August 30, 2020 was when we were supposed to embark on the Road Scholar trip called Trailside Glacier: Hiking in Glacier National Park. That was the year of the beginning of the pandemic. The trip was cancelled before it began. It took us until January 2025 to sign up for the same trip with Road Scholar again, even though Glacier had been on my bucket list for a long time.
To the Kootenai people, this area is “the place where there is a lot of ice.” The Blackfeet people describe the area as “the land of the shining mountains.” Glacier National Park was established in 1910 when President Taft signed the bill creating the 10th National Park of the USA. Currently there are 26 glaciers remaining in the park. It was such a privilege to be able to visit this special place.
Travel Day
My brother Tùng and his wife Vy came to take care of our mother. Tùng took Tom and me to the airport early in the morning, before my mom and Vy were up. Tom thought he had lost one of his hearing aids right before we left for the airport, but found it stuck between his shirt and his belt when he had to take his belt off at security. Somehow I was singled out to have my electronics swiped. I had to wait for a while with instructions not to touch any of my belongings until TSA agents were done swiping my things. The security scanning system was down so we had to wait a while longer. It was a good thing we had allowed more than enough time to get to the gate.
I was tired and slept on both legs. The flights were on time. We even arrived at Kalispell early, but had to wait for an hour and a half for the hotel shuttle. We got to Red Lion Hotel around 3pm. Our room was ready. I took a nap for an hour before attending the orientation meeting with our group leader Susan, meeting our fellow travelers, eating dinner, and listening to Ellen Horowitz talk about the geology and the fauna and flora of the park. We learned that the lowest point in the park is around 3K ft. high and the highest peak is around 10K ft. high. For every 1,000 ft. higher in elevation, there is a 3-to-4-degree drop in temperature. The western side of the Continental Divine has milder weather and the water flows to the Pacific Ocean. The eastern side has bluer sky and colder winter. It is windier and the water here flows to the Hudson Bay or Atlantic Ocean.
After dinner, Tom walked to a store to buy snacks, Gatorade, and electrolyte powder. I texted him to get me some NyQuil. I think I got a mild cold right before we left for the trip. I took NyQuil every evenings for the next four days. I trusted that it helped me sleep through the nights and get ready for the next day’s hikes.
Day One – Lake McDonald Valley
The Kootenai called the area around Lake McDonald “The Place Where They Dance,” after a campsite along the lake where dancing regularly took place.
We had breakfast at 6am and met with the whole group at 7:15am. We separated into three different hiking groups led by Susan, Denny, and Lisa before leaving the hotel. Susan and Lisa both would go to the foot of Avalanche Lake. Susan’s group would eat lunch there and return. Lisa’s group would continue to the head of the lake before returning. Tom and I went with Lisa’s group.
On the way to Glacier National Park, we stopped at Woody’s Country Store to pick up our sack lunches. Lisa was kind to give me a vegetarian sandwich even though I did not sign up for vegetarian food. She made sure I get a vegetarian sandwich on numerous occasions during the program. I’d vote her as my Vacation Hero (as in Norwegian Cruise Line Vacation Hero program.)
Glacier National Park is a popular place, so their parking lots get filled up early. We met with Dave Streeder who saved parking spots for us at the trailhead. He used to be a Road Scholar guide but doesn’t guide any more because his knees are bad. He is a very enthusiastic fellow who knows bird songs very well. He told us to listen to the birds. Their songs can be like an orchestra and can be loud during the mating season and then quiet down later in the year. He stood on a tree stump and sang The Teddy Bear’s Picnic song and told us we should sing that song when we see a bear. It seemed no one else knew the song because no one joined in with him. I just googled the song and learned that it is popular in Ireland and in the United Kingdom.
Our small group hiked to Avalanche Lake and took some pictures. Then we walked along the east side of the lake to the head where there is a beach and that’s where we ate our lunch. We saw other beaches on the way. The lake reflected opaque turquoise and green colors because of the “glacier flour.” These are bits of minerals ground down by glaciers and stay suspended in the water. They refract sunlight and create the shades of these beautiful colors. Even the rocks are colorful.
Two guys from another party jumped into the lake and that intrigued Tom. He talked to them and asked how they knew how deep the water was. On the way back, our group stopped at another beach where we could see the beautiful turquoise color of the water from the trail high above. Tom went into the water. He was the only one who did this. Everyone cheered.
Our group took the Cedar Trail on the way out. There is a beautiful creek and waterfall on this trail.
We had spent about five hours on the trails. We stopped at McDonald Lodge where we met with Susan’s group and spent about 15 minutes resting there before heading back to Kalispell for the evening, when we attended a lecture on the rock formations given by Ashley Mason before dinner. I went to sleep early and fell asleep easily.
Day 2 – Going-to-the-Sun Road
We checked out of Red Lion this morning after breakfast and after meeting with the whole group to decide on what hike to take. Denny was leading a group going on the Highline Trail. Lisa was leading a group to the Hidden Lake Overlook. Susan was leading a group on part of the Highline Trail and part of the trail to Hidden Lake Overlook. I thought Lisa’s hike was going the way to Hidden Lake which is a 6-mile round trip with 640 ft elevation gain and was the hardest. I didn’t want the most strenuous hike and wanted the “unparalleled views of Glacier’s scenery” and chose to go with Denny, but it was the most popular group with 14 people. To even out the group, we switched to be with Susan’s group.
As the day before, we stopped at Woody’s Country Store to pick up our sack lunches.
It was fun to ride in Susan’s van, with no moments of silence. She told us about her first job at Glacier when she organized a protest to get more choices for lunch for the staff. They won the case, but she was later reassigned to pump gas at the gas station so that she wouldn’t have access to the staff social network anymore.
I was very excited to be riding on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which I had heard about and wanted to be on it. Construction of the road began in 1921 and completed in 1932 with fewer switchbacks and higher cost than originally planned. The views were spectacular. We passed by Haystack Creek. I was glad Tom got a picture of the water. We saw a wedding photographing session on the hill.
All three vans went to Logan Pass where parking spots were saved for us. This is the highest point on the road, at 6,646 ft., where the Sun Road crosses the Continental Divide. We had our small group picture at the Continental Divide sign.
Our small group led by Susan went to the Highline Trail first. The entire trail is 11.6 miles one-way with 800 ft. elevation gain. It is said this is the best hike for unbeatable alpine views without having to hike up a massive mountain. The trail is carved out from the cliffs that tower over the Going-to-the-Sun Road on a narrow path. There is a steel cable attached to the rock wall for support on the right, with a drop-off to Going-to-the-Sun Road on the left. We hiked the first mile or so of narrow cliff where the trail is 4-6 ft wide. It is quite a unique hike. We did not hike through the woods and did not see the forest part with waterfalls and wildflowers.
Our group turned around and hiked back to the Visitor Center. Before hiking to Hidden Overlook, Susan spotted some big horn sheep on the big hill on the other side of the Visitor Center. We could see them if they were moving. Otherwise they blended in with the background and it was hard to see them without the binoculars. I borrowed Susan’s binoculars and was able to see several of them.
Our group started the hike to Hidden Lake Overlook afterwards. We stopped at a large red rock on the trail to have lunch around noon after about 20 minutes of hiking. After lunch, Susan cleared Tom and me to continue on with the hike. We left the group and hiked on our own. We had 100 minutes to get back to the Visitor Center, so our plan was to hike onward for 40 minutes and turn around to go back.
Not far into our walk we encountered Hanging Gardens with vibrant colored carpets of wildflowers of the alpine meadows. I was enchanted. I was sure the pictures I took did not capture the beauty of the place. We walked on a raised boardwalk, cut around rocks at places. The mountains were also unique with their rocky sides and no green trees.
We saw a mountain goat and felt lucky.
We got to the Hidden Lake Overlook. Lisa’s small group was there but we didn’t see them. It turned out they did not hike all the way to the lake, but stopped here for lunch and returned. After admiring the views and taking some pictures, we went on a little bit until I saw the sign that says Hidden Lake is 1.5 miles away. I figured there was no way we could make it with the amount of time we had. I decided to stop and rest while Tom went on farther. Later I looked at a map and learned that the trail drops 780 ft. from the Overlook, that would make it even a more challenging hike. When I thought it was time for us to turn around, Tom wasn’t back. I wanted to go on because I figure I was a slower walker, but thought I should wait for him in case he got confused and wanted to look for me. My phone was low on battery. I plugged it into my charger and in the process of trying to disentangle the cord while being annoyed that Tom wasn’t there yet and not sure whether or not to go on without him, I dropped the phone on the ground and shattered the screen protector. I guess learning to be calm is in order. Tom appeared shortly thereafter and we hiked back to the Overlook site together.
When we got to the Overlook, we saw Lisa’s small group coming out of their lunch spot which they raved about and our small group coming up with Susan. Our small group reported spotting mountain goats. The two groups hiked back together. We saw a mountain goat again but this time there were many other people around clamoring to take pictures of it.
When we got back to the Visitor Center and while waiting for the vans, we spotted some big horn sheep on the grass field in plain view. Naturally, many of us tried to take pictures of them.
On the way out of the park, we stopped at Jackson Glacier Overlook and at Saint Mary Visitor Center.
We exited the park at Saint Mary Entrance, thus completing the entire Going-to-the-Sun Road. We drove to East Glacier and checked in at Glacier Park Lodge, which is at elevation of 4,821 ft. The frame of the lodge is made up by massive Douglas Fir (inside) and Cedar (outside) trees. The trees were harvested in winter when the sap had hardened in order to retain the bark. Around 60 large trees were used in the construction of the lodge, each measured 36-42 in. in diameter and 40 ft. in length, and weights four tons. The trees are estimated to be 500-800 years old. The lodge construction was completed in 1913 and was nicknamed “Omahkoyis,” meaning “Big Tree Lodge” in Blackfeet language.
Tom and I rested for half an hour before dinner. I had a Farro apple salad without the Farro and goat cheese (I had it again the next day with both), trout, and Huckleberry ice cream. Tom had tomato bisque, some kind of vegan dish, and a huckleberry bread pudding. Tom loves his mint tea and I love the honey ginger orangeade, which is soothing for my cold.
My legs were tired. I rested for the rest of the evening and didn’t explore the ground of the hotel. I still felt a little under the weather. I did stop at the gift store to buy some huckleberry coffee for Tùng and Vy and sour huckleberry jelly beans and a colorful cup of Glacier theme. Huckleberry is big here. They only grow in the wild because it is hard to plant and harvest them.
Day Three – Two Medicine Valley
We had a tight schedule this morning. Breakfast opened at 6:30am and we had to leave the hotel at 7am after picking up our sack lunches in the lobby. Today we would enter the park at Two Medicine Entrance and go to the boat dock to take the Sinopah, a 99-year-old wooden boat, to the Two Medicine Valley. From there, Susan’s and Denny’s small groups are going to hike to Twin Falls and Upper Medicine Lake and take the Sinopah back to the boat dock. Lisa’s small group was going to hike an additional 3.5 miles back to the boat dock instead of taking the boat.
There is a camp store which was once the dining hall of the Two Medicine chalet complex. In the early years, the Great Northern Railway operated nine chalet complexes, most of them have been demolished or destroyed by natural forces.
The lake was so beautiful with its clear water and surrounding mountains.
Tom and I went with Denny. Our small group hiked to the Upper Medicine Lake first, and then Twin Falls, whereas Susan’s small group did the reverse, going to Twin Falls first. At one point, we had to take a one-person bridge which sways and that was fun. There were lots of different kinds of berries on the trail. It was fun to pick and eat them.
When we were done with visiting Upper Medicine Lake and were on the way out, we saw Susan’s small group. Susan told Denny that they saw two moose, a mother and a calf. It turned out that she was just teasing, but that put a competitive edge in Denny who wanted to find a moose on the next hike he led. However, as far as I know, no one had seen a moose on our outings during the program.
We ate lunch at Twin Falls. Tom was itching to go into the water but restrained himself. Not until a young lady did exactly what he wanted to that he was brave enough to follow her footsteps. She and her companion cheered when he went in, and so did our group. Sallie said Tom made her day.
We took the 1:30pm boat back to the dock. I went into the camp store and bought t-shirts for Drakeson and Milli, a mountain goat stuff animal for Mochi, a bar of huckleberry chocolate for my mom, and a neck gaiter for myself. We struck up a conversation with a couple who lives in Kalispell and was taking their 9-year-old granddaughter on a camping trip. The girl’s very blond hair made me recognize them as the people who were going to Upper Medicine Lake while we were hiking out. The trail was narrow, so one party had to stand aside and wait for the other party to pass.
Susan and Denny took their groups to see the Running Eagle Falls. Running Eagle was a woman warrior of the Pikuni people. She was a great horsewoman, a fast runner, and an excellent hunter. She was killed by the Flathead when she went on her last raid across the Continental Divide. The Pikunis brought her back to Upper Two Medicine Lake and buried her in a tree on the mountain overlooking the falls and named the falls in her honor.
Afterwards we went on a short trail where Denny showed us a tree with a hole big enough for a little bear to get in, and one did.
We got back to the lodge around 4pm. There are two dogs that lie on the porch of the hotel. The staff gives them food. They must be what our guides call “rez dogs.” We were told that in American Indian culture, the concept of owning a dog doesn’t exist. The whole tribe, not individual families, takes care of their dogs.
Tom and I attended the History of the Lodge talk by Terrance who’s from California before eating dinner at 6pm. I had more energy today. I felt that I was over my cold. I walked around the garden and explored different floors of the hotel, while Tom walked over to the Amtrak station across the street to check it out.
I ran into Susan who showed me where the next day’s hikes will be. I got excited about the hike being led by Susan on the Grinnell Glacier Trail, even though she would not go all the way to the Grinnell Glacier Viewpoint. It sounded like a very pretty hike. Some guy who was looking at the map when we were there said he already went on the Grinnell Glacier Trail and saw wildlife and although the hike was long, it was worth it. I ran into Tom and Robin and Aldo after talking to Susan and relayed the information. They all agreed that was the hike to take.
Day Five – Grinnell/Swiftcurrent Valley
We had a more leisure morning today. We didn’t have to meet with the whole group until 7:45am. Susan would lead a small group for about 6.5 miles on the Grinnell Glacier Trail with about 1,000 ft. of elevation gain. Denny was optimistic that his group would find moose going to Fisher’s Cap Lake for about 4-6 miles with no elevation gain. Later his small group reported seeing a Grizzly bear, but no moose. Lisa would cover 7.2 miles of trail to go to both Lake Josephine and Grinnell Lake with no elevation gain. Tom and I already decided to go with Susan’s group after I talked to Susan about the hikes yesterday. This time the three groups were naturally evenly split.
We got into our three vans and drove through Babb and entered the park at Many Glacier Entrance. We stopped at Many Glacier Hotel to pick up our sack lunches. Craig played the piano in the lobby while waiting to depart. We started our hikes at the hotel.
Our small group walked the Swiftcurrent Lake Trail around the Swiftcurrent Lake to get to the Foot of Lake Josephine and continued on walking on east side of Lake Josephine. Liz, a spirited 81-year-old lady and Barbara stayed back at some point while the rest of the group kept going until we saw Grinnell Lake with beautiful turquoise color, typical of glacier lakes, below. We chose a spot for lunch above Grinnell Lake. Susan checked to see if Lisa’s group was at the lake yet but they were not. Teodore clocked that we had hiked 4.2 miles with over 1,000 ft. in elevation gain. She calculated that there were another 1.8 miles to the Grinnell Glacier Overlook plus another 1,300 ft. in elevation gain. So the last part of the Grinnell Glacier Trail is very steep. We did not see any wildlife up to that point. I figured the guy who spoke so highly of the trail to us the day before had gone the entire trail. I wish we had time to go the entire trail.
Teodore, Randall, Tom, and I walked on a little farther up. Teodore was excited that the view was beautiful but Randall said the view is beautiful everywhere. He only followed his adorable wife who loves to explore and has plenty of energy, but it seemed he’d be content just resting at the lunch spot.
We walked back the same way we came. A butterfly landed on my shirt. It was cool.
When we came close to Many Glacier Hotel, I stayed behind with Tom so that he could go into the lake while the rest of our group went on. When Tom and I arrived at the hotel, we had a beer in the lounge before having dinner at 4:30pm. Tom and I both ordered the wagyu sirloin for dinner. I had the chocolate tart and he had the cherry crisp for dessert. We waited while Lisa and Denny went out to scout for wildlife but there was no luck. We reluctantly said goodbye to Many Glacier and drove back to Glacier Park Lodge. This would be our last night here.
Day Six - Waterfalls
Today was our last day at Glacier National Park and our last hiking day. We checked out of Glacier Park Lodge after picking up our sack lunches. The day started out cloudy.
Our first stop was at the Blackfeet Indian Memorial near the St. Mary Entrance to the park. When the clouds lifted, we could see the mountains and St. Mary Lake from here. There are plaques telling us more about the Blackfeet. There is a plaque telling the story of Estoneapesta (The Wind-Maker who is the Maker of Storms and Blizzards), the one who brings the snow, ice, cold winds, and fierce storms from the Far North in his battle with the Sun and driving the Sun to the South. As the Wind-Maker loses strength, his storms becomes weaker, and the Sun can turn back the cold and warm up the earth and drive the Wind-Maker back into the Far North. The Wind-Maker had deposited great sheets of ice along the “Back Bone of the World” (the Rocky Mountain) as strong medicine to aid him and help him come back again. The story is so similar to the Vietnamese legend of Sơn Tinh (Mountain God) and Thủy Tinh (Sea God) who are constantly in a fight and create different seasons.
All of us took the St. Mary Falls Trail to Baring Falls.
We split into a small group that went 2.5 miles with Denny and another group that went with Susan and Lisa to St. Mary’s Falls. Tom and I went with Susan and Lisa and had lunch at St. Mary’s Falls where we saw a brave soul jumping into the water below.
From here some people in the group returned to the starting point with Lisa and the rest of the group went on to see Virginia Falls with Susan. Tom and I went with Susan. We saw other falls along the way. Virginia Falls is my favorite falls of all the falls I’d seen so far.
Instead of having to hike back to the St. Mary Falls Trailhead, we hiked a shorter distance to the St. Mary Falls Shuttle Stop where Denny picked us up. He did the same for Lisa’s group earlier. On the way out, Teodore found her phone which had dropped out of her pocket when we had a bathroom break. I silently prayed to Cô to help us find things both this time and the time Tom was looking for his hearing aid.
I was happy to be on The Sun Road again. It is such a beautiful road.
We got back to Red Lion Hotel around 4pm. Tom and I went to the hot tub and sauna and that was nice. Since I didn’t feel completely well at the beginning, we had not used the hot tub and sauna the first two nights here.
We had a cocktail hour at 6pm and dinner at 6:30pm. Denny had gone to his next adventure and we didn’t see him. After dinner, Susan had us share stories of the week. I shared that Lisa had given me vegetarian lunches even though I didn’t sign up to be a vegetarian, and that Susan was fun and contagious in her enthusiasm. I said Susan pulling a prank on Denny about the moose reminded me of the time I pulled a prank on my co-worker Gordon about his shirt size. I told my other co-workers to each tell Gordon that his shirt was too big after Gordon revealed to me that he wore a shirt a half size larger than normal.
It was a fun week and a fun evening. Tom and I normally feel ready to go home when it is time to go home from a trip, but we were sad leaving such a beautiful place. Glacier National Park may well be my favorite National Park. I am so glad I got to see it.
