Baby's first hike

We're in Montana for vacation with our friends from Alaska.  Today, we decided to go for a hike in Glacier National Park which is about an hours drive north of where we are staying.  The drive, like everything I've seen in western Montana, was beautiful and the park was lovely & lush.

We stopped at the West Glacier entrance so the gang could stock up on supplies.  I was a little ambivalent about hiking because walking up stairs at sea level is difficult enough - hiking through mountain passes just didn't seem like a fun activity for me.  On the other hand, I hate being left out, so I went along with everyone with no complaint.

In the general store, the woman working the cash register (I bought a post card), asked me if I was pregnant & I said I was (I could see the reluctance and relief on her face as she asked and I answered positively!).  She recommended a hike, about 8 miles up the road, through a lush and dense forest that ended at a beautiful waterfall.  It was maybe a 4 mile round trip and was flat... just up my alley!

I brought this up to the group & met with less than enthusiastic replies.  Hmmm... well, maybe I can be dropped off?

We drove past the "Okay for pregnant women" hike & began climbing up to Logan's Pass which starts at 6,600' above sea level.  Parts of the road were closed for construction & since the "Road to the Sun" is a 2 lane highway, a few times we had to stop & wait for all the down-mountain traffic to bypass us before we could head up.  The drive took about 30 - 40 minutes total.

The parking log at the trail head was crowded & windy, but we found a spot & regrouped in the visitor's center before heading up onto the trail.  I told Dean that it was okay if he left me to hike with everyone else... I was going to be slow, I was not going to hike the entire trail & I brought a book to keep me company while I waited.  Instead of doing what I expected, he decided to stay with me (that one always keeps me guessing!).

We hiked to the peak - Overlook Pass - and gazed down on Hidden Lake.  From the overlook, the rest of the group (who had left us several minutes earlier) descended down to the lake.  Dean & I took some pictures then headed back.  We gained 480' elevation to take us to just over 7,000'.  Whoo!

Here are some pictures of our climb!