Many Glacier, my idea of a perfect summer day

I will lift mine eyes unto the hills...Psalm 121:1

     this was the day I had waited for: our trip to Swift current Lake and Many Glacier Hotel. When I think of Glacier National Park, it is the image of Swift Current Lake with Altyn Peak, Mt. Wilbur and the Ptarmigan Wall in the background.

Gail and Kate Sheehy at Swift Current Lake.

      Although Many Glacier was 50 miles from our motel at East Glacier, and more than 15 miles down a back road with huge potholes, when we arrived at mid morning there was not a parking spot to be found! We were disappointed and on our way out the access road, when we spied an opportunity. Who knew that parallel parking skills would be needed in the mountains of Montana? The side streets of South Philly gave me an advantage I put to use at that moment.

Poi-fect!

      Our hike today was on relatively level ground: around the perimeter of Swift Current Lake and to Lake Josephine.

Swift Current Lake, Mt. Wilbur and the Ptarmigan wall.

View of Grinnell Glacier on the hike to Lake Josephine

     We circled back to attend a guided tour of the Many Glacier Hotel. Kate and I worked in the hotel during July & August of 1984.

View of Many Glacier Hotel across Swift Current Lake with Altyn Peak in the background. Gives you a sense of the massive size of the mountains (about 4,000 feet from the lake to the mountain top).

Many Glacier Hotel with Swift Current Lake and Grinnell Point in the background. This is the breath-taking view as you arrive at the hotel.

The exterior has many architectural details modeled on Swiss chalets, as the owner was promoting this as the "Alps of North America" Flowers are red and white, the colors of the Swiss flag, to reinforce the theme.

The main entrance to the hotel.

     Kate and I were interested to see what the place was like now, 33 years later. The bell-hops still wear lederhosen, in these Alps of North America, but the housekeeping staff does not wear the neon dirndle dress that was my uniform. More's the pity (NOT!)

Gail in her neon maid dress in 1984, posed with "Rocky" the mountain goat, the mascot of  Glacier National Park. Match the silhouette of the mountain and you will know where I am standing.

     FUN FACT: We learned during the ranger tour of the hotel that it is located on a fault zone: the Lewis Overthrust. Over the years, the hotel began tipping toward the lake. Substantial infrastructure support had to be done to shore up the building (7 inches!) and stabilize it to withstand earthquakes. Kate and I were blissfully unaware of the danger while we were working there.
     Did you figure out that the mountain in the background is Mt. Wilbur? (see the 2 notches at the top?)