Nothing like finishing your hike with a cold one overlooking a placid lake.   We sat on the deck of the Many glacier Hotel and sucked them down.  You hate to leave......  you just want to sit there and absorb everything about you.  I must have taken a dozen pictures of Grinnell Peak.  We would dine yet again in the Ptarmigan Dining room.  Why not, the food was great, and the service exceptional.   

 Glacier is another magnificent Park.  I hope to return some day and complete the loop that I had originally planned.  I was glad however to see a little of Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada.  The scenery in that area is stunning.  The trails are well marked in Glacier and there was nothing of extraordinary difficulty to traverse. The amount of diverse wildlife we encountered was marvelous. To see animals that you only see in pictures or films is always rewarding (not to mention animals you never knew existed).   Overall, it was another great trip.

 The training I did really paid off this time.  A couple of months prior to leaving, I was running 20+ milers every other Sunday.  I also did a couple of training hikes on steep hills loaded up with canisters of sand at Catoctin Mountain.  The physical conditioning was probably more then this trip required. Even though Day 1's events wore me out, I had hit my groove by Day 2.  I was tired after the long hike (both distance and time) on Day 3 , but I could have easily kept going.  On Day’s 5 and 6, I was in cruise mode.  Noting Elliot’s hiking pace last year gave me inspiration.  He seemed indestructible.  If you’re reading this El, thanks.  Lesson learned (and enjoyed!).  

Until my next adventure..............    ciao!

Note:  Dave and I decided to turn in our extra white gas with bottles and the bear spray to the ranger station.  They were VERY grateful for the donation.  If you have to travel on a plane, this can be a good option.  The rangers will put the gas and bear spray to use for their backcountry patrol.