Waking up in a puddle is disconcerting after a week of mostly blue skies, heady sunshine and lakeside lounging.
Wet morning ride to the border
As we giggled and splashed along soggy roads, laughing at the ridiculous downpours that followed us as we made our way up and across the USA-Canada border, I couldn’t help but feel a small tug back towards Glacier National Park and the adventures we had there.
The approach to the park was a wonderfully pleasant ride from Big Fork & Whitefish respectively. Amaya and I had spent our first night apart in more than 50 days as we tackled various bike repairs at the different bike shops that were able to provide the parts we needed. We happily reunited after the night apart (it’s amazing how used to another’s company one can become after near-constant companionship for a month and a half)! Cycling back roads up to West Glacier Village, we stopped only to soak in a crystal clear and cold creek, and to plunge into the Flathead River for a swim.
Amaya wading into the Flathead River
We spent our first night at Apgar, serendipitously reconvening with a couple (named Trish and Tom) that I’d met the night before in Whitefish. The four of us chatted, set up camp, and found humour in the short-lived rain shower that evening.
Bonus of base-camping in the park… lighter bikes!
The next day was spent moving camp to the Sprague Creek campground further up Lake McDonald and biking over to check out the Trout Lake hiking trail. Amaya joined me for the first stretch then spent a peaceful afternoon admiring the views and enjoying a sneaky pebble beach on McDonald's shores. I, meanwhile, bopped up and over a pass near Stanton Mountain to Trout Lake; taking in the moody greenery bedecking an old burn, and then the lush and vibrant forests on the other side of the pass.
The view back down to Lake McDonald From the Trout Lake trail
Our second full day in Glacier somehow managed to top the first! We woke up at 5am and cycled to the "cyclists only" portion of the Going-To-The-Sun road before the road from Apgar opened to vehicles. We had the lake-side road to ourselves as we cruised the dawn-kissed S-curves before starting the climb up into the peaks. Amaya and I agreed to leave a gap between us so we were biking up the peaceful road "on our own". The experience was nothing short of magical and I'd be lying if I said I didn't tear up a bit.
Amaya and Heather on the Going-To-The-Sun road
There is something about the mountains, specifically soaring rock-and-snow peaks at dawn, that cracks open my heart and fills it with a glowing giddiness and simultaneous feeling of timelessness and insignificance that I have rarely felt in other types of places. I anticipate more mornings flush with this feeling in the next few months as I begin hiking the GDT in Canada, but that morning in Glacier was the first I've felt that much-sought-after Alpine magic in a good long while.
The sun finally made its appearance as we turned around at the highpoint, the last of that particular magic dissipating as more cyclists showed up and we transitioned to the giggly, ecstatic rush of the ride back down the mountain road.
Avalanche Lake day hike
My afternoon consisted of a hike up to Avalanche Lake; the short 8km hike the opposite of our peaceful morning as I joined a throng of others making the mellow walk up the trail. I can't really complain about the crowds, however, as the view at the lake more than made up for the mass of people. I then biked back to our camp to meet up with Amaya, running into Trish and Tom for the fourth and final time in three days on my way back.
Afternoon relaxation by Lake McDonald
It is something Amaya and I have grown to love about bike touring in this part of the States; the community of cyclists is incredible.
We chose to exit the park the next day via the Inner North Fork road, which was partially closed to cars. The ride was stunning in a different way, with lush forests and distant snowcapped peaks making surprise appeances now and then.
View on the Inner North Fork Road
Post-Glacier highlights as we made our way up to the border and into Canada included the best pastries I've ever had from the Polebridge mercantile, some hilarity as we cycled through torrential downpours and ethereal misty forests, and inspiration in the form of two female cyclists with bring pink ballet tutus instead of hi-vis vests to make them visible to motorists on the highway.
Soggy hilarity as we entered Canada.
Our first biking section at an end, I couldn't have asked for a better way to close out our time in the States than our days in Glacier. It has solidified my new love of traveling by bike and has greatly increased my excitement for the hiking to come amongst the Canadian Rockies.
Y2Y part two, here we come!