Mountain Time!

My daughter Amy and I began hiking in the mountains in 1977, with a trip to Banff, Alberta, Canada, that also took us through Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park on the way home.

The picture on the right was taken in 1985, on what was our fifth visit to Glacier Park. This is the trail to Hidden Lake, which begins at the Logan Pass Visitor Center.

The trail usually has mountain goats, big horn sheep, ptamigan, and marmots.

Amy was three years old when we started hiking, and we could get through a three mile hike. I increased the length by a mile for every year after that, and when Amy turned fifteen she no longer wanted longer hikes. I had an old Corvette that I was rebuilding, so I went west in it alone that year.

The truest paths always lead through mountains. - Kate Wolf
In 1988, I decided on a tour of the northwest to try out my 1966 Corvette roadster on mountain roads. That trip was a life changing event.

On my first early morning trailhead, I found my camera batteries dead in the freezing car, so I went to the St. Mary MT camp store for more.

At the store, I met a beautiful school teacher from Wisconsin, who had a new car with serious problems. I offered to take her to the Iceberg Lake trailhead for a ranger-led hike she was planning to take, and then I hiked with her.

The picture at left is from our second hike, to Hidden Lake.

It was three days until Peggy's Nissan was repaired, and we spent them hiking through the park, then I drove her to Kalispell MT to get her car, and continued my journey west. Weeks later, we reconnected, and began driving 550 miles on weekends to see each other. In the fall of the following year, we were married.

In 1988, after several days of hiking in Glacier park, I headed west.

Approaching Mount Saint Helens, the road narrowed. The road to Mount Saint Helens is a single lane two way road. Every quarter mile or so is a short pullout for one car to pull off while another goes by.

You are lucky if there is a pullout handy when you need it.

The western high point of the 1988 ride finally came in to view. Even though the road has been climbing steadily for quite a while, the sight of Rainier brings the thought of a really long hill climb event to mind.

It's a fine road to drive, and at the top, it's a great place to lace up your hiking boots and enjoy the mountain.

When in Montana, it is always a good idea to visit Glacier National Park, and to stay in one of the park lodges or cabins. Nothing adds years to your life like spending a few days visiting mountain goats and big horn sheep.

I consider it safe to leave a Corvette at trailhead parking lots, and I have been doing it for years. It is unwise, however, to race around blind curves in open range country, unless you really want to use your car to make a half ton of hamburger.

We prefer the east side of the park for trailhead access.

At right is cabin 52 of the creekside cabins at St.Mary, MT, (at the east entrance on the Going-To-The-Sun-Road), where we stayed in 1989, 1991 and 1993.

It has a lot more amenities than the goverment cabins up the Going-To-The-Sun Road at Rising Sun that we took to in the following visits. If I wanted modern comfort, I wouldn't go mountain hiking.



We always stay in the old lodges and cabins in Glacier Park.

At left is the famous Glacier Park Lodge, in East Glacier, MT. It was one of the original lodges built by the Great Northern Railroad as a tourist destination. The trees cut for interior support columns are 5 or 6 feet thick.

The 1994 Top Vette Competition brought me to the Adirondacks of New York for the first time in years, and brought a smile to my face all day.

The ride was a roller coaster loop through mountain towns. After driving through the beautiful mountains all day, the cars arrive at the Old Forge show field for a preview of the next days car show festivities.

Driving through the wine country in New York's Finger Lakes Region to and from the tour was a bonus.

I returned to the Adirondaks with Peggy in 1997 on an NCRS road tour to Lake Placid.

Rocky Mountain national Park in Colorado is where we go as an alternate to Glacier Park in August. The views from the highest paved pass in the world are fabulous, and the hiking ranges from easy lake view walks to the heart pounding trek up Long's Peak. At left in 1995, is the view from Trail Ridge road, and at right is Odessa Lake (only five miles each way). Clicking on the Odessa Lake picture will open a close up.

The white 66 roadster has spent a lot of time parked at mountain trailheads, while we visit the bears, goats, and big horn sheep.

At right is the Long's Peak trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park, in Colorado. In 1998, we parked at 4AM, hiked nine miles up Long's and nine miles back down. Of course, we got to drive back to the cabin with the top down.

The hike to the top took us six and a half hours on this trip. As you see in the insert at left, while sitting atop Long's peak, you can see from Denver to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. If you want a better view of Colorado mountains in the background, click on the small picture.

In 1999, we returned to Glacier Park in the Corvette for two of our favorite hikes. The porch of Granite Park Chalet on the High Line Trail isn't quite heaven, but you can see it from there. That's Heaven's Peak in the background of the photo at left. At right is the view of Lake Ellen Wilson from Gunsight Pass. The goat has been there every year that we have taken the twenty mile round trip hike. Click on the picture to look the goat in the eye.

At right in 2001, we begin the Logan Pass hike to Hidden Lake. From left to right we are: Dave and Karen Zuberer, and Peggy and Dave Wrzesinski.

The flowers were beautiful, and the sky remained blue, even in the face of the forest fires a few miles away. This hike is along the Continental Divide. To the east, the park is open. To the west, it is closed.

At left, the usual suspects line up for lunch along the trail. They are allowed to pick the flowers. We are reminded to take only pictures.

It's not unusual to see mountain goats, big horn sheep, marmots, and ptarmigan along this trail, but the youngsters are always a special treat.

We hiked down to Hidden Lake and back, which was a lot farther than the goats had gone that afternoon. Of course, they were eating their way up the trail. We always try to be courteous guests when visiting animals in their homes.



To get a good look at the goat enjoying the view of Hidden Lake, click on the photo at left.

At Glacier Park, we always stay at least a few days in the old cabins at Rising Sun, on the Going-To-The-Sun-Road. At our cabin the deer came to visit several times a day. The Thimble berries, Huckleberries, and wild flowers were the attraction.

During this 2003 visit, I sampled the berries and pronounced them "excellent", and then became victim to purple tongue disease. I did leave some for the deer.

In 2003, the Zuberers went fishing at Grinell Lake, while Peggy and I hiked up to see Grinell Glacier.

In the photo on the right, up near the glacier, a couple of Big Horn Sheep were browsing along the trail. You can look one in the eye if you click on the picture.



The photo on the left is from 2005. On this trip to Grinnell Glacier, Dave and Karen joined us again.

Grinnell Glacier, in the background, is famous for the ocean shore rock formations around it, created when these mountains were formed from a prehistoric beach. Click the picture for a better view.

On the left in 2005, along the way to Granite Park Chalet onthe Highline Trail with Dave, Karen, and sister Julie, we stopped for a break at Haystack Butte. The view overlooks Heaven's Peak. Click the picture for a better view.

Thank you for dropping by to share our mountain time.