Saturday, June 4, 2016

Day Nine - Progress 150 miles


The cat living at this incredible Airbnb house and property – kind of a nature preserve – was not used to having to sleep outside on occasion and woke us up meowing and pawing at the windows.  But it was wonderful to rise early and study the features of Flatrock Lake to the front and the abundant wildlife of the wetlands in the rear.  A little later, the little kids enjoyed beating a huge African drum as a rallying cry to get things going.  On the way to Glacier National Park’s west entrance, we followed the Flatrock river up and up into the mountains with its lightening hues of aqua blue catching your breath at every turn.  We had learned how the crushing weight of the glacier fields pulverize the underlying rocks into mineral silt that produce the unique light reflecting properties of glacier-fed lakes and rivers.  With the world-class “Road to the Sun” drive not yet fully opened for the season, we parked at the Avalanche Lake trail head and hiked the 2 ½ miles to one of the most amazing sights of the trip.  Snow covered peaks fed three high waterfalls which flowed into the high mountain lake featuring three distinct hues of aqua blue.  This same water would find its way to Flatrock Lake far down in the valley.  Towards the hike’s conclusion, Andrew was watching his watch as the Penguins’ game neared and, without too many local fans for either team, we still found a table for 10 at a microbrewery with plenty of TV’s.  The pizza, meatloaf, and local brews all tasted fabulous and, fortunately, were fully consumed before the overtime period when everything seemed to leave a sour aftertaste.  But even the short drive through this gorgeous lake and mountain region restored our hopeful and thankful hearts in remembering God’s creation and this remarkable day.




                                                                  by Carl Schartner

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