Summer 2021
The summer before I started college, I took a three-week national park road trip across the country with my friends. Glacier National Park was our first big stop. We arrived at sunset, and, after two long days driving across the plains from Wisconsin, we couldn’t believe our eyes. I’d seen national parks and mountains before, but none of it compared to Glacier.
Not wanting to miss the sunset, we pulled over on the side of the road and ran into a field outside the east entrance of the park. It was the most joyful moment of our three beautiful weeks on the road—seeing Glacier National Park for the first time. That night, I wrote in my journal:
“We were all SO excited, we were screaming as we entered the mountains. Suddenly, the long drive was forgotten, and all our troubles were worth it.”
We spent three nights camping in Saint Mary and hiking around the park. I like reflecting on how much I’ve grown as a hiker since then.
“The whole [Highline Trail] was a step from death, as the vertical cliff face was under our narrow trail. We crossed waterfalls of snowmelt that ended in streams of colorful pebbles. […] The long stretches of uphill going back sucked.”
I think we only hiked a mile or two of the Highline. I never could have imagined that, three years later, I would summit peaks towering above the trail.
We spent our final night at Many Glacier Campground. Driving into Many Glacier Valley that morning, I saw my favorite place in the world for the first time.
“The drive to Many Glacier was slow and bumpy, as there was lots of construction. The mountains were deeper blue and had more snow, so this part of the park had a different feel to it.”
The bumpy road had nothing to do with construction—it’s always like that. In fact, we employees performed “Bumpy Roads” at the weekly hootenanny at Many Glacier Hotel, a rendition of John Denver’s “Country Roads.”
“Bumpy roads, take me home to the place I belong! Many Glacier, Babb, Montana! Take me home, bumpy roads.”
Later that day in Many Glacier, we took a boat tour with Glacier Park Boat Company. We sat up front by the captains and chatted about bear sightings. I wrote,
“I’d love to work in a park one summer like they are!”
Summer 2022
The next summer, I returned to Glacier as part of a Northern Rockies road trip with my mom. I spent my 19th birthday in Glacier National Park, which I had already decided was my favorite place in the world.
We took an Amtrak train from Wisconsin to West Glacier. At the Amtrak station in the Dells, I read a quote on the wall. I copied it into my notes app:
“The time will not be taken from the sum of your life. Instead of shortening, it will indefinitely lengthen it and make you truly immortal.” -John Muir on visiting Glacier National Park
When we got off the train on July 7, Glacier welcomed me back with a sunset even more memorable than when I drove into the park last summer.
We had a reservation at Granite Park Chalet, but the Going-to-the-Sun Road wasn’t yet open for the season. On July 10, we took an exclusive shuttle with a few other guests past the road closure. Mom and I separated from the others and hiked in complete solitude from the Loop to Granite Park Chalet. That hike and staying at the remote chalet with nobody else around is still one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had in Glacier. It rained in the afternoon while we kept warm around the wood-burning stove in the chalet. When the rain passed, we stepped outside and watched a rainbow move down the valley with the rain.
On our last night in the park, we stayed at Many Glacier Hotel. I was wearing a bright pink “I Stand with Planned Parenthood” hat. We ate at Swiss Lounge, the bar restaurant in Many Glacier Hotel, and the waitress complemented my hat. When she walked away, my mom said, “You could do her job!”
Summer 2023
I couldn’t get server at Many Glacier Hotel my first season, but the little “hippie” inn down the road welcomed me heartily. I was the team lead at Nell’s, the counter service restaurant in Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. Many Glacier Hotel and Swiftcurrent are owned by the same company, and they are the only two properties (hotels, restaurants, etc.) in Many Glacier Valley.
I had orientation and moved into my dorm on June 3. That first night, I went to an employee bonfire. The Milky Way was clearly visible overhead. Someone played “Creep” by Radiohead on a speaker, and we all sang along. I pictured us as a bunch of outcasts who had finally found our place together in the woods.
“I’m a creep! I’m a weirdo!”
Nell’s front of house staff spent a few days studying the menus and setting up the dining room before it opened. Socially, it was like the first week of college in the dorms. There wasn’t enough housing at Swiftcurrent, so I lived in the Many Glacier dorms with hundreds of employees. Everyone is mingling, and there are “parties” every night in the employee recreation rooms.
The day before we open, the restaurant runs a “shakedown.” Employees from other departments and locations come eat for free, so Nell’s staff can practice cooking and serving. It’s one of the most exciting days of the season, and we have a big party afterward and are hungover on actual opening day.
I worked the register at Nell’s during breakfast and lunch five days a week. I think it will forever be my favorite job.
I took orders, handed out coffee mugs, and poured beers. I had to pace the line, so I got each customer talking about what hikes they did and what wildlife they’d seen. Sometimes, a guest would tell me their one wish for the trip was to see a bear, and I knew exactly where they could find one because I’d been asking about bear sightings all week. I loved hearing their stories, and it was so rewarding to give out advice and the hot coffee that fueled hikers’ days.
Where to Spot Wildlife in Glacier National Park
A family of black bears was sighted almost daily along the road connecting Many Glacier Hotel and Swiftcurrent Motor Inn before peak tourist season scared them off. It made my commute between Many and Swiftcurrent difficult. When a cabin opened up at Swiftcurrent, I took it.
While I missed my friends at Many, I loved my little community at Swiftcurrent. I shared the cutest cabin with my dear friend Rachel and two other girls. The lead cook always made sure there was something vegetarian for me at meals, and he fried me an egg every morning because I didn’t like the standard powdered eggs. Even with all the hiking, I think I gained ten pounds that summer. (Thank you, Hussain, for fueling my summer of adventures.)
For the first few weeks of June in Glacier National Park, it rained every single day. It even snowed once. I told customers who complained about the weather, “Sunny days all look the same, but every rainy day is unique!” Some of my most memorable hikes were on rainy days, and my favorite photos have rainbows and big clouds rolling over the mountains. While many trails are still closed in June, the snowy peaks are beautiful, and snowmelt creates seasonal waterfalls.
On June 8, Rachel and I hiked Saint Mary and Virginia Falls in the rain. On the drive over, we saw dozens of waterfalls cascading down the mountains across Saint Mary Lake where there are usually none. Mountains peaked out of low clouds, and the greenery and red rocks on the trail were extra vibrant. The spray off Virginia Falls completely soaked us, and it was exhilarating.
The snowmelt was early in 2023, and major trails started to open by the end of June. At the summer solstice, it was light out as late as 10 p.m., and I had hours to hike after I got off work. The day the Highline Trail opened, we drove up to Logan Pass and hiked as far as we could before dark.
With the knowledge of coworkers who have spent many seasons in Glacier, I started exploring beyond official trails. I summitted my first mountain in Glacier via a climbing trail, and it opened my eyes to an entire world of adventures.
(In alignment with my values on responsible environmental stewardship, I will never share the details of these unofficial trails online. But I do have comprehensive guides on Glacier’s designated trails!)
I turned 20 on July 8, 2023. It was my best birthday yet. I worked my usual shift at Nell’s, hiked to Ptarmigan Tunnel, and had a party in the Many Glacier employee rec room. My greatest wish in Glacier was to see a bear on the trail. Prior to this day, I had only ever seen bears on the roadside. On the hike back, a black bear was foraging for berries just off the trail. We waited from a safe distance and shouted at the bear to scare it off, but the bear was far more interested in the berries. We amassed a group of trapped hikers, and a few recognized me from Nell’s and remembered it was my birthday. I told them I had a birthday party to get back to and declared we should pass together making lots of noise. We paraded right past the bear, and it paid us no mind.
Two days after my birthday, I set off on my longest hike yet: 20 miles from Logan Pass to Many Glacier Valley. We started on the Highline, and it was a busy morning per usual. A mile in, a bighorn sheep was blocking the trail and a group of at least 20 hikers. Still high on my bear encounter, I announced “I work here!” as if I were a park ranger and not a cashier, and marched on past the other hikers. Bear spray at the ready, I shouted and approached the bighorn sheep until it ran off the trail. My friends called me crazy, a tiny young woman marching past all those people to scare off a large horned animal. I was just worried about getting back before the employee dining room closed.
That was one of my favorite hikes in Glacier, and I’ve done it three times now. From Logan Pass, hike the Highline Trail to Granite Park Chalet, and don’t miss the spur trail to Grinnell Glacier Overlook. From Granite Park Chalet, hike to Swiftcurrent Peak, then back down Swiftcurrent Pass to Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. (And get dinner at Nell’s!)
Toward the end of the season, I set out for my first solo hike. It’s not recommended to hike alone in grizzly country, so I chose a popular trail: Grinnell Glacier. Grinnell Glacier is my favorite (official) trail in Glacier National Park, and the experience was spiritual. I learned that I am capable of doing things alone and enjoying it, which was a pretty big revelation at my young age. I took a polar plunge in Upper Grinnell Lake, and it was exhilarating.
There’s nothing like your first season. I discovered a new way of life, built beautiful friendships, and learned and grew so much. It was hard to say goodbye, but my friends and I had already decided we would be returning next summer.
Summer 2024
I was promoted to server at Swiss Lounge in Many Glacier Hotel, just like my waitress in 2022. Many Glacier Hotel opens earlier than Swiftcurrent, so, this season, I arrived to the valley on May 22 before anything was open to guests. It was the most magical time.
During training, staff and wildlife ruled Many Glacier Valley. Bighorn sheep grazed on the quiet hotel grounds. The spring snowmelt came later than the previous year, and I had never seen the valley so snowy.
Our beloved friend unexpectedly passed away just weeks before we were all set to return to Glacier with him. We planned a memorial bonfire, but there was a snowstorm that afternoon. An intimate circle got together in the employee rec room to share memories. After everyone had spoken, the blizzard stopped, and we headed out to start a fire as darkness fell. The bonfire was a celebration of life and togetherness in our favorite place, and we agreed it was one of the best nights of the season.
I thought of John Muir’s quote again: “The time will not be taken from the sum of your life. Instead of shortening, it will indefinitely lengthen it and make you truly immortal.” A part of each us will always remain in Many Glacier Valley.
We hammocked at Grinnell Lake to celebrate a birthday, and a sun halo was overhead the entire time. We drove into town for our first night out at the bars, and we saw a sunset of bright red mammatus clouds after I had just told everyone they’re my favorite type of cloud. Our friend was never one to miss a good party.
I’ve never been a religious or spiritual person. I don’t know if I believe in signs, but they’re everywhere in a place as wild and majestic as Glacier. The day after my childhood cat died, a deer with velvet antlers walked up to me and circled me close enough to touch.
Early in the season, I was served a healthy reminder to fear Mother Nature. On June 11, my friend and I set out on a 16-mile hike over Piegan Pass to “get in shape for the season.” We were dropped off along the Going-to-the-Sun Road to hike back over the pass to Many Glacier Valley. Everything started out fine heading up the pass; there were only patches of snow near the top.
When we reached the top of Piegan Pass, the mountains functioned as a wind funnel and literally knocked my 6-foot companion off his feet. We crawled against gale force winds, sliding backwards in the snow, until we were safely below the saddle on the other side of the pass. We again saw only navigable patches of snow, so we slid down them on our butts.
The next obstacle we encountered was a river of snowmelt rushing down the mountainside, and the only way to cross it was via a snow bridge. We tested the snow bridge by throwing a large rock onto it, and, when it didn’t collapse, we crossed.
Below the tree line, the lower switchbacks were completely snowed out. We scooched and slid down the steep mountainside. I slid into a tree well higher than my head and had to claw myself out, bare hands in the snow. At some point, we found moose tracks to follow and decided that moose saved our lives.
When we reached the valley floor, I felt like I could finally breathe again. Then, we encountered our first water crossing. We couldn’t tell how deep the white water was, so we threw our backpacks across to keep them dry. My 6-foot companion went first, climbing down the snowbank into the stream, and was submerged up to his chest. The fast water started to pull him, and he clawed his way back onto the bank. We were stranded without our bags.
The snowmelt flowed from a large waterfall to our left, and a second stream to our right prevented us from traveling any further downstream. We wandered closer to the waterfall where we found a large boulder in the middle of the stream. Take a few steps, grab onto the boulder, then just a few more steps to the opposite bank. My friend got back into the water first, and I panicked and refused to follow. He iron gripped my arm and dragged me across. He kept saying how the water was freezing, but I didn’t even feel it.
We walked another five miles back to the hotel soaking wet in the snow. There were a couple more water crossings, but none as deep as that first one. We were so lucky to make it back unharmed and with all our toes. Someone must have been watching over us and laughing at our stupidity.
On June 19, we attempted a summit of Grinnell Point, the mountain seen directly across the lake from Many Glacier Hotel. The point is a subpeak—the actual summit of Mount Grinnell isn’t visible from the hotel. A snowstorm rolled into the valley, and I was nervous to climb on slick rock. I looked down, and there was a rainbow in the falling snow below us. I took it as a sign to turn back.
On June 26, I successfully summitted Grinnell Point. On June 27, I tattooed my favorite view in the world on my arm: Mount Gould, Grinnell Point, and Swiftcurrent Peak as seen from Many Glacier Hotel. On my lunch breaks, I sit out by Swiftcurrent Lake and try to memorize every crag in those mountains.
On July 16, I summitted Mount Gould, completing the peaks on my tattoo. We went after Rachel finished a shift at Nell’s, and it was an incredible sunset. I’ve always thought Mount Gould is the most beautiful mountain in the valley with its snowy faces, and the view from the summit is just as spectacular. We could see all of Many Glacier Valley and look down on Grinnell Glacier.
Despite these incredible adventures, my work-life balance was way off. I hiked far less than I did my first summer. Between being overworked and underfed at the terrible employee dining room, I was always exhausted. Working the lunch and dinner shift, I fell into a habit of drinking every night and sleeping through my mornings. All of my friends were miserable at our jobs, and our sour moods started to effect our friendships.
There was constant drama at work, including sexual harassment and getting drunk on the job. Management at the Swiss Lounge was nonexistent, and the kitchen wasn’t much better. I once had a table wait two hours for a meal that came out inedible. Being the only restaurant in the valley open after 9 p.m., they went to bed without dinner.
My friends and I decided it would be our last summer.
On my last day in Glacier, I hiked my favorite 20-mile trail again. As I descended into the valley I used to call home, there was a rainbow over Swiftcurrent Pass. That was more than two years ago, and I haven’t been back to Glacier since.
I went to Glacier National Park in 2008, but I don’t remember it. I had just turned five.
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