fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue

For my last days off, Kris and I took a trip to Glacier National Park in northern Montana.  He got off work late because some of the horses ran to the edge of the ranch property and he had to chase them down (hahaha), so we got a slow start.  The drive there was beautiful though.

We passed Flathead Lake.

We didn't get to Whitefish until almost 10:00 and were sure no decent restaurants would be open.  I had called a restaurant called Lou La's and asked how late they stayed open.  They told us if we got there by 10:00, they would serve us.  We walked in around 9:55, and they had a table waiting for us.  You might think this is a pointless part of the story, but it was a momentous occasion because Kris ordered his first bottle of wine that night.

The waitress poured him a taste while she and I were talking, and she had to interrupt the conversation to ask Kris if he would like to try it.  When she left, he told me he wondered why she had given him so little!

The next day, we drove into Glacier and embarked on a nine mile hike from McDonald Lake up to Snyder Lake.

The beginning.  Lake McDonald in the background.

Lake McDonald's the largest lake in Glacier.

Kris carried the backpack most of the time, but I took a turn once or twice.
 

Snow in August!

I found him the perfect hiking stick.

Indian Paintbrush...my favorite wildflower.

Kris stopped about every five minutes on the way up to take pictures of wildflowers.  After three miles, it got a little old.

Finally at our destination...Snyder Lake.

We stopped at Lake McDonald on the way back...

and put our feet in!

Looking a little rough post-hike.

So we made some rookie mistakes:
1. We didn't take enough water and ended up getting some from a stream on the trail.  We accepted that we would probably not feel very good later on but didn't really care.  It's a few days later now, and neither of us has Giardia, as far as I know, so I guess we survived!
2. We borrowed hiking boots from the Rod 'n Gun at the ranch that guests rarely use, so they weren't broken in at all and were a little stiff.  Our toes paid heavily for it, especially on the way down.
3. I rolled my ankle stepping off my tent porch right before we left.  Probably shouldn't have hiked nine miles on it the next day.  It's still pretty swollen.
But overall, it was so much fun, and I'm thrilled that I finally got to see Glacier.  We didn't see any major wildlife, but I'm okay with not encountering bears or mountain lions on the trail, thank you.

Post title: "Cowboy Take Me Away," by the Dixie Chicks