An evening at Glacier National ParkBack in grade school, sketching and painting scenery was reduced to a proven formula. There were certain elements that needed to be captured. Roughly divide the piece of paper in three parts. Draw cascading mountains by drawing inclined parallel lines intersecting the ones drawn in the other direction. Include a water body in front of the mountains. Draw fluffy white clouds and include a few birds if needed. A round yellow circle would represent the sun peaking out.
The Amphitheater Lake nestled amongst the TetonsWe began in the Grand Tetons. Our schedules were delightfully simple. Wake up, brush up and stock up. Fill the day pack with water, granola bars, apples and bug spray. Pack some rain gear and a jacket and head out on a trail. We would end up walking an average of 13 miles and climb through elevation changes of 3500 feet a day. And while the climb was enthralling, I can still recall walking out of the clearing on the trail and reaching the base of the Amphitheater Lake. A glacial lake protected by a mountainous curtain is not a common sight.
Glacier National Park was more of the same. Except Montana skies added to the magic. One of the hikes ended at a glacier 9698 feet high and at a lake filled with icebergs. It would be a movie set had I not hiked to it. Each hike would surprise us on the distances we covered on our way back. We would question if we really went that high or that far. And while the declines were painful on my repaired knee, we always returned happy, satisfied and to a celebratory drink by the car with our shoes off.
Touching icebergs in August at 9000 feetAs each day and each night passed, I got better at camping out. The first night was pitiful with me getting hardly any sleep in the cold. But soon I learnt that if I went to bed slight warm and uncomfortable, I would wake up needing to hit the snooze button, even in freezing temperatures! Each night our campfires would get brighter and our beers sweeter.
Soon, we would leave for the warmer and desert like south. But until then, I decided to soak in these glorious young mountains as much I could.
It was a good kind of greed.
I love the art class comparison :)…and I can relate to the kind of greed
Very good photos & narration, but still something is missing. All my expectations of your forthcoming blocks about bear hunt have not been fulfilled. Write something more.
You make me wanna go to!
Baba: I will write more although I am not sure of meeting your expectations.
Avanti: You wont regret if you do..