Three weeks down
My first three weeks living in Glacier National Park and adjusting to being away from home for the first time.
Long time no talk.
I have to apologize to everyone for keeping you waiting these past three weeks. It’s been a whirlwind trying to adjust not just to my new home here in Montana, but to working full time for the first time and living in a house with a whole new group of people.
Instead of a sunrise today, I wanted to show you the view from where I’m working most days. This is a video I took from the parking lot of the Logan Pass Visitors Center, and some pictures of the view out our windows during the work day.
To get to Logan Pass you have to drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road, arguably the most beautiful drive in the U.S. On average the road won’t fully open to the pass until late June, early July. This year it opened on June 13th.
All of this to say, the Conservancy was scrambling to get all of the new employees trained in time to staff the Logan store, meaning my orientation was condensed into one day and I was thrown right into working.
I’ve really enjoyed working so far. Everyday I meet people from all over the U.S and the world. It’s really cool to think we’re all coming together because of our love for this beautiful place we have the honor of experiencing.
There’s also something special about bringing together a group of (mostly) young people from completely different lives and backgrounds for a common purpose. We all made the decision to come to Glacier National Park for different reasons, but we all find common ground in our desire to just live and experience the world around us for a while.
My first few weeks living in Montana have been full of new people, places, and adventures. As of today I’ve hiked 40.9 miles and 7,371 feet in elevation. This is a big deal for me! I’ve always loved the idea of hiking, but I’ve never actually had the resources and time to get into it. I’m really proud that I’ve pushed myself to get out and try new and challenging hikes.
One of my favorite experiences so far has been going to volunteer at GNP’s Native Plant Nursery. The Conservancy set up a few days for the staff to go hang out at the nursery and help with whatever they needed.
We spent some time weeding invasive and non-native species outside Apgar Visitor Center. This was especially cool because one of our stores is located inside Apgar, so we were not just contributing to the park but to the place we work everyday. I was surprised by how interested all of the visitors were in what we were doing. So many people stopped to talk to us and say thank you for contributing to keeping the park healthy.
After weeding we got a tour of the nursery and learned a lot about their efforts to replant in places the park has been damaged. They send crews out into different areas of the park to collect seeds and samples to grow and propagate. Each of the samples is labeled with the area of the park it’s from, and when they are developed enough they will be replanted in the area they originally came from.
One of the coolest projects the nursery is a part of is whitebark pine restoration. There’s a variety of factors that have impacted whitebark pines including blister rust, a fungal infection introduced from Europe in 1910.
We learned about the really cool restoration efforts which involve a lot of time at high elevations where the pine trees live. The nursery crews will actually climb the pine trees and cage the pinecones to keep them safe while they mature. The whole process is extremely involved and also extremely cool so I really recommend looking into it if you have time. The entire second season of Headwaters Podcast is about whitebark pine and while I still haven’t finished season one, I’ve heard it’s really good.
With the last of our time at the Nursery we were led around the park and taught how to identify the most common trees found in the region. It was super fun, and there was something really satisfying about being able to identify the plants around me. It felt good to have some knowledge about the world I was living in, even if it was very basic.
My favorite feature of the trees is what I called their “frosted tips.” When the new growth emerges on the evergreen trees, it is much lighter than the older more mature needles. It vaguely resembles Justin Timberlake in the early 2000’s.
In between hiking and working full time we managed to complete an absurd number of puzzles, spend an entire day rafting the Flathead River, and make our fair share of campfire s’mores. It has felt a little bit like summer camp, in a much nicer house.
That’s not to say there haven't been some trials. I’m exhausted all the time and I miss having dinner with my parents and walking my dog. I spend a lot of time thinking about my friends and my town back home. There was a part of me that felt like time would stand still there while I was gone, and it’s been hard to realize that life goes on even when you’re not there to live it the way you used to.
I wonder if there’s pauses in my friends' conversations where I would have jumped in, or if my spot at the dinner table feels a little too empty. But I also have a spot here now too (on the right side of the moose couch across from the fire hazard lamp we aren’t allowed to plug in).
I’m still adjusting to being in Montana, but everyday feels a little bit more normal.
That’s all for today. This is my Friday, so I’m about to curl up and go to sleep at 8 p.m.
If you’re new here and want to know more about me you can find it here. You can also find me on Instagram and TikTok, or listen to my most listened to playlist of the week.
Lots of love,
Mary Kate