A week in Glacier. . .

© 2011 Lydia Hinshaw

Avalanche Lake

  WEST GLACIER, MT --  Prince Charming and I have finished a week of driving shuttles in Glacier National Park, and we aren't bored with the job yet.
 This morning we learned that Going to the Sun Road will open Wednesday, the latest opening since the road was completed in the early 1930s.  Extremely heavy snows over the winter, followed by a colder than usual spring caused the delay, disappointing many vacationers who had to return home without traveling the famous road.
 With the road open, our jobs will become more stressful, due to heavy traffic on the narrow ledges the road occupies.  So far, most of our driving has been on roads closed to civilian traffic.  We've only had to deal with Park Service vehicles, construction equipment and our fellow shuttle buses.
 We've also managed to go on one hike, not a particularly long or spectacular one, to Avalanche Lake.  With the road open, we will be able to get to some of my old favorites from the summer of 2005.