Brake Lights & Bug Bites

Imagine with me: driving from Ohio to St. Louis, across the Midwest, up through North Dakota, and finally into Montana. The road unrolls before you—flat farmland dotted with rolling hills, little towns that each hold a surprise, train tracks to follow (Tate’s favorite), and the occasional quirky roadside attraction. Travel days are some of our favorites. The wide-open road lies before us—our destination clear, but the journey full of unknowns. Snacks are packed, playlists queued, a couple of Adventures in Odyssey episodes downloaded, and our current audiobook ready to go. Tate naps for a solid two hours, and Grant and Miles usually drift off as well.

But on this particular day, the farmland felt endless, and everyone was getting restless. Then we turned a corner and there it was—the gateway into Glacier National Park.

Breathtaking. Our final hour and a half wound us up through mountain passes, snow-dusted peaks, and sparkling streams. I love the mountains! Charlie and I, listening to worship music while the younger boys slept, just kept pointing out the window: Wow. Look at that. Can you believe this? We whispered a few nervous comments about Dad hauling the camper over those steep passes, but mostly, we were in awe.

Brandon Lake’s Greater Still was playing as we drove:

How deep, how wide
How far, how high
The love of my Savior, the love of Christ

—and I suddenly felt so small among those massive peaks, yet reminded of God’s great love.

We stayed two weeks at Glacier, in a perfect campground right outside the park. It let us pop in daily for a hike, a swim, or a drive on the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road. This was our big end-of-summer trip before school started, so we tried to squeeze in as much as possible.

Glacier is enormous—over a million acres stretching into Canada, with 762 lakes, 175 mountains, and more than 700 miles of trails. I knew it was big, but being there, it felt endless.

The running theme quickly became Mom misjudging hiking distances. Our very first hike was supposed to be a “quick” two miles (mistake #1) before dinner. Ken had just finished work, so we rushed out with a couple water bottles but no snacks (mistake #2). We also forgot Tate’s carrier back in Ohio (mistake #3). The trail started easy—a pretty boardwalk through trees—but then climbed. And climbed. And climbed. Halfway up I realized: this is not two miles. By the time we reached the top, though, we found a glacier lake surrounded by mountains and waterfalls. It was stunning. One of the most surprising things to us was the waterfalls. There were running waterfalls throughout the park and each one was so beautiful. It was a perfect place to rest, put our feet in the cold water, and have a snack (well, if I had packed snacks!). Thankfully the way back was mostly downhill. There were moments on the trail that we had some unhappy campers, but we all look back on it now and laugh! By the time we trudged home for a late dinner, we had a new family joke about Mom’s “creative” trail distances.

That theme carried on. We heard people talking everywhere about the Many Glacier region, a stunning corner of the park that requires timed shuttle tickets because of road construction. The only way in was to snag hard-to-get shuttle tickets online at 7 p.m. the night before. Enter Ken, our hero. He nailed it—six tickets! The next morning we woke up early, drove, and spent the day hiking one of the most beautiful areas of the park. Humongous Glaciers. Turquoise blue lakes. And the elusive moose! We never did find a moose even though many told us this was the place to see them! We were exhausted and dusty by evening but so proud of our unforgettable 12-mile hike (yes, another distance mishap on my part and searching for that moose!). The scenery and post-hike pizza erased all complaints.

Then came Two Medicine, a section located in the eastern portion of the park. I had this brilliant idea: hike three miles out, then take a scenic narrated boat ride back across the lake. We had 2.5 hours before the return boat. Easy, right? Except for detours. A .3-mile scenic overlook here, a .4-mile waterfall there, a rope bridge we just had to try. Soon it was 3:00 and we still had a mile left! We ran the trail, hoping not to miss the boat. We made it just as the boat arrived—only to find such a long line that we ended up on the second trip anyway. We didn’t need to run at all! That “three-mile hike” turned into almost five, but frozen yogurt afterward smoothed everything over.

Some of our sweetest memories were at the glacial lakes throughout the park—skipping stones, plunging into icy water on hot days, and marveling at the crystal-clear reflections of mountains. Driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road was equally awe-inspiring. The road itself is an adventure—narrow and winding—but the views! We saw glaciers, waterfalls, and even wildlife: bears, mountain goats, and big horn sheep.

We also made quick trips into Kalispell for groceries (Costco for the win!), haircuts, and a day relaxing at Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. If you ever visit Glacier, I can’t recommend Kalispell enough as a perfect side trip.

Two weeks flew by! Glacier National Park was truly unforgettable. We hiked, swam, explored, made new friends, and laughed through every “wrong turn” and miscalculated mile. More than anything, we ended summer surrounded by beauty and reminded of the greatness of God’s creation—and His love.

And just for a laugh…Tate refuses to call mountain goats, goats. He insists they are sheep! He loved pushing the boys in the water and then yelling shark! And, we have no idea why, but he calls moose, goose! He keeps us all laughing!