Tag: Glacier

July 23 and 24, reverse wildcard, body

Swimming pool near Disney
i sit in our pool…because i can.

Today is the last sea-level walk and workout for a while.

Why?

Heading to Glacier National Park at o-dark-hundred tomorrow.

Starting tomorrow all our accommodations are at 4,800′ or higher elevation.

All walks (aka hikes) will start at nearly a mile high, or higher.

•  •  •  •  •

This website is about our BODY. To read today’s post about our SPIRIT, click here.

Off the map, body

mountain hiking
Hiking 11 miles roundtrip on Grinnell Glacier trail is a spiritual experience. Transferring this commitment to daily living is a remarkable opportunity.

What does ‘off the map’ mean?

It means you are stepping back to a time when our ancestors walked past the village line and ventured out into the unknown.

It means off the grid.

•  •  •  •  •

This website is about our BODY. To read today’s post about our SPIRIT, click here.

Glacier checklists day 2, body

woman hiking on a mountain trail
My favorite hiker of all time. Photo: Scenic Point hike in Two Medicine. Eight miles roundtrip with 2,200′ elevation gain and loss.

Glacier checklists, day two.

Topline priorities…

  1. Have fun.
  2. Stay safe.
  3. Mind-blowing hiking.

It would be helpful for anyone to have a decent walking base before arriving.

All our walks (hikes) will be out and back. We start and finish at the same spot, where our car is parked. All the good trails begin at roughly 6,000′ or higher. By the way, Glacier Park Lodge sits at 4,800′.

Walking (aka hiking) above 6,000′ is different than walking at sea-level. My pace is always slow enough to maintain our conversational breathing.

There are a couple hikes that are ‘relatively’ flat – maybe 100-500′ elevation gain and loss (on the return). We will do those first.

Walking (aka hiking) above 6,000′, and having elevation gain and loss can tax lungs and legs differently than walking at sea-level.

If you can walk four to 10 miles on flat ground, it is wonderful prep for Glacier walking.

    •  •  •  •  •

    This website is about our BODY. To read today’s post about our SPIRIT, click here.

    Glacier checklists, body

    Hidden lake Trail
    GNP. Flashback, wayback. The previous two years, as an 11 and a 12 year old, were unsuccessful summit attempts. Chapin these days does Hidden Lake Overlook in flip-flops.

    Glacier checklists have always been part of my (our) pre-trip planning.

    They’ve morphed over the visits.

    Why?

    Lessons learned.

    Insights gained.

    But the idea of prepping this particular week, for first timers, is conflicted because Cheryl and i are agreeing that 2026 is our final year at Glacier.

    By final year, i mean final “traditional” year where we spend two, even three months in Glacier.

    •  •  •  •  •

    This website is about our BODY. To read today’s post about our SPIRIT, click here.