Amtrak Day: 21

7/29/21

So I may have spoken too soon last time about feeling all better on the train. I spent the rest of that night shivering under my flannel and blanket. One of the first things we did once I arrived was to schedule a rapid Covid test at a drive-in site, which thankfully came back negative. Most likely, I just contracted a regular old cold due to having so much contact with strangers on this trip and having a weakened immune system from lack of sleep. This past year of my life, since last March, has been the largest stretch of my life without even a simple head cold, thanks to all of the mask-wearing, sanitizing, and hand washing, and it has been glorious, but we have to readjust to having germs in our life at some point.

I got off the train in Whitefish, Montana, where I was picked up by two of my favorite people: my parents! They flew in the night before to Missoula, rented a car, and drove up to meet me and explore nearby Glacier National Park together. I could not have made this segment of the trip work without them – there were no hotel rooms or rental cars available anywhere near any of the four train stations closest to the park, so my parents generously agreed to help me get around, themselves eager to visit the park for the first time as well. Even so, we had to play games with our timing when visiting the park, since the main road was under limited access 6am to 5pm to reduce overcrowding.

That first night we brunched on some impressively large hashbrowns before a much-needed nap at the hotel while we waited for the park to open to all visitors at 5pm. While I was in no state to go on long hikes as I’d hoped, I was determined to ride along in the car and enjoy the views at several of the look-out points along the way. We drove from the West Entrance along the Going-to-the-Sun road until Logan Pass, along the continental divide separating the Pacific watershed from the Atlantic. These were some of the most dramatic peaks I’ve seen in my life, with jagged peaks and gouged-out summits with sweeping valleys in between. Streams are everywhere, carrying fresh meltwater down the slopes. The forests and lakes and wildflower meadows are gorgeous as well, full of adorable little rodents scurrying about. The pictures are magnificent but seeing it in person is even better.

The second day, we drove around the park all the way to the East side entrance, which took about three hours, because it was less crowded and still had open reservations for the shuttle service. We returned to Logan pass and went on a 3 mile there-and-back trail to hidden lake overlook. It was crowded, but for good reason. It has a bit of everything, from alpine meadows to looming peaks on either side to mountain stream crossings and an excellent view of the namesake lake. While a large crowd of us were peering across the opposing mountain face at a group of three mountains goats, barely visible as white dots, another mountain goat wandered about 25 feet from the trail right behind us. They seemed quite accustomed to large groups of tourists gaping and taking pictures. As amazing as our visit was, we only got to see a tiny fraction of the park, and only the most highly trafficked portions. We definitely will have to return and try out some more hikes now that we know our way around a little better, and we’ll be sure to make reservations several months in advance.

I’m now on the train back, set to arrive in Indianapolis over 36 hours after our departure, with a short layover in Chicago. My parents are already home from their flight, but I’m enjoying my slower journey. I’m sitting next to a very nice man, Ignacio, who recently had a tracheostomy, preventing him from being able to speak, but we struck up a friendship by having him type out his responses on his phone, plus some charades and lip reading (which I found I am not very good at, but I improved somewhat). He is Cuban, currently living in the Northwest as a chess and poker player, and he was very sweet and eager to share his story with me and ask me about my own life. While it took a bit more effort to communicate, it was worth it seeing how happy it made him to have someone take the time to talk with him. He showed it by buying me snacks/meals every time he got something for himself, despite me insisting it wasn’t necessary.

I’m excited to have two full days at home before heading to Baltimore for a week-long materials science summer institute on quantum magnetism hosted by Johns Hopkins, my parents’ alma mater. I may or may not get around to writing a post about it, we’ll have to see! My plans for my short intermission at home are to do laundry and watch the Olympics all day. I can’t wait for Track and Field to start!