Leaving Homes

Bozeman, MT and there about- July 30

There is a tug each time I leave the comfort of someone’s home. It has been a hiatus from the solo journey- people to talk to, connection to be enjoyed.

I left Whitney and Lawrence’s home today, the first home stay I’d had in 13 days. They are friends of Kiva’s living in Bozeman who welcomed me into their home. Dinner out, farmers’ market- a treat of companionship. And then back in the saddle and back on my own. There is a tug.

Luckily, the adventure pulls me back in, and soon all is familiar in the newest of ways. There is a solo hike- I wish I could bring the scents and sounds alive, to partner with the photos. It is hot- dry, 90-degree heat, unlike most heats I have experienced. But in the shade of the lodge pole pines and spruce, with the breeze of the canyon rolling through, it is entirely reasonable. The trail switchbacks up, designed so thoughtfully to be a steady climb, allowing for thoughts other than shortness of breath and a beating heart to be enjoyed.

Then there is the river, the river of Hell Roaring Canyon, whose splash and thrum invite me long before I see it. That water that has become the lodestar of my hikes; like a magnet I am pulled to all forms it takes. And I feel its companionship as I traverse its shore up through the woods.

The very simplest of pleasures- scooping the cold stream to my face and neck, soaking my tired feet, plunging in to wash away the day’s sweat- in this dry countryside, there is this constant gift of water.

And so the discovery of the ‘next’ brings me back to the journey, and the fascination with what will unfold. Momentary loneliness gives way to ongoing curiosity. And always that tremendous sense of gratitude.

Perseverating on Wild Flowers

To Perseverate: repeat or prolong an action, thought, or utterance after the stimulus that prompted it has ceased

Anaconda, Montana- July 28
I've always loved the word 'perseverate'. Why say 'obsess' when you can say 'perseverate'? It's a verb that has been active in my not too distant past, a verb that kept me from sleeping, troubled by gardening hiatus, and generally felt like the opposite of staying in present time.

I noticed, in the last few days, that there was pretty much nothing that was hooking me into that worried, fretful preoccupation. My thoughts were mild, fleeting, centered mostly on the moment at hand.

Today, in a hike in the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness, around the upland beauty of Storm Lake, there were only wildflowers... everywhere, in all colors, healthy, glistening in the sun. It's almost all my mind could focus on. I had been relieved of the constant vigilance for bears by a local hiker who told me where to hike. "If you're lucky enough to see a Black Bear, don't worry," said he. So I didn't, and it was only wildflowers that claimed my attention.

Again, I am aware that this jumping out of the day-to-day preoccupations of my regular life has created space and calm and balance. Despite the ever-changing landscape and minute by minute required decision making, there is so much interior room to notice the beauty and the repeated moments of magic. This is important! This could be a recipe, something to bottle and promote.

I don't know if the solo version is an important ingredient. I think for me that it is, at least for now. The self directed choices that only need to work for me retain no static, they are mine and therefore always meant for me. Given as a gift to celebrate and reflect on.

In this world that has always been in the process of going mad, always been struggling to find balance  and peace, there are wildflowers in the hills, almost anywhere. They are a balm and a tonic. I send a prayer of gratitude.

Out of the Comfort Zone- Full Time

On The Fly Decision-Making Takes Courage, I'm Finding

Columbia Falls, Montana- July 25

I saw this Ours de Canadienne (Canadian Bear) 3 miles from the US border. She
was picking berries.

I gotta say, I've chosen an interesting style in which to handle this trip. Hour to hour a new decision must be made and I never know where I'll spend the night. This morning I got up early to attempt to avoid the Glacier NP crowds.

Lower St. Mary's Lake in Blackfeet territory. Camped on this last night.

So many beautiful vistas. I'm so glad I came in early and took my time.

Good choice. As the sun came into the park I drove west at 15-20 mph, letting the rare driver behind me zoom past. Should I stop and hike? What's the trade off? If I hike I'll come back to the craziness of mid-day Glacier traffic. If I don't hike, am I still 'doing' Glacier? I opted for slow driving and relaxed picture-taking. Good choice? I only know that it got to be wall-to-wall traffic by the time I left the park and I had a fantastic slow perusal of Banff from the road.

Now I have Montana to tackle. Cities? Small towns? No towns at all? Will I find marked hiking trails? What will the campgrounds be like? Will I find decent food in a grocery store? Hour by hour, what's next?

What I fall back on is: It's All Good. Every choice can be a good one and I'm choosing to believe there are no mistakes. As I turned into Columbia Falls Main Street, it looked pretty sad and un-cared for. Yet here is Basecamp Cafe, a little oasis of good food, nice hostess, and wifi.

Bear Grass, had to be up high to have them still blooming.

Don't forget this, Melanie. If you're ready to roll with less than clean bathrooms, loud neighbors, required bear protection tactics, and infrequent showers, then I will find wonderful surprises, I feel sure. Steady on, Melanie, steady on.

Some Thoughts on John and Charley and Their Travels

Southern British Columbia & Alberta- July 23

Taken early this morning in Glacier National Park. One of my best 'picture postcard' shots.

I’ve been thinking a lot about John and Charley and their travels around America. John’s a hell of a writer, and a pleasure to read, but I take issue with his traveling style in its presumed goal to discover ‘America’.

If I am to take John at his written word, it seems he barely ever got out of his truck, unless it was to ask for a place to stay or to get something to eat. He drove straight through many states and I wonder if he presumed them unworthy or uninteresting or unrepresentative.

I also have a hard time with his propensity for judgment, making sweeping negative assessments of cities and areas and people as he passed by them.

I found myself making similar judgments about two Canadian towns I’ve recently stopped in, Golden and Pincher Creek. They are mid-sized towns with frayed edges and ugly strips leading into them, instead of the quaint, flower-lined entrances to many a beautiful Canadian town. They seem to be towns struggling to find their center and define their position in the Southern Alberta tourist-focused environment.

Yet, when I got out of my car and started walking around, I found the love and thoughtfulness that townspeople had poured into sections of their place on earth. In Golden there is a beautiful wooden covered bridge that was a project of the whole town, with timber framers from all over the country lending their help. It connects two sides of a beautiful walk and bikeway that the local Rotary Club has established in a Peace Park. It is a place of pride and peace and goodwill I never would have seen from my car.

Coming out of Jasper & Banff I hit the wheat fields and cattle range that led
to Waterton/Glacier International Peace Park. Before I got to Pincher Creek,
at one point, there were wind turbines in every direction.

In Pincher Creek, WalMart and A&W are the host and hostess to new arrivals like me. WalMart was an absolute blessing as I’d searched in every town for butane canisters for my stove and WalMart had them- a 4-pack for $12.95. Thank you! But this un-manicured town has a wonderful creek walk with a wooden bridge that the town came together to create next to their municipal park. I stumbled upon it and was thankful for the quiet timeout from my day.

As much as I am focused on the natural beauty and hiking on my trip, I have been finding a lot of pleasure in trying to feel out the small towns I go through. Finding a café for coffee and wifi has become a pattern. Each town has one, and each is its own delightful small spot that ends up reviving me with food, coffee and kind spirits.

I don’t know about ‘In Search of America’ but what I’m finding reinforces the feeling that there is a lot of goodness in this world; to see the heart of a town takes looking for it and stepping off the highway, off the road and out of the car.

A rare pic of me up a hefty trail, in Waterton/Glacier NP on the Canada side.

Making Peace with Banff

Two Beautiful Parks that Took Time to Appreciate

Banff & Jasper National Parks, Alberta, Canada- July 22

My favorite waterfall- projectile vomiting water out.

What is to be said about Canada’s National Parks, Jasper and Banff, (from now on ‘J/B’)? They are vast, awesome, beautiful, varied, well loved. They are crowded, daunting, and anxiety producing. On the two days I spent there, they were cold, overcast, spitting rain. On the two days I spent there, I was betwixt and between.

I was supposed to love J/B. I had been warned about the hordes of tourists, of which I readily admit I am one. But the beauty was legendary and not to be missed. I think J/B is not for the single traveler. There are only so many times I can say ‘wow’ to myself here without feeling a bit of an echo. So much space, so much height, so many kilometers to go to see its fullness- I am only one small person and felt insufficient for the task.

All of the water masses are so green. They have the Pacific beat, hands down.

Knowing what I now know, I will come back and begin again, with others, in an off-season, with better weather prospects, if that can be planned around. J/B is worth a second look, for sure.

Early morning at Moraine Lake, Banff NP

One last note: I had given up and thought I would cruise through and get out of J/B, but I decided to get up early to see two ‘must see’ sites I had been instructed to visit by several fellow travelers: Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. On the highway by 6:00 I was almost alone. Lake Louise was pretty but very built up and already the crowds had begun. Moraine Lake on the other hand was beautiful- quiet, peaceful, allowing me to enjoy it without the hordes. I learned that morning that the early hours are the time to see the popular sites…anywhere.

I am still working at accepting this turn of events. I wanted to rave and toss my hat. But this is a true account, not fiction, and so I mark down my real experience. Now I'm off to return to the small towns and back roads and my friendly Canadians.

So many glaciers, I've never seen anything like this. May they stay cold and safe.