5/28/21
I slept in today for the sake of catching up on the sleep loss from traveling. The views here at Swiftcurrent take my breath away every time I step out of a building. I am literally in the valley of multiples mountains where glaciers carved out the rocks. This morning on May 28th it was snowing and hailing. It is only a few days from June! Quite a bizarre experience but makes for an interesting day. I have been getting to know the co-workers at Swiftcurrent and actually joined a large group to go on a hike to Bullhead lake.
The trail is 4 miles out and 4 miles back so we were going out for a while. We started off in the snowy sleet and planned to meet up with a smaller group at a place called Red Rock Falls. We held conversation and every now and then would yell "Hey Bear!" just in case there was a bear up the trail that could hear us so we wouldn't surprise it. After around 2 miles we made it to Red Rock Falls and set up some hammocks to wait for the other group to catch up.
We waited around for about 30min before me and one of the guys decided to check up the trail to make sure they were on their way. We hiked for about 1/2 mile when we ran into them and then led them to the rest of the group. Once we all met up we continued on our hike through lots of snow and came to a bridge that was taken down for the winter and had yet to be rebuilt. So, we used the support cables to balance across the stream and pulled a ropes course maneuver to continue on our hike.
We eventually made it to Bullhead lake and spread out around the trail for everyone to have some quiet time soaking in the view, smells, and sounds. It was an amazing spot especially with the mist and snow coming off of the mountains. For anyone who gets a chance to travel to Swiftcurrent I would highly recommend this hike.
Once we got back I had dinner and then met up with my ministry partner to plan out the services this coming Sunday. We were surprised by some friends that visited from St. Mary and we eventually played some games together. This was my last day before my training begins and it was my favorite hike that I have been on yet.
5/29/21
The next day was spent from 9am-5pm training for the front desk work that I will be doing. We received a tour of Many Glacier and had a few sunshine breaks. Some interesting things that I learned about Many Glacier Hotel though are the fact that the hotel was closed during WWII and since then had not missed a summer operation until 2020 due to COVID. During the closure due to WWII, the wind was so strong that the hotel shifted slightly on the foundation and made some of the hallways slanted. There are many stories of the hotel being haunted with the sound of breaking glass being reported throughout the years and some shape moving through the main lobby. In the mid 20th century the bellman, and most of the staff, were required to have music or theater majors and would perform regular shows for guests.
Saturday evening was spent with some friends from St.Mary where we grabbed Rising Sun Pizza and then played a few games at their cabin. It was a super fun evening and the pizza was excellent!
5/30/21
The next day was filled with training again from 9am-5pm and we dove more into depth with the program that we would be using. Additionally, due to the day being Sunday, the ministry team that I am a part of held a church service in the park that evening. I played guitar and lead worship while my ministry partner gave the message. We had around 12-15 people show up which was way more than we were expecting. The service went super well and right afterwards a grizzly bear came through the Swiftcurrent grounds. I went on a run with another member of the ministry team and then we met up with some friends for sunset yoga overlooking the Many Glacier hotel and lake.
5/31/21
On Monday, memorial day, we continued our training over at Many Glacier Hotel. During one of the breaks from training I was able to watch the swallows working on their nests underneath the hotel roof overhangs. After work, a group of us went on a hike around the Swiftcurrent Lake where we had to traverse over mounds of snow, IN MAY! We later joined another group at Lake Josephine where we skipped rocks while listening to memorial day music. It was a wonderful day and I took some time to appreciate and cherish the freedom that we have to explore this beautiful country thanks to those who have sacrificed their lives for us.
6/1/21
The following day we continued to train but during one of our breaks we were met with an awesome surprise. The following night a momma moose had given birth to her baby and they came out to explore while we were talking through scenarios outside. A fox ended up coming through the group as well so we got a close up of animals in action. After work I joined some friends for a hike halfway up to Tarmigan Falls and then continued on with my ministry partner at Swiftcurrent on a hike to Red Rock where we took some quiet time to appreciate where we are at. I even found some Glacier Lilies! Afterwards I came across some deer on my way back to my cabin.
We finally had our last day or training at Many Glacier Hotel and took some photos in our uniforms. The Swiftcurrent crew then went back to the Motor Inn and worked on our fire scenario and processed practice check-ins and check-outs. I then joined a group of friends, after work, for a hike back to Red Rock Falls. We ended up jumping in the water which was super cold! We also had a snowball fight, IN JUNE, and then made it back to Swiftcurrent for the evening.
6/3/21
Thursday we remained at Swiftcurrent for training and went through reports, informational documents, walk-ins, check-ins, and check-outs. For dinner I was surprised to find that the fish we were having was prepared the exact same way that my mom prepares it, lemon pepper tilapia! Later that evening my ministry partner, at Swiftcurrent, and I went to some other members of A Christian Ministry in the National Park at St.Mary and hung out with them for the evening. We went for a walk to watch the sunset that evening and then had some really deep conversation surrounding God and where we are at in life. It was a wonderful evening and a wonderful week!
P.S. COVID restrictions are pretty intense here with guests arriving so prayers would be much appreciated.
"Jartholomeu" - the name of a friend I know
Snow in June!? Wow! Beautiful pics!
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