Summer's Surprise Part 1

Well folks, my Glacier experience came to an abrupt end August 12, 2018.
I had hiked the Firebrand Pass Trail the day before.

 Believe me when I say the last part of this 10 mile hike is NOT for those with vertigo.  Expand the picture above to see the scree crossing the bare and steep slope!

 The trail began in a boggy area, sometimes attracting moose.  I would not be so lucky to see one.  Even though it had been a hot and dry July, the wildflowers were abundant in the meadows.

The trail soon led to beautiful forested area, but quite loaded with mosquitos!

When I arrived "home", I found that Mother Nature directed a lightning strike across the lake near the top of Howe Ridge.  It is a scant one mile across Lake McDonald to the Lake McDonald Lodge and dorms.  I was not terribly concerned when I saw the smoke and small fire.  After all, there had been a fire in the area in 2017 that had closed the lodge early in September.  They learned from that, right? This, I said to myself for assurance.  

When I awoke just short of 7AM on August 12th, I heard planes.  I knew the fire was being addressed by large dumps of water from Lake McDonald.  It appeared to be a nice day so I got up, dressed, grabbed coffee and light breakfast and made my way to the shore.  Here I would find guests, day travelers and fellow employees catching photos and watching the activity of two small planes as though it were a spectator sport.  I watched for a long while, noticing the dumps were not really doing what they were supposed to do.  The fire was being fed by gusty winds of about 25 miles per hour.  About noon I left the shore and began to prepare for my shift that would begin at 2PM.  Throughout the afternoon, my boss, B-Rad and I fielded questions and concerns from checked in guests as well as those about to check in.  We encouraged them to attend the 8:30PM Ranger discussion.  We felt sure the topic would change to the fire, soon to be known as The Howe Ridge Fire.  I took my dinner break at 5PM and could not believe my eyes.  The fire had advanced to the Western shoreline of Lake McDonald and I could feel the heat from 1 mile away! My heart raced....this was not good. 

By 8:45PM, guests began to race to the front desk with information the ranger had given. "You need to get everybody out!  There is an evacuation!"  Oh, my gosh....I was stunned.  It was all I could do to hold it together. At 9:15 my boss turned to me and said, "Patty, go home and pack a bag. You have an hour.' I could not believe it! I scrambled as fast as I could with security making rounds every few minutes to see if I was packed. I could not take everything, just the basics. It was 11 PM when I was packed up and leaving the site. I was the last to leave my dorm and I felt a sense of panic and abandonment. The usual busy Going to the Sun Road was vacant aside from horse trailers being pulled in the oncoming lane. Of course! The horses in the corral would need to be gathered! I cried..I yelled...I cursed. it was a terrifying and unsettling night. 

I had been directed by security to get to the Red Bus garage just outside of Columbia Falls. I arrived about 11:30 PM to the employer evacuation site. The management had purchased tents, mattresses, blankets and sleeping bags for over 100 people. It was noisy in the garage and I decided to sleep in my Jeep.

 When I awoke, I found as many tents outside as inside.  It would be home for 5 days.

By Friday, August 17th, it was announced at the 10AM meeting that Lake McDonald Lodge was closed for the 2018 season.  We would be given opportunities to work at other properties operated by Xanterra, but I would eventually come to the decision to drive south, into Utah and catch up with friends camping and exploring the beautiful areas of southern Utah.  It did not come easily.  However, I felt it was time to soothe my soul.  I did not need to race to another location to readjust to new rules, new people, new dorms.  I needed serenity and so off I went ….wandering about in nature, once again!  

"The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark." John Muhr