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100 Years of Grandeur - Glacier National Park
 I
first witnessed her magnificence in the middle of winter. Her
majesty was draped in deep pure snow. Silence enveloped me in the
crisp cold air. It was my first experience with her grandeur and my
visit was limited to exploration around the lake. My journey of
discovery was only just beginning. It would be five years before I
would return to Glacier National Park.
My family and I were on a “path
with a heart” that was sometimes bittersweet. We were determined
to move to Montana but business decisions had to be made and it took
longer than we ever anticipated selling our house. We persevered and
never gave up the dream. When we finally made it to
Missoula, in March of 2005, the
weather was delightfully warm. We had some time to spare, (read
Reckless Abandon) so we headed
north to Kalispell. Our future was uncertain, but we had no fear.
The drive through the Mission Valley was spectacular and the scenery
surrounding the
cerulean water of Flathead Lake was gorgeous. It was simply
Montana; big sky, snow capped mountains and rolling green hills….my
Marlboro Country. We headed to
Glacier National Park where we spent a cold night in a tent in the
snow covered Apgar picnic area. I had already fallen in love with
Montana; Glacier National Park now captured my heart.
On reflection of living in Kalispell for the past five years and of
my many jaunts to Glacier, I feel a sense of contentment. The Going
to the Sun Road, the highway carved into cliffs, is always
breathtaking and never disappointing regardless of how many times I
see it. The hikes I take year after year always offer me a different
and unique perspective. Being in the park and truly observing
with eyes
wide open, is a humbling experience.
Many people wax poetic about their experience in the park and in
1925, American playwright, Mary Roberts Rinehart said of Glacier ~
“There is no voice in all of the world so insistent to me as the
wordless call of these mountains. I shall go back. Those who go once
always hope to go back. The lure of the great free spaces is in
their blood.”
As Glacier National Park celebrates 100 years of grandeur, I say
Happy Birthday. You lift my spirits and bring peace to my soul.
©05/11/10
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