Driving through Glacier and across the border.

 I'm in Waterton National Park in Canada!

After catching a ride with my very generous and smiley cousin, I spent two whole days in Whitefish, Montana where he lives. Whitefish is a cute, small town with a big sense of community. There is a lively social scene there, with younger people coming to live there from all over the country. I met people from New York, Oklahoma, Oregon and Seattle that all came to live in Whitefish.  There is a lovely farmer's market on Tuesday evenings there, and upon arrival, I jumped on the Sweet Peaks ice cream truck to get my creamy huckleberry fill. My cousin took me out on his canoe and we rowed upstream Flathead river to Flathead lake. It was brilliant weather and even better scenery.

After a few days/nights of fun, it was time to leave. Snowberry and me decided to bypass the first 20 miles or so of the PNT because Stoney Indian Pass in particular is 90% covered in snow and we didn't want to take the risk, since neither one of us is very experienced with using an ice axe and cramp-ons, although confident we certainly are...

My cousin drove me on the Going to the Sun road which cuts straight through West and East Glacier,  offering incredible views and easy access to the Canadian border. On our way, we stopped at Apcar Permit Office to pick up our permits in person and listen to a safety instructional video. Our itinerary for the first nights are as follows:

-Take the morning ferry across Waterton Lake and reach Goat Haunt. Hike to Francis Lake (first permit location) and set up camp. [6,5 miles]

-Hike across Brown Pass towards Bowman Lake (second permit location). Arrive at Bowman and set up camp. [8 miles]

-Hike to Polebridge [15 miles]

I would have liked to extend my time in the park by 1 day because it is such a beautiful area and brilliant weather, but Bowman Lake was fully booked a day later,  and taking the alternative route to Kintla Lake would throw us off a little too far from the main trail until we reach Eureka.. So 2 nights in Glacier it is. I recommend to plan out your time in the park carefully and obtain permits in advanced.. if you want to change your itinerary it might be too late because the park is so busy and camping sites are booked.

It's 10:38pm here and just got fully dark. Snowberry is already asleep and I should do the same. As my eyes get heavy, a few thoughts linger in my mind:

..how I'm worried that my fitness level isn't up to par to start banging out 20 milers...

...how being fit is advantageous, but how more powerful and forceful attitude is on the trail...

...being flexible and confident on the trail is very important. during these next few days i'll do what I can and try my very best, that is a promise to myself that i can keep, because I can't promise much else at this moment...

...this is my hike. I will hike my own hike. slowly and joyfully...

This is what I'm here for...