Glacier

August in Montana has been beautiful.  If it weren't for the smoke that settled in the valley last week, I would be picture perfect.  But, the price you pay for living in a beautiful state.  (And for clarification, no fires are nearby, just over the border in Idaho and the smoke comes here and settles in our valley).  We have been soaking up summer and enjoying the last bit of hot weather before fall moves in.  While my dad was here, we took a trip up to Glacier for a couple days.  It was my first time and I fell in love!  It is a paradise of rocky mountain peaks, valleys, clear rivers and lakes, and everywhere my eye landed made me think (or sometimes say) WOW.  It was just amazing.  The kids had a blast playing in Lake McDonald, taking the boat tour around the lake, hiking, riding in the car across the Going to the Sun road, and best of all, we saw a grizzly bear (from a safe distance and in the car).  It was a wonderful few days.

Hidden Lake

Both the kids surprised me greatly on our hike!  We did the Hidden Lake hike, which starts at Logan Pass and is 1.5 miles (3 miles total).  It is pretty much all uphill to get to the overlook but it's heavily travelled and most of it is boardwalk.  I thought I would have to deal with whining from one child and carrying the other, but to my surprise, they both did the whole hike with no issues!  We packed some crackers to eat at the overlook and so we had a little snack before we headed back down.  This was our last day in Glacier and I drove the kids home that evening, and I'm guessing our little hike contributed to two napping children on the way home.  People were so amazed seeing them hike that far, and I even saw one dad with his 2 1/2 year old in a backpack.  I was a proud mom for sure!

Gl