The good news is I have a place to live, other than a hotel or my truck - which is actually quite comfortable; the bad news is that I can’t move in until April 1st. So I have a couple of options – couch surf in Spokane, Seattle, and Portland for the next month or head out for a little snowshoeing. It is still snowing, the average temperature is something like 20 degrees, so of course I am going truck camping and snowshoeing.
Gary, my partner in crime for brewing and vinting, hooked me up with the owners of the North Idaho Mountain Brew in Wallace, Idaho. Who wouldn't want to spend a few days camping at a brewery? Located next the brewery is a RV park and some simple cabins. Upon arrival they set me up in a cabin with a heater and then we moved to a tour of the brewery – beer in hand.
The weather didn't cooperate for hiking or shoeing - rain, so I spent some time at the brewery and checking out the rest of Wallace. Okay if you've been to Wallace you know that takes about a half a day – but there is a new wine bar coming to town. The brewery is a must stop, located just outside of downtown and not to be confused with the "Wallace Brewery"; check out their Loft Honey Lager with any one of the great food item selections. Note: As the brewery is also a restaurant, they are kid friendly.
Of course the day I decided to leave I woke up to six inches of snow, but it was time to head out to Montana. I took the cutoff at St. Regis to Flathead Lake, a beautiful drive; most of the time I was locked into 4-wheel drive with snow and ice on the road until just outside of Flathead Lake. I made my way up past the lake into Kalispell and then into Whitefish, Montana. I found a hotel and settled in. I went to the local climbing store and picked up a topography and trail map of Glacier National Park. It was also a good time to gained some insight into the park and trails from the locals.
I headed up to the park and checked in at the Ranger Stations – which was actually closed. I told them where I would be car camping and headed down the snow covered road amidst a bit of a blizzard. I settled into my camp site and called it a night.
The next day was perfect, fresh snow, clearing skies, and the temperature was above zero. I scoped out several trail heads and mapped out my next two weeks of shoeing. That evening as I returned to camp I was greeted by a Ranger, initially he was concerned that I was camping in the winter, but after seeing my gear and layers of clothing he was confident that I knew what I was doing – I asked that he check on me periodically just in case, in the immortal words of my friend Kathleen, “A bear didn't eat my ass”.
I spent the next two weeks shoeing out of the Lake McDonald (western side) and the St. Mary Lake (eastern side) areas of the park. The solitude was refreshing; I actually went four days on the St. Mary side of the park without seeing or talking to anyone. Most days I didn't see anyone on the trail; on weekends I would run into some fellow snowshoers and cross country skiers making their way up the Going to the Sun road.
I met some amazing people, several older couples – I’m talking in their 70’s and one couple who were both in their early 80’s. I can only hope that I will be shoeing in Glacier when I’m in my 80’s.
Okay, I have to admit. I bailed out one day. I woke up about 4:30am, there was nearly a foot of snow on the ground and it was -16 inside the truck. I had to engage the remote start to heat up the interior before I gained the courage to leave my sleeping bag and use my Costco card to scrape the ice off the interior of the windows. It seemed like a good time to do laundry, take a shower, have a good meal – and get warm.Other than the one day, I have to say experiencing Glacier in the winter was nothing less than spectacular, something everyone should experience. You don’t necessary have to camp, you can stay in Kalispell or Whitefish and drive up for the day.
The rest of the trip was great as I headed up towards the Canadian border, through Libby, Montana and down for an overnight in Thompson Falls. I’ll make my way back through Wallace for a stop at the brewery, a quick date in Kellogg, Idaho and then into Spokane. If my timing is right, I should arrive just in time to sign my lease and move in.
