Purple Mountain Majesty

Purple Mountain's majesty made sense when I visited Montana in 2020. It was the year 2020, and things were still very shut down. My family and I decided to go to Glacier National Park, which was open and mainly had outdoor activities. It was indeed one of the most beautiful places on earth. I have always loved the mountains, but this place beat the mountains of Colorado.  

The trip was an excellent start to a dark time of COVID.  On the plane ride, I could hardly stop looking out the window. The cross-country trip was seeing the quilt of fields across the country.  Some are relatively flat, and others are full of hills.  The fabric was never-ending, and the mountains grew as we entered Montana.  The hills were so large that they became more prominent as the plane landed.  

It was a smaller airport, and we landed with the beautiful mountains in the background.  I could feel the elevation difference, but seeing such a pretty place was lovely. It was August, and it was much more relaxed.  It was a crazy time, and wearing that mask was annoying.  I was glad to be outside and enjoy my free face.  The open space was great to just breathe.  We left the airport to go to the hotel and were glad to settle in the room.  It was decent-sized and did its job for the trip.

We landed early enough to enjoy a part day in Glacier National Park.  It was so pretty with the mountains surrounding it. The park was open to traffic, but the buses were not open due to COVID.  The roads winded around the park, and there were many stops to see, with even snow that time of year.  We stopped by a snow pile, and I took a picture. We even stopped by one of the lakes and walked along the beach. The area is so beautiful with the never-ending mountains. It was an excellent first day in the place.  Things looked great, as was sunset over the hills, casting light across the sky.

The rest of the week was excellent, with beautiful sights.  There are so many waterfalls of different sizes. One trail went through the three waterfalls along the way.  The weather was hot that day, but the scenery was pretty along St Mary's Lake.  It was one of the best hikes in the park.  There were a variety of smaller waterfalls even near the main road through the park.  It was beautiful to stop at the many stops for the flowing water.  One day was rather windy and overcast.  The winds were so intense at times that one of the smaller waterfalls was flowing upward into the air.  This was quite a site to see.   Some of the waterfalls were even flowing on the road.  

The lakes were also so beautiful that they had such views of the mountains. St Mary's Lake and Lake McDonald.  Both had breathtaking clear waters.  The walks along the lakes were pretty, with little beach areas along the way.  On the banks, the rocks were clearly visible through the banks.  On my trip, the kayaking reopened on Lake McDonald. I love kayaking, and it was such a large lake.  The backdrop looked like the purple mountain mountains in front.  The clear waters and excellent background made the trip.  It was to be social and have kayaking open again.  It was indeed one of the most incredible spots to visit, especially for the sunsets.  

There were several trails throughout the park. I wanted to go on the glacier trail, but it was closed.   We decided not to take the ten-mile round trail to see the glaciers.  I saw them from a distance, so we took another trail that day.  The high line trail was a great trail that had a great viewpoint.  The trail had a view of the endless mountains.  The cliff did drop, and one had to watch where you walked along with a rising cliff on the other side.  I had no problem, but it was quite the scenery.    Another trail was straight up a steep hill. It was not as fun, and the view was alright, but there had been a fire at one time with a charred tree opening a view of St Mary's Lake.  We never finished it, but there were reports that there was not much at the end. Another trail had an epic view, but we started too late and had to turn back on the path of snow in the way. There was a more accessible trail around the cedar trees, and it was an excellent alternative to the more challenging trails.  I wish to return, go on the ones I did not finish, and finish those trails.

It was a fantastic place to explore, with a lot of wildlife.  I only saw some rams, but someone else saw a grizzly bear visiting one of the days in daylight.  Most of the animals were on the side of the road.  It was best to be off the trails when the sun went down, and more giant predators were coming out. They have large bears, and I was glad not to see any of them.   The smaller animals can also be a problem; luckily, no snakes were seen.  Yet I would rather see a bear from afar; the wildlife was quite rare when you saw them.

The weather was the funniest thing out there.  One day may be super hot and sweaty.  It was brutal on some trails when the cloud cover was gone.   The clouds changed the weather so much.  I was cold in the wind on other days and had to wear my jacket and raincoat.  The clouds were also so low that they covered the tip of mountains. It was such a difference between the days.  One can see the Milky Way in the sky, but no clear night was available.  There is still snow year-round; the higher the altitude, the more you see it.  I was glad I had brought all those items since I used them all.  I was delighted not to be there during winter since the snow would be terrible. 

Lastly, plenty of berries grew in the mountains, including huckleberry. I was still determining which was edible and asked one of the locals. We were told that the thimbleberry was edible and easily identifiable. We found a few on the trail and some free snacks. It is also related to the raspberry. The huckleberry was close compared to another bad-tasting berry; I was too afraid to try any of them. Overall, it was nice to know what one can eat.

I was glad to go home, but I will always miss the beauty of the mountains and the lakes.  It was so interesting to see the outdoors during the time of COVID-19. Plenty of kind hikers and others even wore masks on the many trails.  The place was beautiful, as were the mountains with their purple tint.  I would go back eventually.   It is one of the best national parks in America and the most beautiful I have seen.