Getting to the trail is half the challenge

West Glacier, MT

Here on the CDT, getting to the trailhead is half the hassle of a thru-hike! In West Glacier, we got the lowdown from some locals: an area in the woods down by the river near the railroad tracks where we could set up a tent and not be disturbed. It was right across the river from Glacier National Park, and thoughts of grizzlys and bear spray-lessness crossed our mind. A mauled tent sure would be a hell of a way to start the CDT.

The night before, we learned that the free shuttle from West Glacier to East Glacier wasn’t operating yet. We learned that the easy route through the Going to the Sun Road wasn’t open, so hitching through the park to East Glacier wouldn’t be possible. There were two ways to East Glacier, and neither was going to be easy. The Amtrak runs from West Glacier to East Glacier, but locals kept telling us different times that it would leave. There’s no ticket seller at the station, so I called Amtrak, and it ended up being 32 bucks a pop to East Glacier, which wasn’t really ideal. When we woke up by the river unscathed, we crossed the railroad tracks and stood by the road, hoping to hitch the 60 miles to East Glacier around the park. No one was picking us up, and I finally decided that putting forth the money was the only way to get there. Yet, I soon discovered I didn’t have cell reception—so couldn’t call Amtrak for the ticket even if I wanted to. A girl from Essex picked us up, and said she was only going half the way, but it was better than nothing. She ended up liking us so much, she took us the extra 30 miles to East Glacier, pointing out the Step Waterfalls and Mountain Goat Salt Lick ravine along the way. We entered Glacier feeling like things were going to be easy, logistics would cease to be tricky, and everything was going our way!