge Mercantile

One amazing huckleberry macaroon, a fresh warm chocolate chip cookie and soft delicious burrito roll later, we rolled out of the Polebridge Mercantile towards Bowman Lake. Here we slept in Frank, imagining we heard wolf howls in the distance.

Lounging by Bowman Lake

Packing for the Backcountry

The next morning, we gathered together our packs and sleeping bags to set out 6 miles to Akakola Lake, a remote northern lake known for it’s beautiful views, good fishing and lack of people. We arrived before 3 with plenty of time to throw some flies in the water and relax. We had the entire lake to ourselves. 2 hours later, we heard a snuffling near camp. Glacier is well known for it’s large grizzlies and I immediately started to “whoop” so that whatever had arrived knew we were there.

Fall is Knocking

Lunch on Akokala Lake

Into the Wild

Hands on our bear spray, we looked up to see our new camp mates, Leslie and Ryan, from the USGS.  They were spending the weekend collecting air sensors that had been placed 2 years earlier. Though our solitude was diminished, we really enjoyed our dinner talking to these Whitefish natives who we had a lot in common with. That night we each went to bed feeling a bit more secure knowing that we were not alone in bear country.

Honeymoon Room with a View

A Few Good Fish

The next morning Tim and I hiked out and after a mandatory stop at the P0lebridge Mercantile for more cookies, made our way back to the southern end of the Park at Agpar.  After another restful night in Frank, we packed up to drive the fabled Going to the Sun Road on it’s last day of the season. Going to the Clouds would have been a better description of our day, but the shadowy clouds provided some beautiful photo opportunities.

Glacier Storms

After lunch at Many Glacier, we left the park to drive around the southern border.  It had been a long day in the van so we were glad to pull over at Chuck Bradshaw’s recommended stop the Izaak Walton Inn.  This was the perfect cap to our train inspired honeymoon.  Built to house the workers who cleaned the snow off the tracks through the winters in the 1930’s, this remodeled Inn was a memorial to the men and trains that made the Marias Pass crossing  possible. With a full locomotive and 4 caboose cabins, the Izaak Walton Inn would thrill any train enthusiast.

Izaak Walton Inn

A Caboose for the Night

Izaak Walton Inn

We reluctantly continued on, knowing that our honeymoon vacation was coming to end.  We drove into Whitefish and took a spot at the Whitefish Lake State Park for much needed showers.  We were unprepared with cash but our friendly camphosts Norm and Cheryl spotted us the quarters that we’d need to clean up. I suspect they felt we needed the shower more than the State of Montana needed the $2.50.  After a thorough scrub down, Tim and I toasted the last night of our honeymoon with a final bottle of champagne and the last bites of Sylvia’s blackberry pie….delightful.