Wander Here: Glacier National Park // Storms, Rainbows + Resilience on Lake MacDonald

Oct 25

Wander Here: Glacier National Park, Montana

This week we've been at Glacier National Park, a place that almost got cut from this year's plan because of time, but we got lucky and the weather stayed nice long enough for us to sneak it in!

When we arrive to a new park, I always do a ton of research and pick the top 3-4 things we want to make sure we do over the course of the week. For Glacier, it was drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road, hike Avalanch Lake, Hidden Lake + Highline trails + get our paddle boards out on Lake Macdonald. Because the lake is closer to the west side of the park and our campground, we decided to try and fit paddleboarding in late one afternoon after Jon got off work, even though we knew the timing would be super tight. We never imagined that time wouldn’t be our only hurdle….

Our (Almost) Fatal Mistake

The morning of the day we were supposed to go, we heard that there were supposed to be high winds and rain later in the day (definitely not a great mix with paddling). We considered whether to abort mission, but knowing the high temperature would be dropping 20 degrees starting the next day, we decided to stick to the plan and hope for the best.

The second Jon got done recording, we raced around, threw everything into the car, and got on the road. We drove the 30 minutes into the park and on to the lake, got our paddleboards checked for invasive species, and had just hooked our first board up to the electric pump when we realized our fatal mistake.

We had left our Thule rooftop box key at home (it's always about the keys - remember this + this??), and all our lifejackets, paddles and fins were in it. Determined to find a way, I immediately ran over to the nearby Glacier Outfitters, where they rent gear, and was so relieved to hear they would loan us paddles and lifejackets. So aside from not having fins on our boards, the crisis was averted (have you ever paddled a board with no fin? It's quite hilarious). The only problem was that all the gear had to be back to them by closing time just an hour and twenty minutes later. The race had only just begun.

Paddling Lake Macdonald at Glacier National Park

About the time I got back with the lifejackets and paddles, the rain and wind started picking up. And just to top it off - thunder + lightning. We probably looked like crazy people airing up all these boards while the sky poured buckets on us, and I kept asking myself if we should just give it up. Some would say all signs were saying it just wasn't meant to happen.

But those people don't understand the force of determination I get when there's an epic adventure close at hand. I don't give up easily.

With spotty service, we were able to check the weather radar (all those Oklahoma tornado seasons of tracking weather radar come in handy sometimes;) and calculated - if we just get everything aired up and ready while the rain is coming down, we could hopefully have close to an hour on the lake after the rain ended and before another evening round of storms would come through. I was putting out all the positive, sky clearing vibes :)

Sure enough, about the time our last board finished airing up, the rain cleared and the thunder subsided. A miracle. We grabbed the boards, raced out to the shore + were blown away by what we saw.

A magically vivid, full rainbow commanded the attention of the entire lake. Stretching from a glowing spot in the water up and over all the way to the shore on the other side and perfectly framing the mountains in the distance. Layered with the blue/green water of the lake, the moody skies and the just barely turned yellow trees lining the shore, it was literally breathtaking.

We stood in awe, not wanting to look away for fear of missing a moment. It was one of those scenes that feels completely surreal and sticks with you over time. 20 years from now, I know we’ll be sitting around a fire somewhere, recalling memories from this adventure and this real life painting will be top of conversation. As the rainbow slowly began fading away, we pushed our boards out onto the pristine lake and had the best time paddling around, goofing off and jumping into the water.

It’s hard to believe I know, but just as our time began to run out to return our gear, dark + ominous clouds moved back in and the thunder and rain returned. We hurriedly got our boards out of the water, while rain poured down, and started packing everything up only to look up minutes later to see a repeat of the earlier scene.

The rainbow was back in full-force as rain droplets hit the lake in every direction and the sun began to set. What a gift.

It was so challenging to get out on the water. It felt ridiculous. People were looking at us like we were crazy and some warned us of the impending weather. It seemed like one obstacle after another was determined to stop us, but we refused to give up. We kept believing that if we just did the next step and kept moving forward, it would all be worth it.

That’s life isn’t it? The storms come. The distractions, the obstacles and hurdles. We feel completely out of control sometimes and overwhelmed at the thought of pushing through it all. We over-analyze, wondering if it will all be worth it. And we ask ourselves constantly if we’re actually crazy.

But when we have a gut feeling, an idea rooted inside, and we just stay determined and laser focused bringing it to life everyday no matter what, we will eventually see the rainbow. It’s just how it works. It’s not a matter of if, but when the rainbow will come. But we have to step up, show up, believe with everything we have and most important of all - refuse to give up.

The night of the rainbow was one of our top highlights in Glacier National Park, but here are a few other top spots we personally loved! Just know, at the end of the day - you just can’t go wrong in Glacier.

Going-to-the-Sun road. I mean - did you even visit Glacier if you didn’t drive this insanely beautiful road? It’s the main artery through the park, so you’d have to work pretty hard to avoid it. It leads from the West side of the park at Apgar Village, up to Logan Pass / the Continental Divide and on to the east side of the park at St. Mary. It’s hairpin turns and steep dropoffs keep your adrenaline pumping while you try to take in the incredibly scenic mountain, river, valley and waterfall views along the way. Highly recommend snagging the passenger seat if possible so you can stare at the jaw dropping views without worrying about driving off the edge.

Highline Trail. If you’ve hung around here very long, you probably have heard me talk about my fear of bears. A couple of days before we got to Glacier, a man was attacked by a grizzly on a section of this trail, so that particular section had been closed and there were “increased bear activity” and “hike at your own risk” signs at the trailhead. We packed our bear spray, went over all the safety tips and set out. I kept having moments on the trail of thinking “what the heck are we doing??” But we hiked it anyway, and we did not even see a grizzly. Although we did see a couple of bighorn sheep, which was so cool. And the views were 1000x worth all the moments of panic along the way. Oh, and the first section of the trail involves steep ledges and drop offs, so they’ve secured a garden hose-like “rail” to the side of the rock. This was everyone’s favorite part of the trail, but if you have fears of ledges or heights just be prepared :)

Trail of the Cedars / Avalanch Lake Trail - these two trails are on the west side of the park, are connected and share a parking lot. We had originally written off Trail of the Cedars because it was too accessible, too short and too easy haha. But we ended up really loving it. It is a beautiful trail, mostly boardwalk, with moss covered rock walls, beautiful cedar and hemlock trees and towards the end, a small but unique and beautiful waterfall. We didn’t have a lot of time, so we hiked Trail of the Cedars and then hiked in one mile of Avalanch Trail. I do not recommend cutting Avalanch Trail short, and I’m still getting over the fact that we had to for the sake of time. I may or may not be carrying a little bitterness over it haha.

Lake Macdonald. Oh, Lake Macdonald. If I haven’t already sung it’s praises enough, I’ll go ahead do that now. If you’ve ever seen the iconic Glacier photo of colored rocks through clear, pristine water with a background of pines and mountains, then you’ve probably seen Lake Macdonald. It’s quite the presence at 10 miles long, and the rocks really do look that beautiful in real life. Even if you don’t get a Lake Macdonald rainbow like we did, the views will blow your mind. I highly recommend renting or bringing your own paddle boards or kayaks and getting on and/or in the lake. And don’t forget to grab some ice cream at the little village ice cream shop afterwards :)

While these were the highlights we experienced at Glacier, they are only the tip of the iceberg (no pun intended;) in this park. It’s massive and grand and not called the Crown of the Continent for no reason. Because we’re working and schooling all week, we honestly have limited time to see and do as much as possible, so we were only really able to explore the west side of the park up to Logan Pass. Seeing the east side of the park is high on our bucket list, and it’s honestly a little heartbreaking to leave Glacier without seeing all the gems on that side of the park (looking at you, Grinnel Glacier + St. Mary Lake:). It’s definitely not goodbye Glacier, but see ya later!