Rainy Weekend in Glacier National Park

This recap is a little late but life has been crazy these days. Actually, when is it ever not crazy?

For the long weekend, Ryan and I packed up the dog and headed to Glacier National Park to camp in the Apgar Campground with Ryan’s parents. They were staying the week and invited us to stay in their camper and enjoy the park.

One lesson Ryan and I learned is that we are never going to go to the States on a long weekend again. We waited an hour and a half getting into Montana and a little under an hour to get back into Canada. That is a long wait! But at least the view at the Carway border is pretty.

Anyhoo, we stopped in St. Mary at Park Café because I was starving. I ordered an avocado burger with no bun and cheese and took it to go. The burger was INCREDIBLE! Every bite I took was followed by an “mmmmmmmm.” If you are ever in the St. Mary area, you have to stop there. The diner is so cute too; it reminds me of Luke’s Diner in Gilmore Girls.

Off we went through Logan’s Pass and over the Going to the Sun Road. This is a famous stretch of road because the scenery is amazing. I tried to snap as many photos from the car as I could because there aren’t very many approaches to pull off.

As we drove along, Rocky and I stuck our heads out the window and enjoyed the sunshine and the fresh air. I remember thinking “Fall my ass! Summer isn’t even close to being over yet.” I ate those words later, but I’ll continue.

When we came to Apgar Village I thought it was kitschy and touristy and I couldn’t believe we were going to camp in a place like that. His parents already had a space at Apgar Campground and when we pulled in, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there is a ton of space between camping spots so there was a lot of privacy and it kept the noise down.

We quickly went into West Glacier to get a few groceries and passed all the childhood attractions that Ryan and his brothers visited as children; a water park, a fun centre with go karts and a large maze. We both agreed that we would have to come back next year with his kids.

We stopped at the Hungry Horse Sign for a picture because it’s a family tradition and headed up to the Hungry Horse Dam to check it out and get a photo.

The next morning I woke up early with Rocky and took him for a walk along the bike trail to the kitschy village and got a soy latte. As I took my first sip and looked at Lake McDonald I thought that it was actually really nice to be close to a place like this. Luxurious really. When we camp it’s usually instant coffee in the morning which isn’t all that great.

Rocky and I spent an hour or so walking alone the beach and enjoying the view. We went on the dock and the water was so clear that it looked really shallow, so Rocky jumped off the dock and came up surprised that it was so deep. I have never seen this dog swim so fast! He booked it for shore and I couldn’t convince him to go back in the water again. I’m guessing it was cold.

After my coffee was finished we walked back to the campground because I was starving only to find that everyone was still sleeping! I left Rocky there and headed back to the Village to have breakfast at Eddies Restaurant. I was sat at a very nice table for one where I had a companion waiting for me, this guy-

Yeah I felt a little like a loser but I relaxed and enjoyed my breakfast. After, I perused the shops and found an awesome, fleecy pair of sweats that I’ve been wearing to bed every night since I got them. We had planned to go to the old growth forest and hike to Avalanche Lake and do some fishing but in the afternoon it started to rain and it didn’t stop the rest of the day. I might have toughed it out in the rain but it was so cold you could see your breathe and that was just a little too much for me. Remember how I said I was fighting getting a trailer because I thinking tenting is more like real camping? Scratch that! We spent the whole day in his parents’ trailer drinking and playing cards and making a delicious dinner. If we had been tenting it, we would have been a miserable bunch.

The next morning was our last morning and the rain cleared up long enough for me to get on Lake McDonald on a rented paddleboard. Yes! After YEARS of talking about it, I finally got to do it! It was fun and easy and I could feel my legs and core working which was awesome.

I tried to get Rocky on it but he took one step on the wobbly board and hopped off and swam for shore. It was really funny too because he hid behind Ryan’s legs and ignored me as I tried to call him out to try it again.

The scenery was gorgeous though the mountains were covered in dark clouds, but I enjoyed it and have already put an SUP on my birthday wish list.

Because of the dark clouds in the mountains, we decided to scrap our plans and headed back for home early. I was definitely disappointed that we didn’t get out hiking as much as I wanted, but I had a good time with my in-laws and I’m glad we went and discovered this wonderful place! Ryan and I are already planning when we’ll come back next year with his kids.

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