Monday I was up and raring to go. It was another warm, cloudless day as we prepared breakfast and got ready to head to Glacier. And then….

This is bear country, they said.

Stow all your trash safely, they said.

Did we listen? No!

Our trash was invaded!

Off to Glacier! We got there before the crowds, and just in time for the first big shuttle bus toward Logan Pass. We saw a grizzly bear on the way, but I didn’t get my camera out in time.

Hiking from Logan Pass up to the Hidden Lake overlook:

…and then my phone died. You can see Russ’s blog (russloomis.com) for the rest of the pictures of this spectacular place. He did share one with me:

We rested for a snack at Hidden Lake overlook, where the ground squirrels (locals call them gophers) are very tame. They will climb right up into your lap for treats. Luckily, we had some fruit and nut mix. I was in heaven, and shared my treats with several kids, who were thrilled.

At the overlook we saw mountain goats snoozing on rock ledges across the way, then were treated to the sight of one ambling right across the trail. As we headed back to the Logan Pass visitors center, we saw two bands of bighorn sheep, resting and grazing near the trail. There were more ground squirrels, both gophers and the smaller golden-mantled ground squirrels that look like chipmunks. We also saw a couple of marmots. The pines smelled heavenly, and the views were breathtaking. I could not even begin to put into words how magnificent this place is.

We hopped the shuttle down to the trailhead to St. Mary’s Falls, and hiked there and back, but decided at that point that we’d better think about going back to our campsite and rescuing the dogs, who’d been cooped up all day.

The shuttles are crowded, even on a a Monday, and the drivers have their own system for letting people on, based on who will be leaving and entering, and at what points. At our last hop, a family of five was trying to make a connecting shuttle by 5:30. We entered, but that left only three places. I could hear the driver giving them a hard time, so I came forward to offer our seats, as we could wait for the next shuttle. At that, the driver agreed to let the family on after all. The dad tapped me on the shoulder to thank me, and said something profound: ”Sometimes it just takes one act of kindness to open the gates of kindness.”

And we got to see another grizzly!