The weather forecast for our third and final day in West Glacier was similar to our second full day – cold and rainy. While it didn’t make a lot of sense to pack up all of our (now pretty wet) gear and head out before 7 am for a third day in a row, we felt drawn to Many Glacier, and just didn’t think we should miss the opportunity to explore that area before we left Montana.
It was less “we” didn’t want to miss out on Many Glacier, and more “I” didn’t want to miss out. The boys were great sports at getting out of bed early (again) and piling into the truck (again) for a significant drive (again) to hike (again). But as we neared the two hour travel mark and were still a solid 15 – 30 minutes away, the tension and unease in the truck began to grow. And I started to feel really guilty.
Guilt that we were adventuring in the cold and wet again – this time at solely my request. Guilt that we were putting in nearly five hours of travel the day before we packed up and headed 9 1/2 hours west to our next stop in North Cascades. Guilt that we weren’t back at our gorgeous campsite, enjoying all the awesome amenities our KOA resort offered on our last day in West Glacier. Guilt. Eww.
And then, we got there. And this is where I’m supposed to say that it was awesome, and we all celebrated making the drive, and making the right choice. But no. It was pouring. And 44 degrees. And we didn’t know where to park, and we didn’t know where to find the boat ticketing booth for a chance to take the ferry across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. And once we did find it, all the rides for the day were waitlisted. And more guilt. Eww.
The really friendly employees at the ferry ticket office did offer one way tickets BACK from the Lake Josephine dock if we hiked the 3 miles out on the Swiftcurrent and Lake Josephine hiking trails. I took them up on their offer and bought our return-only tickets on a whim, then walked back to the truck to share the news.
Once we gathered ourselves and began the hike, we realized that given the time, our options were A) complete the 3-mile hike in under 90 minutes to catch the 11:45 am boat back from Lake Josephine or B) hike out 3 miles in longer than 90 minutes and then wait in the cold and rain until the 1:45 pm boat back from Lake Josephine or C) hike out and back and chalk our one-way fares up to a donation.
3 miles in 90 minutes sounds incredibly easy, but we had no idea what to expect of the terrain, and it can be a lot to ask of our youngest to hustle on National Park hikes. And we don’t want him to hustle. We want to look at the flowers and examine the rocks and investigate the landscape for wildlife. That’s why we’re there! But we decided it was the 11:45 am ferry or bust, so we set out on the Swiftcurrent trail in hustle mode. And I felt more guilt.
The rain started to let up not long after we began our hike, and though it was cold, moving more quickly helped to keep us comfortable. When we reached the top of the Swiftcurrent trail and entered the true Lake Josephine/Glacier Point trailhead, we were making great time and starting to feel really confident that we would make it to the Lake Josephine boat launch with plenty of time to spare. And then the terrain changed. And though it wasn’t hilly, it was undulating, and it was very much single track with lots of rocks and roots and LOTS of standing and moving water to cross due to all the recent rain.
Our pace started to slow, and we came on a sign indicating that we were still 1.8 miles from the boat launch. And according to my Garmin we’d already walked 1.5. So we were looking at 3.3 miles total for this hike, and we weren’t quite sure we’d make it. And our youngest started to fade when the pressure of making it to the boat on time was paired with three days of consecutive hikes and adventuring.
I don’t have a lot of piggyback ride-offering left in my parenting years. I actually thought my last piggyback ride had been given once our youngest surpassed his older brother in weight this winter. But for as much guilt as I was feeling about the whole day, I knew that any distance I could offer our youngest on my back would increase A) his enjoyment of the hike and B) our chances of making it to the boat launch on time. And so up he went. And off we trotted.
And I am being completely genuine when I say that our 3.3 mile hike in Many Glacier that day was hands down the most beautiful hike of my life, and definitely ranks in the top five most memorable. That last 1.8 miles – specifically the hike around Lake Jospehine – was stunning. Mountains, waterfalls, wildflowers, and wildlife surrounded us on all four sides as we hiked along a crystal clear blue lake. In the last mile of our hike, the skies cleared and the sun began to peak out. And the smell – of pine, fresh air, snow, and something magical and intangible – I wish I could have bottled it up and taken it with me.
We made it to the Lake Josephine boat launch with plenty of time to spare. Enough time for Mike and I to reflect on how much we enjoyed the hike and to take in the gorgeous scenery around us. It also allowed enough time for our boys to skip stones across the clear glacier water of the lake.
The boat ride was in two parts. One across Lake Josephine and a second boat across Swiftcurrent Lake with a 1/4 mile hike in between. From the boat we saw big horned sheep on the mountainside and a beaver swimming along the shore.
Back at the Many Glacier Lodge, we warmed up by the big fireplace with hot chocolates and mochas from Heidi’s Snack Shop. Our youngest played out at the edge of the lake for a bit while the rest of us soaked in a few more minutes of the beauty of Many Glacier before heading back to the truck and our campground in West Glacier.
The guilt was all well worth it – I am so happy that we didn’t sleep on Many Glacier.
