... and the campers aren't even here yet.

WOW! So much has happened in the last few days, I'm not sure where to begin. I tend to think more chronologically so I'll just put things in order that way.

This season I am the supervisor of the Fish Creek campground. I am actually staying at the campground in the housing unit that is attached to the ranger station. When we arrived on the 15th our building didn't have the water turned on so we were put in a unit near headquarters. I was told we were in the unit that they used when dignitaries and VIPs visited the park. Really, really nice place compared to all the park housing units I've been in. Though it was nice, I was anxious to move into Fish Creek and left most of my stuff packed in the Jeep.

That weekend we went for a small hike to John's Lake.

The next week was spent organizing and cleaning up around the ranger station and helping a fellow ranger install six bear boxes in various campgrounds. For those who don't know, a bear box is a large metal box that visitors can use to store food and anything that might have an odor that would attract animals. They're big and heavy and can be a pain to install, but they work. By Friday we still hadn't moved into Fish Creek and I was getting tired of not being able to unpack. My wife, Chrissy, was scheduled to fly into Kalispell on Tuesday and I really wanted to be unpacked and settled before she arrived. I was told that day that the water was on but the housing coordinator had left early. Ok...I guess two more days won't kill me.

That weekend Lauren and I hiked to Avalanche Lake. It is probably the most popular day hike on the west side of the park and for good reason. The trail is 2.1 miles to the foot of the lake and only gains about 500 feet in elevation. The payoff is spectacular. The lake sits at the bottom of a cirque (a bowl-shaped, steep walled basin) with numerous waterfalls flowing into it from the glacier, that sits hidden, above.

Lauren at Avalanche Lake
It started raining on the way back.

Avalanche Gorge at the beginning of the trail.

Monday we finally got to move into our place at Fish Creek. Yay!! Ok now I can go buy groceries and get everything ready for Chrissy to come. Lauren and I are really excited and in a good mood, driving to the supermarket, when the phone rings. It's Chrissy. She asks me about my day and I can immediately tell somethings not right, so I ask her what's wrong. "I'm not gonna be able to come," she says and I can tell she's trying not to cry. She tells me that she's in the hospital about to have her appendix removed before it bursts. "What?! Are you serious?!" Good mood, gone. Excitement, gone...but, not for long. God was watching over her and she went through surgery fine and is healing well. Whew! We are hoping, with the doctor's approval, that she will be able to fly out this Saturday. I'm glad too because I have a little girl here that really wants to see her mom! Me too!

And so it begins.

Ok, so this is my first post on my first blog. I don't know how often I'll be able to post on here. Definately not daily. My life's not that interesting, but I will try to post at least once a week.

This is my third season at Glacier, my second season as a Visitor Use Assistant Supervisor and my first living at the Fish Creek ranger station. The drive from Tennessee is about 2,400 miles. I usually take four days and do some sightseeing along the way. This year's trip was great for one main reason; my 10 year old daughter got to come with me. We had a blast! We stopped and saw Mt. Rushmore frosted with snow and stayed at a hotel that was connected to an indoor water park. Uh...yeah! Talk about fun! One of the coolest stops on the trip was the ghost town of Garnet. Montana is full of ghost towns and I've been wanting to visit one for awhile. When they say getting there is half the fun, they're right. Garnet is about ten miles off of I90 on a one-lane dirt road through the Garnet Range. After the first six miles the road winds up First Chance Gulch (I love western place names) on one of the steepest sections of mountain road that I've ever driven on. Uh...yeah! Awesome! The town is nestled near the top in a small valley. There are several intact buildings from the late 1800's.

View of the mining town of Garnet

I felt like I was in a John Wayne movie!
Lauren in the general store.

The Well's Hotel

What is really cool is you can go inside most of the buildings and even upstairs to the second and third floor of the hotel. I sound like a commercial for the place, but it really was cool. It was definately a great way to start off the season.