Hiking!

Here are my nieces, Kellie, who I drove out to MT with, and Andrea, who arrived a few weeks ago. We did a bit of hiking in Glacier Nat'l Park.
And then we sat at the end of Lake McDonald and enjoyed the lake, and looked at cool rocks on the shore.
The next day I went hiking by myself up Big Mountain by Whitefish. It is a ski resort. The trail I was planning to take up was not well marked so I ended up hiking straight up. It was a workout!
But the view at the top was spectacular! I could see the mountains of Glacier Park in the distance. There was quite a bit of snow up there.
Proof I was there! There was a lodge up there that was closed for the season, but I managed to take a self portrait in the window reflection. While hiking, I decided I would like to give downhill skiing a real try. I have only been once, at Powder Ridge in Kimball- so that hardly counts. I was not confident on skis; I didn't enjoy it. I think I have more self confidence in my athletic ability now than I did when I in my teens and twenties. So it's going on my list of things I want to do- someday.

Jenny was asking about how I felt leaving the kids, etc.- It didn't bother me a bit! It really didn't. Ron is a very capable parent, and I knew I had a good babysitter lined up for when he was at work. Grandma and Grandpa Jackola arrived while I was gone, so the kids had that excitement to look forward to while I was gone. I was so excited to go on this trip. Five days was really nice- long enough to feel like a break, short enough so I didn't get lonesome. When I got home I felt appreciative of my family and home, and the outdoor beauty we have here. So it was really good.

I hope you aren't too sick of trip details yet- I have one more post about the train trip home.