Hello everyone!
It’s been almost a month since we hit the trail, and what a month it’s been! On June 25th we finally set out on our long-awaited thru hike. Since the Canada border is still closed we couldn’t start at the official CDT northern terminus, so our hike began on the Chief Mountain alternate instead.
The first stretch of the trail winds through the east side of Glacier National Park. Its no exaggeration when I tell you this is one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever been lucky enough to explore. Due to the record number of hikers this year and the limited number of backcountry permits in the park, we wound up with an itinerary that tacked on about 20 miles to that section. Of all the places to be made to spend more time though, Glacier sure was an incredible one.
Right from the start we were spoiled with incredible views. The waterfalls, lakes and mountains were absolutely breathtaking, and the wildflowers were impossible to capture in a photo.
Our first campsite was several miles off the CDT (which we had to backtrack the following morning), it was nothing special and super buggy, but we did have a surprise visitor come crashing through shortly after dinner which made it all worthwhile.
As beautiful of a place as Glacier was to start, it was also a tough one. The trail brought us over several long, exposed passes, where we enjoyed stunning views while we baked in the sun.
We went prepared for snow, with ice axes and micro spikes, and ended up barely needing either. There was one place we had to cross some snow where the ice axes were necessary, but every other patch of snow was safe to cross with only trekking poles and careful steps.
Even with how incredible the hiking has been, the most wonderful part of this adventure is the people we’ve met so far. Within our first few days on trail we ran into another group of CDT hikers whose itineraries had them hiking days similar to ours for the remainder of the Glacier section and we’ve been hiking together pretty much since then.
Heading Roam 
You both look great! Aline was just saying last night that she wished we would see a post from you, and I said, “Yes, and that’s usually when they put one out! Right on schedule! The pictures look great, and we DO understand that, good as the pictures look, the reality will not fit on a page. Glad you get to experience the real thing!
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Yeeeah, I know it’s been a little longer than I planned
Our time has mostly been spent walking, sleeping, buying food, and eating.
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Your Uncle Steve is right. Perfect timing for a blog post. With all the weather pics we get here of fires and floods, it’s good to know you’re ok. Glacier park looks gorgeous!
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Always assume no news is good news! The skies are a bit smoky but we’re taking an alternate trail to keep more distance from the fires.
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You’ve been on mind lately. Great post! Love the pics! Oh, you guys started CDT on June 25th my birthday! Cool! Chris and I are happy to know you are doing great.
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I knew that date was important and I kept drawing a blank as to why! Happy belated birthday!!
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