For this week's Half-Nekkid Thursday we were to post our favorite photo of 2006.

I like this photo for what it suggests and not for what it reveals. I like how soft the candle light makes everything appear. I like the combination of angles and soft glow. I like that the people who really know me can pick out things in the photo that are so subtle.

For all that this photo is - and isn't, this is my favorite of 2006.

My friends

He: You can't hear those snowballs hitting your window or me yelling?

Me: No

He: Ok, hold on. I'm going to hang up and do it again

Racheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Me: LOL, you are psychotic

My weekend

Every once in a while you need a change of scenery; brush the dust off a little. I headed north toward Glacier. I took my time on the drive home and grabbed my camera to bring some of it with me.

Flathead, southwest of Glacier ParkSwan Lake

I love it here!


(Please don't remind me that I turned down a job here.)

Cabin fever

I got to get movin'
and find a cure for the cabin fever
got to break out of here
get myself out of town

The weekend...

was full of surprises. Making home-made Bailey's at a friends house, followed by the drinking of said beverage on Friday.

Fast forward to the Christmas party on Saturday night. I arrived fashionably late and scanned the room for familiar faces. I got to visit with his parents again who welcomed me with open arms and ran into one of his ex's who I get along with. She and I sat at the table making conversation, laughing about previous nights when we've all hung out and the wild stories that followed.

Then I heard my name called, followed by "there's someone I want you to meet." Uh oh, the hook-up.

"C_, this is my good friend Rachel. Rachel, this is my good friend C_." Hello's and "I've heard so much about you"s were exchanged. He had heard more about me than I him. As he sat at the table with us and conversation resumed I remembered that he was the tequila pusher.

He asked about my work since the host and I work together. I asked about grad school since that's where they met. Soon stories were being told and laughter and drinks were being shared. I thought to myself that he had a nice smile and a great sense of humor.

The party-goers started to dwindle and plans were made amongst the few of us remaining to take the party elsewhere. We ended up at Miller's, having drinks and dancing to the music. Eventually there were no pairs on the dance floor, just bodies and arms and legs and laughter.

I haven't bothered to close a bar in a while but that night it was fun to hang out with old and new friends. One of those nights that you don't want to end. We all ended up back at my apartment. Again the laughter was ever present, stories were exchanged, flirtatious smiles were given and received, new discoveries unfolded, confessions were made and friendships set.

With morning rapidly approaching we said our goodbyes with hugs and kisses and then all was quiet.

My phone rang later that morning, waking me up. "Rachie, last night was a blast." I agreed that I had a very good time. "C_ thought you were awesome, he hasn't had that much fun in a long time and really liked you." I agreed that the night was great, C_ was awesome and we would definitely have to do it again soon.

It's official

My winter will not be spent in Glacier Park. I turned down the job with the Park Service yesterday.

While the location is an absolute dream the position wasn't one that I really wanted. Plus, new developments have made it very difficult to leave. I decided a month ago to stay in Helena and made it final yesterday when called.

I am sad that I won't be moving to West Glacier with the park as my backyard but am content here.

At least that's what I keep telling myself.

Conversations you can only have with a friend....

He: you are having one of those moments aren't you?

Me: what moment?

He: those moments where you over analyze little things and then take them personally and then get confused and possibly upset

LOL, yeah, maybe so

Conversations while chatting...

T_: lol, you changed your status to "fuck you"? Gee thanks

Me: LOL, well, stop being a dick to me then

T_: but you are so much fun to tease

Me: yeah, yeah, must be the same perverse pleasure I get in saying "fuck you" when you give me a hard time ;)

A friend recently pointed out that my Messenger status is always invisible, making it hard for people to contact me if they wanted to do so. I'm not entirely sure what the point was since this person never contacts me anyway but there it was, the fact that I am never "online".

Chat has never been a big thing with me. Oh sure, I experimented with it when I was younger but I've mostly kept Messenger on my laptop for one or two people. However, I made myself visible and people came out of the woodwork. I was surprised to find that they remember who I am. Some I wish had forgotten me (hence the reason I usually log into Messenger as invisible), but there were a few that stopped by my little corner to poke their heads in. It was nice.

It's interesting how some people drift in and back out while others linger for a while. Some we wish would stay longer than others.

Conversations while drinking...

Me: Ok, let me get this straight. You meet this girl, she's cute and smart and fun. You hang out, she likes your friends and Bob, is good in bed and likes having sex with you. She's not bugging you about a commitment, all you have to do is hang and maybe call once in a while?

Damn, why do men find that so hard?

He: Yeah, pretty much.

Me: You like her right? I mean she isn't just a lay, she is actually fun to be around and hang with? Because the only reason to not hang with her would be because you don't actually like her at all. If you don't like her, it really is ok to tell her, we girls are not as fragile as we seem ya know?

He: Oh yeah, yeah, I mean things are cool, we have fun.

Me: And you can't get your shit together enough to do even that much?

He: Yeah, pretty much.

Me: Fuck, you're a dumb ass!

Ah, she likes to travel around
She'll love you but she'll put you down
Now people let me put you wise
Sue goooooooes out with other guys
Here's the moral and the story from the guy who knows
I fell in love and my love still grows
Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll say
Keep away from-a Runaround Sue

No autographs please

I've been working in this new gig called PhotoShop and the paparazzi have been hounding me ever since it started so for giggles I decided to let them in for a photo op.

Have a cool Half-Nekkid Thursday kids and remember to smile, your adoring fans are counting on it.

Are you fucking kidding me?

Ok, so as most of you have probably guessed I've had nothing. Nothing of any interest to write about lately. I could tell you all about my great weekend but you wouldn't be interested. I am however going to rant a little.

You ready? Rant coming....

I found a note under my door when I got home from work last night. A note from the neighbors who inform me that after I've left for work in the morning Midget has been barking and waking them up.

WTF!?! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME WITH THIS SHIT!?!

After I've been woken up and had to listen to every door slam and every word, and I mean EVERY WORD, of every shouting match these two young lovers have had, it seems they have the nerve to complain about being woken up by my 5 pound dog in the morning.

Maybe if the two of them went to bed at a reasonable hour instead of staying up until 2 and 3 in the morning fighting then they could get up at a reasonable hour, say when ADULTS go to work. Then they wouldn't get woken up by my dog after 8:00.

So.....

after the two love birds got home last night I went over and knocked on the door. I've offered to take Midget to work with me in the mornings until 10:00 but informed them that I've been woken up by them repeatedly slamming doors and shouting at each other. And, after pointing out to them that I've heard EVERY SINGLE DAMN WORD they've uttered in said arguements that I think we all just need to learn to get along and deal with noises coming from each others apartments.

And yes, that includes any moaning and utterances of "fuck me" that any of the above mentioned parties may hear coming from the other apartment.

Here endeth the rant.

"What we've got here is a failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach, so you get what we had here last week which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. And I don't like it any more than you..."

People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.

Vote!

Either change the situation or change your reaction

My three year old niece...

Me: You are a goof ball

She: Nuh uh, I don't have balls!


I love little kids. They are so much fun to play with when you don't have to keep them.

The same could be said for men.
;)

Rage

She didn't know where the rage had come from. She had never seen it this bad before although it wasn't the first indication that there was a lot she didn't know about the man who was still her husband.

He stood outside on the patio, hands and face pressed to the glass doors. Occasionally she could hear him scream but she didn't wait for him to break the glass and get inside the house - she ran.

She knew she would never make it outside. Running had made her fast when she wanted to be but he could still out pace her and would catch her quickly if she left the safety of the walls surrounding her. Instead she ran for the stairs that led up to the bedroom, thinking of a defensible space.

Locking the door behind her she knew it wouldn't take long before his rage engulfed him and glass would shatter allowing him access into the home they once shared.

She could hear that the pounding on the patio doors had begun. He was no longer satisfied with intimidating her with phone calls and stalking. He had progressed to violence and she was certain it would only escalate.

She thought of the attic and began the climb to the highest part of the house. She knew that from there she could keep him at bay until help arrived.

Her climb took her to the last part of the house to escape to - and also the only part of the house unable to escape from.

First snowfall...

We got our first snow of the season last night. Just enough to add a little frosting to everything.


I took this on the walking mall outside my apartment this morning. I am not a winter person but who doesn't like a little white icing to decorate the place a bit. Soon the Christmas lights will be lit on the walking mall making the entire street glow. I love it here in Montana. :)

Conversations while hiking

Me: My mom would like my dad so much more if she just got stoned.

He: That's one way to get through the holidays.

Me: It would be the only way to get through the holidays with my family.

****************************************************************************************
He: Yeah, I'm going out with her again tonight. I don't really like her but she wouldn't leave me alone.

Me: You never do a second date if you don't like her, I don't care how good the sex was.

He: I know. I don't want to go but I'm stuck now. This is definitely the second and last date.

Me: Because we only go out on first dates with guys we're interested in, even a little bit, and if you've committed to a second date then in her mind it means you are interested in her, even a little bit.

He: That's what thinking with my dick gets me.

Me: That's why men name their penis, they don't want a stranger making 90% of their decisions for them.

****************************************************************************************
Me: Women all like to think they're Samantha but deep down we all are a little Carrie and Charlotte too.

He: Maybe you think you want to be like Samantha but it just doesn't fit. Men are just excited to meet a woman who's horny.

Me: And horny is fine and great and fun but does that have to be everything it's about? Women can be all for horny and fun but we don't like feeling like a whore you don't have to pay.

Do you see why I love it so much?

May the sun bring you new energies by day, may the moon softly restore you by night, 
may the rain wash away any worries you may have. May gentle breezes refresh your soul 
and all the days of your life, may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty.

Indian paintbrush and Mount Reynolds

Indian paintbrush

Bear grass

Heavy Runner Mountain

Granite Park Trail

Fireweed and Bird Woman Cirque

Monkey flowers with Mount Clement in the background

Going-to-the-Sun Mountain

Single Shot Mountain named for George Bird Grinnell's taking of a sheep with a single shot.

(photos by Robert Zavadil)

Strange dreams

Let's see, so far I've dreamt I was down on the walking mall doing my laundry as Peter Pan to Captain Hook (who was HAWT!)

I've dreamt I was part of a search team looking for a missing woman. When the shallow grave was discovered it was me in the grave - very weird.

I've dreamt I was in the stocks and a "friend" was laughing at me and then began to kick me.

And finally this morning I dreamt that I was living on a bus with my friend Kimme and several other people. We traveled around and just lived on the Greyhound bus. When Kimme decided she was moving from the bus to Havre I moved too.

There have been others that I can't remember. I hope it's because of the pain meds the doctor has me on and not that I'm finally cracking up (where the hell are all the erotic dreams where I'm totally getting it on?)

That's it, I'm blaming it all on the pre and post-op drugs! Hmm, yeah, this is fun!

Pro's and con's

According to the National Park Service I have made it through the first selection phase of hiring (yes I do fucking ROCK!). Now I've started to think about whether I want to take the job and the pro's and con's of doing so. One, I'd get to move. On the other hand, I'd have to move, probably in the middle of winter. Plus I'm not sure how I feel about moving to an area where I know no one. This is good and bad - fresh start but it can get kind of boring too. I'd be leaving all of my friends behind here as well. I'd also be leaving behind a lot of family drama that I hate dealing with.

The job has considerable opportunity for advancement, something I don't have a lot of now but I currently work in a GREAT environment, with great people.

I'm not sure you can get a much better work environment than Glacier Park though, which is where I'd be. It would require a commute. Right now I walk about 50 yards to work and if I take this job I'd be driving from Kalispell/Columbia Falls to West Glacier everyday. I would also have access to Glacier everyday. I'd be able to hike and run in Glacier every weekend - something I would love to do.

I can't help thinking that if I'm offered the job I'd be passing up a great opportunity and a new adventure if I don't take it. I don't want to leave because I'm bored and I don't want to stay because it's easy. I've left before and come back, although when I left before it wasn't to one of my favorite places.

Since the selection process can take up to 90 days I have some time to think about it. The final result isn't up to me anyway. I've done all I can, the rest is up to the Sky Chief.

It's fall in Montana, the leaves are turning gold and yellow, the mornings crisp and cool. I am hoping to visit Glacier Park at least once again before winter closes Going-to-the-Sun road for the season. Glacier is beautiful year-round but fall is especially spectacular when Cottonwoods and aspen change to gold.

I'm looking forward to an October Saturday hiking in Glacier, one last time before winter sets in and snow covers the ground.

More or less?

In the next few weeks this part of my body is going to become more important, or is that less?

Yes, probably less!

Happy Half-Nekkid Thursday gang!

Yeah, that's gonna be happening....

click on the photo to read the text.

"Oh God in Fenway, baseball be Thy name, Thy will be done, bases run, in Boston as it is in Heaven."


What is happening to my Red Sox? Swept by the *gulp* Yankees and now the Mariners? The Mariners haven't swept the Sox since 1989. The Sox are 5.5 games behind the Yankees in AL East standings and behind the Twins by the same deficit in the Wild Card standings. How can this be?

Injuries are plaguing the Red Sox and their pitching hasn't been able to deliver them out of this slump even with the mighty Schilling taking the mound. It's time to break out the chicken bones and the black garters ("the rose goes in front big guy") and turn up the mojo.

Tis a sad day in Boston my friends, truly sad indeed.

PT, good for you, good for me

I went for my first physical therapy appointment today on my hip.

I was hoping that I would get there and Brian would tell me to do such and such stretching exercises x number of times for x number of weeks and that would be it.

Nooooooooooooo...

I have to go to physical therapy twice a week for the next six weeks!! With daily stretching three times a day!! What is that noise!?!

My hips are gonna be wicked limber after this is all through. Woo hoo, work on that range of motion. ;)

"Yes drill sergeant, PT, good for you, good for me. I like it, I love it, I want more of it!"

This, that and the other.

It was brought to my attention that I never mentioned what happened with the job offer and other things. I equally pointed out that no one asked but whatever...

I turned down the generous offer in Washington D.C. When I've thought about moving away from here I always thought it would be to a place that I love. Well, I love Montana. It doesn't necessarily have to be Helena but I don't think I'm ready to leave Montana just yet. For one thing I don't want to move further away from Glacier, my home away from home.

(I reserve the right to change my mind if a job offer comes open in Hawaii).

I have been thinking about a change though. Maybe it's time for me to move on to something else. I do like my current job and am fortunate in a lot of ways but I fear the boredom factor is setting in.

On that note, I've applied for another job, something completely different. If I'm hired it will require a move but not out of Montana - I know, I just moved but this position fell into my lap and it's an exciting opportunity so I'm going for it. Wish me luck!

Speaking of moving, the place is coming along nicely and as of right now I've finished painting the living room and the bathroom and started on the bedroom. Work has been keeping me busy long past 5:00 so the painting gets done when I have time. Plus I refuse to paint on the nights I run. I just don't feel like going up and down that ladder and then running. Call me crazy.

Yay to the handy men that have been coming in and out of my building for a couple of weeks now. The entire place is being renovated and so guys are in and out all day (Os, shut up!). So far they have helped me move furniture, unclog a sink and widened the hole for my deadbolt which didn't fit before (Os, shut up!)

Now if I could just get them to paint...

"Yer ntttth"...

slurred the drunk guy at me as I ran past his swaying body in the middle of the street. I knew he said something but didn't pause to find out what.

He blurted a little more clearly, "Yer nuts" and to emphasize his point threw his beer bottle at me as I made my way down the street.

He didn't hit me. Fortunately his aim was off and I was a moving target. He only managed to break the bottle on the street behind me, the white foam splashing up the back of my legs.

I guess I should thank him, he probably shaved a couple of seconds off my time. I wonder if he wants a job heckling me from the sidelines during my next race?

Open up and say ahhhhhhh....

Tickets to the baseball game - $0

Strawberry Sucker - $1.00

Beers on Micro-Monday - $10.00


Photographic evidence of me being goofy - typical!

Happy HNT kids!

Oh yeah...

I am a homemade pizza making Goddess!!

Here I feel at peace

Happy Half-Nekkid Thursday kids!

Home away from home

Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

Conrad, you schmuck! There is a fire burning on the East side of Glacier that I've been watching intently on the webcam. Fortunately those firefighters that Burns criticized so openly are fighting it and will get it under control.

Fire information oficer Pat McKelvey snaps a picture of the Red Eagle fire buring near St. Mary, MT. on Saturday, July 29, 2006.

In other news, I made my first pizza from scratch. Very good but I'm going to have to keep working on the crust.

You didn't wear sunscreen?

Nope!

Went hiking in Glacier Park last weekend and didn't wear sunscreen! That night I almost glowed in the dark so this is a day out. I had to get that first burn on my arms and shoulders over with though.
(Check out the great Glacier photos below, they are the real attraction)

Happy HNT kids, play nice ;)

Marmots and ninny goats and moose, oh my!

I had a great opportunity to spend some time in Glacier National Park last weekend, hiking to the Granite Park Chalet. (click on the images to get a better view)

What an incredible hike! We got a very early start and got to see the sunrise over Glacier.

And the ninny goats were out on the trail to meet and greet us. (yes, I know they aren't really called ninny goats but work with me people).

Isn't he cute and all mugging for the camera.

We had beautiful scenery for the entire hike. When you are there it's easy to think it can't possibly get any better.

And we met another marmot along the trail. This one was much friendlier than the one I encountered at Sperry Chalet and stopped to pose for pictures. He was just the cutest thing.

After about 4 hours of hiking we made it to Granite Park Chalet - totally worth every step.

The views from the chalet really have to be experienced. It is a long hike but so worth the effort.

The wildflowers were in bloom all over the hillside. That was definitely a cool experience walking through a carpet of wildflowers.

And we got to see Rachel flowers (shut up, I liked them and so that's what they were called).

I got to see the remnants of a glacier for the first time and learned a lesson on firsts - case of beer was it?

A beautiful view of the lakes below - that's where we're headed.

On the hike down we saw ripples in one of the lakes below and got out the binoculars. A moose was swimming across the lake, keeping cool from the hot day. Further down on the trail we got another view of a moose wading around in one of the lakes we passed. Another first, but not for me this time.

We saw many waterfalls along the way but I liked this little one the best I think because of the great colors in the water and the fact that it made this really cool swimming hole.

The last falls we saw along the trail down. Off to the right of this photo the water falls over a series of rock steps. There were a couple of young guys climbing which looked like fun but at this point my feet wanted to go down, not up.

Remember the lakes from back up the trail? This is the last of them and it was time to strip down and jump in (no, I do not have pictures of me skinny-dipping in my underwear but some little Japanese tourist does).

All in all it was a fabulous hike, I had a great time and can't wait to go again, whether it be this hike or another, I'm ready!

Moose, I'm looking forward to next weekend, can't wait to see you!

Happy Friday!

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers
to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting,
or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are the
winners:

• Cashtration (n): The act of buying a house, which
  renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.


• Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which
  lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.


• Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.


• Bozone (n): The substance surrounding stupid people
  that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer,
  unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.


• Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.


• Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit
  and the person who doesn't get it.


• Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are
  running late.
Finally, a solution!


• Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.


• Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is, like,
  sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth
  explodes and it's, like, a serious bummer.


• Decafalon (n): The grueling event of getting through
  the day consuming only things that are good for you.


• Glibido: All talk and no action.
I know some of these people.


• Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem
  smarter when they come at you rapidly.


• Arachnoleptic fit (n): The frantic dance you perform
  just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
And I've done this.


• Beelzebug (n): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that
  gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.


• Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.
Does anything more really need to be said?

Have good weekends and be safe!

Happy HNT

Symphony Under The Stars

Sounds of the Cinema Under the Big Sky is this Saturday night on the Carroll College lawn. This is always such a great event with a wonderful venue and excellent music.

In addition to that, as many of you know, our own Os works and plays with the Helena Symphony and goes to a great deal of work to pull this thing off every year. This year will be even more of a blast since I'm hanging with his sisters at this event. I love them, they are hilarious! (Os, if you and I ever stop being friends I'm keeping your sisters)

I will undoubtedly take a ton of pictures, because I seem to take pictures of and at everything, so you'll have to suffer through them at some point if you come to this blog with any regularity (no, I don't want to know about your regularity).

If you're in the area stop by, say hi and have a beer.

What a delicious way to wake up, with your hands on my skin, your fingers sliding over my hip and down my leg.

I roll onto my back to kiss you, to taste you, to feel your hands slide up my thigh and then deeper.

My back arches at your touch, your lips, your tongue. I reach for your hand, sliding my fingers along yours and then up my stomach to my breasts, caressing as you touch me.

My breath catches as I feel you move deeper inside me before I guide your fingers to my mouth, tasting and touching, your lips then finding mine.


The moan escapes my lips as the dream slowly slips from me and my eyes open to the sunrise outside my window.


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I am starting to worry

I've been noticing pain in my left hip lately. Not when I run but mostly when I'm in one position for too long.

I'm starting to worry whether this could affect my running. I hesitate to see a doctor about it because I'm afraid he's going to advise me to stop running, but I also don't want to let it go if there is something wrong and something I can do to prevent it.

Any ideas?

...the only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball.

The theme for this week's HNT is All-American and what could be more American than baseball, our national sport and a personal passion of mine. As far back as the 1870s, American newspapers were referring to baseball as "The National Pastime" or "The National Game."

Professional baseball began in the United States around 1865, and the National League was founded in 1876 as the first major league. The American League was founded in 1901 sparking a rivalry between the two over players, contracts, salaries and games.

During the first half of the 20th century, a "gentlemen's agreement" in the form of the baseball color line barred African-American players from the major leagues. Finally in 1947, Major League Baseball's color barrier was broken when Jackie Robinson was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers.


Baseball has seen America through world wars, depression, scandal, glory, heartache and triumph. Walt Whitman once said, "I see great things in baseball. It's our game, the American game. It will repair our losses and be a blessing to us."

You could look it up. ;)


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Things that go bump in the night

Drifting off to sleep last night, all comfy and cozy, completely dark and still...




until the pounding on the bedroom window and the flashlights shining in. WTF!?!

The dogs start going crazy, lights are flashing, I'm wide awake and go running for the door in my damn underwear and tank top, planning to do I don't know what to I don't know who when everything stops.

Lunatics? Alien invasion? Visions of "The Hills Have Eyes" that I saw a few months ago start running around in my mind (ok, well the parts I saw when I didn't have my eyes covered and head buried).

I stand there for a few seconds wondering what the hell happened when I hear this loud popping noise along with more "pounding". The damn neighbors were letting off fireworks.

They continued to shoot off fireworks for another half hour. It took me forever to get my heart started again and the dogs calmed down.

I am so glad I don't live out in the valley all the time. I've also found out that in the burbs they sit on their porches a lot. I went for a run last night and felt like I was on display.

Hehe...the hot tub is nice, the trampoline is even fun but I am ready to go home!

Life is good

Yes, you heard me (or read me) right - Life is good!

The move is going well. I've found a very cute place that I think I'm going to love. It's on the walking mall, right down town where all the action is. Plus, it's on the west side of the building so that when things are rocking on the mall (which they often are in the summer) and I don't want to play along, I can close the windows and return to peace and quiet.

I'm also house sitting during this next week and my internet access will be sporadic at best. Oh well, it's not necessarily a bad thing and what I'm sacrificing in sitting in front of this glowing box I've made up for with the hot tub and big screen TV - rough duty I tell ya. I know some of you are working your butts off right now and just know that while you can't be in the hot tub with me, I am thinking about ya.

Have good days people and remember...

Best friends are the people that know all about and still put up with you!

Sperry Chalet

I got the chance to go hiking this past weekend in Glacier National Park to Sperry Chalet.


It was my first time hiking the Sperry Trail, my first time to the chalet and what a great experience. The hike was fabulous, all 13.2 miles of it.

Glacier Park is one of my favorite places and once again it didn't disappoint. The views were amazing and I got to see a part of Glacier that I've never seen before.

Beaver Chief Falls

It was incredible to see Glacier in a way that many people don't. Tourists often come to Glacier and drive through but there really is so much more to the park that I now can't wait to explore.

The last bridge before the chalet. We crossed some snow on the trail before this point but not that much. This is where the snow got interesting.

My first view of the chalet

Check out the view from this back yard

Amazing from every angle

A marmot that paid a visit as well

The return trip was very exciting. About 1/3 of the way down the trail we noticed a marmot starting to squeal and thought it was making noise because of us. It turned out that marmot had another reason for squealing.


We were on a very rocky section of the trail so I was busy paying attention to where I was planting my feet when I get this sharp tug on my pack and hear "STOP!"

The two grizzlies on the trail ahead of us scattered, one going down and one heading up hill. I didn't manage to take the photos since I very quickly went for the bear spray (not gonna mess with the bears). Fortunately he got some pretty good shots as they made their way back to the trail. We decided to move back up and give the bears their space. About 10 minutes later we were able to move along down the trail.

The rest of the hike down was beautiful and we managed to avoid any more grizzlies. We did however, get to see a cute fawn barely able to walk. It was definitely an "awwww" moment.

It was an amazing trip and I loved every minute of it!

(Interesting article on MSNBC re. Glacier National Park and parks in general.)