Ten minutes after I crossed the border, the skies opened its faucet. Heavy rain; much-needed rain! I welcome the rain because it will clean the air quality I was concerned about. But, of course, the rain puts me in a vulnerable place.
Since I got a pass to Going-to-the-Sun Road, I decided to get a feel for the road. The visibility is low but still durable; as I drive further up the mountain, the visibility is very poor. I can only see five feet in front of me, and like everyone else, I turn on my headlights and hazard lights. When I get to Logan Pass Visitor Center, I turn around.
I am camping on the park's east side about ten miles from the Saint Mary entrance. I tried to make reservations at any campground inside the park, but I wasn't lucky enough. The campground is very basic, and as long it has a hot shower, I am happy.
With no break from the rain, I need to find shelter until nighttime. I enter the Mary Village Hotel lobby and ask permission to use their Wi-Fi. I find a quiet corner to open my laptop and write about my wonderful experience at Waterton Lakes NP. I love taking time to sit down and write. It does take me an average of three hours to convert all my notes into a post as I don't want to rush it. Finding time to sit down can be a challenge at times. A rainy day is always an excellent opportunity to catch up.
I don't know when I will be able to sit down to write again. On the last leg of my journey, I need to move faster than I wish, which makes finding time to write challenging. I record my experiences and emotions as they happen to keep my experience honest and accurate, which helps me remember it all.
By eight, I park at my campsite and roll down my windows a bit for fresh air. The rain guards I installed are helpful to keep rain from entering my car. I don't even attempt to get out and change into my pajamas in my seat and move to my bed.
Good morning, rain! It is still raining but not as heavy as yesterday. I start my day very early to make sure I can find parking at Two Medicine Lake. I have an hour of driving, and I hope the rain will stop when I get there so I can cook breakfast and make a sandwich for lunch. Having my "home" with me gives me great flexibility.
Hello, sun and gusty wind! Well, the sun is trying to take over the skies, but there are still plenty of clouds. The skies and clouds today are like a painting brush - each wind gust moves the clouds, creating different shadows and highlighting different textures of the mountains around me.
I am hiking toward Rockwell Falls. On the way, I see a sign for Asper Falls and decided to check it out. As I get closer to view the falls, there is another sign for a viewpoint, and I continue to climb up. I am happy I did, as the view is striking and the waterfall is beautiful, but I will have hiked four miles by the time I am back on the main trail. I am trying to slow down and put less miles on my back. I am averaging between six to ten miles almost every day. I plan to hike tomorrow to Grinnell Glacier (a strenuous hike), so I decided to hike back to the parking lot. I still want to stop at Running Eagle Falls.
Now, Running Eagle Falls is a must-stop! It's a short and easy hike to a fantastic-looking waterfall as the water flows from inside the rock formation, gushing down to a small pool.
Driving back to my campground without the heavy clouds covering my view is a breath of fresh air! Seeing the vast open land and mountains as a carpet roiling for admiration is peace in my heart. I love knowing there is raw wilderness for the wildlife here.
By early evening, the rain returned, and so are my challenges with it. I have no choice but to deal with it. It is another early crawl into my bed, but that's okay, tomorrow is another early start.
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