1. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Clockwise from top:
Mt. Wilbur and the Ptarmigan
Wall loom over Swiftcurrent Lake.
The glacial-fed waters of Baring
Falls crash to the forest floor on
their way to St. Mary Lake.
The mountains of the Many Gla-
cier area rise in the distance
over the turquoise waters of Lake
Sherburne.
One of Glacier’s ubiquitous moun-
tain meadows in full bloom.
Insider Thursday, August 7, 2014 • Page 9Glendive Ranger-Review
Glacier National Park:
Crown of the Continent, salve for the soul
Story and photos
by Jason Stuart
Climb the mountains and
get their good tidings. Nature’s
peace will flow into you as
sunshine flows into trees. The
winds will blow their own fresh-
ness into you, and the storms
their energy, while cares will
drop off like autumn leaves.
John Muir
Sitting in your office cubicle
performing the drudgery of
your day’s work, John Muir’s
admonitions about the healing
powers to the soul of the great
outdoors may seem distant, or
worse, empty. But there are
places in the world where those
words hit truth like an arrow to
the heart.
Glacier National Park is one
of those places.
I recently made my first so-
journ to this magnificent mon-
tane paradise. Going to Glacier
had long been on my “bucket
list,” though until last year, I
never really thought I’d be near
enough to experience it. Mov-
ing to Eastern Montana put it in
striking distance, however, and
I struck at the first opportunity.
And what an opportunity it
was.
I have a deep love affair with
our national parks. My trip to
Glacier marked the 20th na-
tional park I’ve visited in my
life. Every single one of them
has something special to offer.
However, some, without ques-
tion, are more special than oth-
ers.
National parks like Hot
Springs, Shenandoah and Theo-
dore Roosevelt are wonderful
places, but there’s just no ques-
tioning the unique beauty and
majesty found in the grand-
ness of the Grand Canyon, the
geothermal wonderland of Yel-
lowstone or the fantastical fai-
rytale world of Yosemite.
Having been to each of those
places, I didn’t really expect to
be surprised by Glacier. I knew
I would enjoy it, I knew it would
be beautiful, but I could not ap-
preciate the level to which I
would be awestruck and spell-
bound by the place until I laid
eyes on it.
Quite simply, I’ve never seen
anything like it.
I’ve seen mountains, lots of
mountains, but none like Gla-
cier’s. The Colorado Rockies in
Rocky Mountain National Park
may be much higher, but in
sheer scale and grandeur they
pale in comparison to the hulk-
ing massifs of ice-carved gran-
ite which greet the eye at very
turn in Glacier.
Atop Logan Pass, one’s gaze
cannot help but be drawn to
the Garden Wall, an impossibly
sheer curtain of rock marking
the spine of the Continental Di-
vide. Its steep slopes, however,
are not some barren no-man’s-
land.
Few mountains in the world
are more aptly named. The
Garden Wall is nothing if not
a remnant of Eden. My trip to
Glacier in mid-July was timed
perfectly with the summer
bloom.
Hiking the Highline Trail
along the wall’s slopes, I was
delighted. Not just by the ma-
jestic mountains looming over-
head, but by the wonderful di-
versity and vibrancy of color I
found in the meadows clinging
to its side.
Here the Creator’s handiwork
was on full display. An explo-
sion of white, yellow, lavender,
violet and sprinkles of soft red
dappled amongst the verdant
green greeted the eyes and
pleased all senses.
I’ve never seen its equal.
Along the Garden Wall (and
throughout Glacier, for that
matter) I saw mountain mead-
ows as they are meant to be,
as pristine and clear as when
morning’s dew first touched the
world.
No invasive weed choked out
all other life here to spread its
garish display. Here, nature
was in perfect balance. No or-
ganism outpaced or overtook
the other. All grew in a per-
fectly orchestrated harmony,
each plant contributing to and
enhancing the virtuoso master-
piece of color and life.
That life is nourished by Gla-
cier’s waters, which tumble
down its slopes in glistening
ribbons spawned of snow and
the park’s eponymous glacial
ice.
I do not have enough adjec-
tives to properly describe the
tranquil, transcendent beauty
of Glacier’s waters. Its streams,
rivers and lakes all come in
varying shades of impossibly
electric turquoise and aquama-
rine, the likes of which I’ve sim-
ply never encountered.
I could go on — and on and
on and on. There’s so much to
describe, so much to see in Gla-
cier that I would need volumes
to do it any kind of justice.
And though I spent nearly a
week there, I barely scratched
its surface. As I pulled away
from the park entrance for the
last time, my eyes welled up
with tears, and echoing Doug-
las MacArthur when he evacu-
ated the Philippines I uttered a
solemn vow, “I shall return.”
Glacier had indeed moved me
to tears, for it touched my soul
in a deeply primal, spiritual
way which cannot be explained,
only experienced. Leaving it
was like leaving a part of my-
self behind.
There is no substitute for that
experience, and without it, life
on this planet would no doubt
be more empty.
So if you haven’t been, go, and
that right soon. I’m surprised
at the number of people I’ve
talked to around Glendive who
have never been, even people
born and raised in Montana.
That’s a shame, for everyone
needs and deserves to climb
those mountains, hear their
good tidings and have their
spirits lifted and rejuvenated.
Glacier is called the Crown of
the Continent. There is no doubt
in my mind it is Montana’s
crowning jewel, and is one of
the undisputed crown jewels of
our nation and our planet.
And in spending just a few
moments in its regal radiance,
you will find nature’s peace,
your cares will drop away, your
spirit will soar and you will
come away assured your life
has been more fully lived.
Reach Jason Stuart at rrre-
porter@rangerreview.com.