Day 19

We weren’t in a big hurry to get going this morning and Graham knew that – so he waited until the last minute to get up and get ready. Our helicopter trip began at 9:30 but they wanted us there a ½ hour early. It is about 17 miles to the park entrance and Glacier Heli Tours is just a mile from West Glacier. We were really impressed with the professionalism – everything top notch. I have to admit it was pricey but worth it, we had a great time. Graham got to sit next to the pilot in the front and I sat with a family of four – two little girls and their mom and dad. We flew east, circled the center of the park, saw numerous glaciers and lakes, and crossed the Continental Divide. I took lots of pictures, here are but a few.














Upon returning to camp and eating a bite, Graham decided it was time for a nap. I can remember when I was his age I slept a lot too – Craig Scott, my roommate at Purdue and a good friend always told me that I was “sleeping my life away”. Graham decided to “sleep his life away” while I took a hike. I drove up to Logan Pass at the Continental Divide and hiked the Hidden Lake Trail. The park is really crowded; there were lots of vehicles on the road and lots of hikers on the trail. The hike was great, about 5 miles total – some spectacular vistas of the park and wildlife. I took these pictures of a marmot and mountain goats and some of the scenery along the way.











I also took a couple of pictures of a wildflower meadow. Susie, my wife, loves the mountain wildflowers. So these pictures are for her.





I haven’t mentioned much about Susie except that she will be meeting Graham and I at Jackson, WY on Monday – can’t wait. She is home holding things together. Tomorrow (Sunday) they will be celebrating Jack’s (grandson) first birthday. Actually, it is not for another week, but with Tara, Jess and Jack home for a wedding this weekend and us being gone, it was the only time to get both families together. It takes a special relationship between a husband and wife that will allow a partner to be gone for 31 days. Thanks Suz for letting Graham and I take this amazing trip.

When I returned to camp, Graham grabbed the camera and took a picture of this buck behind our camp that he had been watching for almost an hour.



Now, it was my time for a power nap. Graham made the trip to phone reception territory while I cleaned up and prepared for dinner. On the menu tonight are hamburgers and assorted veggies. We intend to get an early start tomorrow get within 3 hours or so of Yellowstone. Total mileage to Jackson, WY is 700 miles. Also, a big thanks to Kent and Brenda Brocksmith of Freelandville for volunteering to pick up Suz at the Jackson Hole Airport.