A Double Dose of Autumn

It's a week before I leave Glacier and I have the Monday off. Thanks to federal holidays, my last working week will be a short one. I've finished the big project I was hired to do here and got assigned three new smalls ones to finish out my last few weeks. I have one of these projects left. It's going to be a slow week, but I'll be sure to take it all in as it's gonna be my last.

I really like Montana. As the end date for my time being here gets closer and closer, I've been reflecting on my summer, the places I visited and the things I saw. Most recently, this past weekend I went to Missoula. This town is like the Austin of Montana. Instead of feeling isolated and bland, Missoula felt welcoming and full of culture. I really liked exploring the town and felt at home in this city. And a city it can be called. There was architecture, one way streets, foodie restaurants, and diversity.

I initially went down to Missoula to check out a book festival and visit a friend who goes to school there.  Unexpectedly it turned into a reintroduction into society. I was having to drive in a city. I was having to drive surrounded by other people and multiple lanes. I was having to drive and navigate one ways. I ate brunch and boy was it good. While I loved my experience at Glacier, I know that I need a little more culture around me to feel satisfied. This trip to Missoula was the perfect remedy to my judgement of Montana. Of course I loved my time here and enjoyed the scenery, but I was isolated a lot and that reflected onto my perception of Montana. Now I know, yes, Northern Montana is a little different, but there are some places I could see my myself living. Places where I could have both the culture and the beautiful scenery. Missoula. It's still very Montana while also being very likable.

Here are some pictures of activities in and near my new favorite city:

My 'Festival of the Book' loot.

Forestry Club's fall retreat. Look at that mallowtree!

Brunch. Foodie food. Gluten Free.

Sadie, the wood eating dog.

Forestry Club's playground.

This past week I also moved into a new place and have a new housemate.  We have a great maple tree and it's been amazing to watch the colors change into more of an orange than yellow. Unlike Denver and Missoula, the natural forests only contain aspen and birch trees which turn yellow. Don't get me wrong, I love this, but was satisfied with the diversity in color from my maple. It feels more like home. Here's my new home and maple:

New house.

A view from the living room. 

Now, as my blog title ensues, Glacier gets two autumns. I say double, because both trees that give the mountains some color are yellow. Around the end of September the aspen and birch turned, as they do in Colorado. Now however, around the middle of October, while the aspens have dropped their leaves weeks ago, there is another round of yellow. Like the bear grass, I'm now obsessed with this plant I am unaccustomed to.  The Western Larch. This tree is classified as a pine, but it's deciduous. It's needles turn lime green, then yellow, and then drop. Amazing!

This past week, my bosses and I went on an afternoon outing to see this natural resource at work in the North Fork area. I had been to the area a bunch of times, but not to the farthest lake. The new lake and the color of the larch were spectacular. I found a new favorite quiet place, Kintla Lake.

Driving up to Kintla in the North Fork.

Kintla Lake!

Kintla feeding into the stream.

Where the oldest Ranger lives. 93 years old and still going.

Bowman Lake in the North Fork with larch color!

But now, I finish out my week, begin to pack, and then head home. The end is here. However, my journey home will be extended as I'm taking the opportunity to travel around to other parks and enjoy their fall beauty with a friend. Denver friends and family, I'll be back on the 24th! I can't wait to see you and go to concerts!

The Home Stretch

Wow, three more weeks left! I can't believe that my time here is coming to an end. I have mixed feelings. I want to return to Denver, to city life, to friends, but this magical place has something about it. It's just so awesome and full of unexpected adventures, it's going to be hard to leave that part behind.

This week, I'm exhausted. The past weekend I was in Canada for the last time and had great weather plus views. It was also the last weekend the entire Going-to-the-Sun road was open so I took advantage of the East side being accessible.  I hiked to two major waterfalls, Virginia Falls and St. Mary's. What a great hike. Such a pretty area.

Driving up the road to Logan Pass. Fall colors!

St. Mary Falls.

Virginia Falls. 

Virginia Falls from below.

From there I drove to the Chief Mountain boarder crossing and entered Canada. From the border crossing, it's only 30 minutes to Waterton. The drive was AMAZING! The aspen were in all their yellow glory. Not to mention, there was an Indian Summer feeling. Perfection. 

Chief Mountain on the right. 

When I got to Waterton, I drove down one stretch of Wateron called the Red Rock Canyon and saw two black bears and did two short hikes. I hiked the little red canyon which is a striking red rock water shoot that looks nothing like the surrounding rocks. It's almost as if the water painted red as it came down the canyon.  I also hiked to a nice waterfall. It wasn't as beautiful as the Glacier falls, but a nice walk.

Looking down into the canyon form the top walking bridge.

Looking from down in the canyon up.

Falls!

The next morning I got up early and hiked up a strenuous trail that's only a mile long, but basically straight up, to reach Bears Hump. This overlook has the best view of Waterton and the valley. I hung out and had the view all to myself for over half an hour. I only encountered people on my trek back down the trail.  I was thankful I had already done the UP part. Phew.

Looking down into Waterton from the hump.

The trail. Straight. Up. 

A view to the right.

Pano. Notice Prince of Wales Hotel in the bottom left.

After my epic view hike, I drove the only other canyon road in Waterton called Akamina Parkway and did a series of hikes off the highway. First I hiked to Crandell Lake and literally had the place to myself except for some campers on the other side of the lake. Magical. 

Crandell Lake.

Further down the parkway, is Cameron Lake. A beautiful lake where I hung out in the sun and took the chance to just be in my surroundings. I ate lunch, napped, and read a little.

Cameron Lake.

In the afternoon, I hiked on a trail that crosses over the Alberta and British Columbia border.  The territory boundary for British Columbia is the continental divide, so I hiked over the continental divide and into Akamina Provincial Park. There was a short hike into some falls and so keeping on my waterfall theme, I knew where my destination would be. On the hike, I stumbled upon the Akamina Park headquarters. Now can you say remote?

Now in BC.

Akamina Park Headquarters.

Falls.

Overall even while I was hiking alone in theses places, I felt versed enough and comfortable in my surroundings. The hikes I picked mostly had people on them and even when humans were sparse, I was confident in my abilities. Plus, the huckleberries are all dried now. No bears sighted.

When I drove back to Glacier, I drove the Going-to-the-Sun road for the last time and stopped at the most iconic place along St. Mary Lake. What a view!

Classic Glacier. View from St. Mary.

Now, while being on the high from my sunny, fall color filled weekend, I was invited to join one of the archeologists on a hike again. I jumped at the opportunity to enjoy the nice weather and get out again. This time we were hiking the loop trail up to Granite Park Chalet. I've hiked this trail down from the Highline at Logan Pass, but going up is a grunter.  The trail starts in the burn area near Heaven's Peak and is hot and steep. For about 3.4 miles it's all exposed and vertical climbing. The last .8 miles is in the wooded forest below the Chalet. We stopped after our climb for lunch at the Chalet which had closed three weeks before. Great views and lovely sunshine.

The look from Granite Park Chalet up into Logan Pass.

Granite Park Chalet. 

Hiking down the Loop.

After lunch, we got to our site work. We tried to find a number of sites that were supposed to be in the area, but didn't have luck. Some things had been moved and so the directions from previous surveyors were way off. And GPS coordinates were incorrectly inputed. That was an interesting experience, bushwhacking through the mountain side. We did find one site and completed our survey. I got to take pictures. While my feet did not like me, I enjoyed being out of the office for the day. To top off my field day, on our drive back into West Glacier from the Park, we got stuck in a wildlife jam. It was two moose in the river around a bend. I didn't get a photo, but finally saw my moose for the season! And two of them!​

My work is going very well. I have completed the 'K' files and am now just tying up the loose ends, making labels, correcting my finding aid, and writing scope notes. Wow, can't believe I made it! Here is a picture of my last two boxes:

Last two hollingers.

These last three weeks will be sitting down with the archivist and creating processing plans for some of the other collections and going over all our work and creating the final finding aid for the central files. Wooooooo! Project almost complete.

This weekend I plan to relax and enjoy some down time. I got word this week that I have to move for my last two weeks into a new house. The park needs to winterize my apartment unit and so I'll be moving into a house with a fall research intern. I've met her but only in our department meetings. At least I'll have some more human interaction for the last few weeks I'm here. Yey! So this weekend I'll also begin to pack and go through things and clean.

First Snow

This past week, we had our first snow in the Park. It snowed down to 4,000 feet. Headquarters didn't get any thankfully, we're at 3,525 feet, but all the hills surrounding us got covered. The snow was so heavy and strong it closed the Going-to-the-Sun Road from Thursday to Saturday. I just got up to the mountains today, hoping the snow would melt a little and that the temps would warm up.  I hiked the 6 mile round trip trail to Hidden Lake, behind the Logan Pass Visitor Center. It's a classic Glacier hike and the views are lovely! Take a look at the peaks dusted with snow...

Behind Logan Pass Visitor Center, Hidden Lake Trail!

Hiking up to the Overlook.

Tourist Trap...Mountain Goats.

Strike a pose. 

Hidden Lake. Iconic Glacier. 

Heading back down and looking into the St. Mary Valley.

Awesome frozen waterfall.

Luckily it warmed up and was actually hot on my hike. I didn't have to wear a jacket despite the snow on the ground. Temperatures were about in the upper 50s. Perfect for hiking. A cool breeze but clear, blue skies. Days like today make up for my archives work.

More 'it's no longer summer' things I've noticed include: The speed limit right outside the park changed from 45 to 60 this week. WOOOOOO we can go faster!  Leaves are changing, but no Larch yet. Larch is the deciduous pine tree that drops it's needles for winter. I am so excited to see this guy. There are quite a few around my cabin even so I'll know for sure once they start changing. West Glacier's restaurant closes this week along with the grocery store and gas station. Talk about ghost town coming on. It's amazing how this little community only thrives for three months solid out of the year.

Last weekend, Katie, a library colleague visited me from Denver! So glad she got to come and brought nice weather. The cold storm came through the Tuesday after she left. We enjoyed a huge hike on Saturday along the Highline Trail. The trail starts at Logan Pass and goes along the cliffs above the main road. You can stop at one of the backcountry chalets, Granite Park, and enjoy some epic scenery. Then the trail takes you back down to a part on the road known as 'the Loop.' Overall it was an 11.6 mile hike and one that is a must for anyone visiting Glacier.  It's relatively easy, you only gain 330 feet and it's all done at one point in one switchback.   Amazing! Here are some pics of our adventure:

Katie and I at the trailhead. Bright and sunny!

Hiking, tiny trail.

Epic views.

You can see Lake McDonald in the valley.

Granite Park Chalet on the hill. Great resting point. 

Hiking through the burn.

The next day we just drove over to Many Glacier and enjoyed some tea in the lodge before they closed for the season. Next weekend I get to go back to Waterton for one final out of country trip.

Work is the same old, same old. Just finishing up this last record group. It's been kind of hard truthfully. I'm burnt out, but I know I'm so close to being finished, it's frustrating. Just got to keep my head down and keep plugging away. Once my section is done, Karen the other archivist will also be done with her last record group and we can take the weeks of October to create our scope notes and put everything together. Then, the central files will be FINISHED! Ahhhh, I can't wait for that moment.

For now, I have my Canadian weekend to look forward to and continuing to see the Park change colors.

Summertime Sadness

Only S'more of the Summer. GASP!

Summer here in Glacier is really short. Like really short. I get why they hire seasonals now. At the end of August it's almost like a light switch gets turned off. It gets quieter and cooler as quickly as it got busy and hot. Nights are getting short fast too. It seems just like yesterday I was going to bed at 10pm with the sun still up. Now, I swear, it gets darker every day five minutes earlier. We're down to 8:20pm. So, yeah, I got that summertime sadness.

I forgot to post last weekend, but I was busy cleaning the house I had been sitting for the past three weeks. It was sad to say goodbye to living space and kitties but good to get back up to my little studio apartment and off the grid. I had mixed feelings. Also, Aubrey and Rishi left. Luckily we had one last BBQ with our Glacier Gang. It was the perfect opening event of the summer and closing event for those leaving.

Last McDonald BBQ.

I had also gone to the Kalispell Rodeo with a friend and we had a great time looking at all the four H animals and enjoying the lighting from a storm with the fair rides. We're photographers at heart. My friend Kim really is a photographer. At the end of this week, I also had to say goodbye to Kim too. :( I feel like the only one not going back to school.

 This weekend I'm relaxing at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Spokane.  I had been wanting to visit them for ever on this trip and since Spokane is only about four hours away, I took the long holiday weekend to enjoy some family time.  So nice! Andddddd there is sun. Ahhh, Vitamin D.

Spokane!

Work has been quite eventful. I learned my exact job end date and have already made plans for the drive home. ROAD TRIP! Can't wait. So, for those wondering, my last day working in Glacier is October 19th. I had originally thought I would be finished at the end of September, but since that wouldn't be a full six months, they decided to keep me on an extra few weeks after the fiscal year to finish up the loose ends of the project. Now, I just have to stop myself from starting to bite my nails again at the uncertainty of my job situation after the 20th. I have lots of options, but still not quite sure which one to take, what would be best, and what I really want. We shall see when it all comes together. Fingers crossed that no nail biting will occur.

My archival work has been great! I finally, finally think I grasped the central files and have basically completed the 'H' files. They have been the file group that has made most sense to me. For those who don't remember, the 'H' files are the historical files that include Park history, National Landmark status, historic sites, National Register buildings, archeology, museum collections, and other cultural resources documents. With only a month and a half left, I feel certain I will be able to finish the 'K' files, my last group. The 'Ks' include interpretation documents and include a wide range of informational brochures and library material. It should be another interesting group.

Last week I got to join one of the archeologists on a field day hike. Let's just say, I'm jealous of their job. Most of the sites are out in the back country so they pretty much get paid to travel (hike) and then survey the site, which takes 30 minutes. These guys are fit. We went up to Piegan Pass and had a great day. We walked through alpine meadows and had great views of three glaciers, the back of the Garden Wall, and views down towards the Many Glacier valley. During the day I learned a lot and even found some additional sites that the team didn't know about. I think my day as an honorary archeologist was a success. Here are some photos of our hike:

The beginning! 

Brent and the alpine meadows. 

Indian Paintbrush! Such a pretty pink.

Piegan Glacier!

Blackfoot Glacier and Jackson Glacier.

Almost to the Pass.

At the Pass (looking at the back of the Garden Wall). Ah-mazing.

Old bell base.

For now, it's counting down the weekends to make sure I get every hike and trip I want in and planning for what happens next. Next weekend, a friend from Denver is visiting! Yey, someone is taking advantage of me being in one of the most beautiful places in the US. So until then, I'm enjoying this for the time being: