Glacier Foliage

My sister and I headed back up to Glacier National Park this weekend, hoping to get some ski turns in and revel in the changing Aspen trees. We go the latter, not the former. Surprisingly, the snow had receded too far, so we opted to hike this time. Still wonderful! We were treated to views of great-horn sheep and birds of every kind. I swear I get the most joy out of all the free-range cows though. :)

We chose the East Glacier lodge for a nice big dinner before camping, but after learning that it was their last night open for the season (and it was cheap) we decided to stay. I love that place. So chalk full of history. Kind of has a Titanic/The Shining vibe to it, but still very pleasant! We shared a balcony with one other room, and it turned out to be the coolest Texan ever.

We drank rum and cokes with him, rambled about the beauty of the park and his grizzly encounter, shared stories from our respective towns and vowed to stay in touch. He was flying home the next day so he unloaded rope, food and bear spray with us. Yay for free equipment!

The next day, after a golden sunrise over golden trees, we headed through the park toward Logan Pass. Forced to stop at construction areas, we met cool people and relaxed amid the mountains. It was a nice, slow-paced Glacier experience. We're just so lucky that it's so close we can visit again and again. Every time is different, and I love that at a moment's notice we can hop in the truck and head on up. Here's some photos from the adventure:

A lot less people on the trails and boardwalk this time of year.

All the Aspens in the park were going crazy.
Glacier always changes before my hometown does.

Excited for our hike!

Sister en-route on a gorgeous day.