A Day Off?

2018-09-11
Helena and Glacier National Park, MO

Today was a planned day off. It sounds really weird to talk about taking a day off while on vacation, but sooner or later you need to do maintenance. So today I got my oil changed; by coincidence it was just 20 miles overdue. I had scheduled this stop weeks ago so it would've been changed if it was off by hundreds of miles, but on the road you learn rule #32: appreciate the little things. Another Subaru coincidence was that I met Anna who was getting her oil changed at the same time. She's between school and work and doing the National Park thing as well. Another fellow wanderer out there. After the oil was changed I then went to the car wash and changed the color from brown to blue. Then off to replenish my granola bar supply (the small store didn't have many but I won't starve) and did laundry at the Econ-o-Wash.

One thing I noticed about Helena was the vast number of casinos. In the block and a half from the laundry to the grocery I passed three of them just on my side of the street. My curiosity got the best of me and I poked my head into the last one. It was a small restaurant and bar with about 50-60% of the space dedicated to some sort of video gambling machines with big comfy chairs in front of them. I want one of those chairs for the office. Apparently some casinos don't sell liquor, but all sell beer and wine. Some operate more as a package store than a restaurant. The fellow laundry patron had a different take than the casino waitress about waning popularity, but they sure must have a lot of folks gambling to pay for all these.

With my chores complete, I headed north to Glacier National Park. I arrived in the early afternoon and talked to the rangers to find out what is open. Of the two hikes I had tentatively planned, one is half closed and the other is open. However, half of the park is closed due to fire. This half. So it's a two hour drive around the park tomorrow plus another half an hour inside the park before the first hike, then maybe 30 or 45 minutes to drive to the second hike. And when all is said and done (mostly done if the trip tendency holds) then driving back here to my room for the night. It may be a long day.

However, the ranger helped me chose a short hike that was on this side of the park for the afternoon. No point wasting the daylight! The Apgar Lookout hike is 3.6 miles each way (7.2 total) with a roughly 2000 foot climb. It's nothing but up for 3.5 miles. However, it peaks at 5400 feet, which is below the altitude where my last few hikes started. I was much less winded today and I think that's why. Speaking of things I don't understand, there is a one-lane wooden bridge on the unpaved road leading to the trailhead. There was a woman sitting in her chair on this bridge. Just sitting there. I asked her if she intended to be there long, and she said I could fit around her. Luckily she was right. I am still confused though.

The view from the top was very nice, but once again the haze precluded any great vista pictures. However, at that altitude and latitude fall is coming and the colors were very nice. I guess fall comes from the north and from above; sort of like Santa Clause.

I had planned a hotel for my Glacier stay because of the altitude and latitude, and the one I chose was near the park entrance. It turned out to be quite rustic. I suspect that the fire is the reason that only four or five rooms are full.

Hiking distance: 7.5 miles