There is something magical about sleeping in a bed with five pillows. Oh, I could hike forever if I could only stay in my little cabin nightly. But that’s silly talk, as no one who thru-hikes has such luxury.

Norman and I hit the trail at 6am, our earliest start yet. As we walked down the trail, Curly and Max caught up. They were headed to Many Glaciers Hotel for a fine breakfast. I passed. Let alone I paid a fortune to stay in my cabin last night, but more to the point, there is no way I can climb a big pass with a full belly. So I bided them ado and headed up the pass.

This morning was glorious with cloud covering and cooler than normal temps. Just when I was thinking to send my warm joggers home, I think I’ll keep them a bit longer. The trail meandered up through the trees and across many small creeks, all manageable for rock hopping. Then the trail opened up to an incredible meadow and the waterfall I had been eyeing was right in front of me. It always amazes me how in such a short period of time, I can reach a distant peak or waterfall that seemed miles away!

Now the river crossing begins. I had been warned of the big rivers with no way around. They were spot on. There were many crossings and I figured, no point of taking off my shoes. “Embrace the suck” as they say around here, and I did. Plowed through, thigh deep, cold glacier water rivers. If I wasn’t awake, I am now!

I sat and had my morning snack when I hear, “hey bear.” That’s what hikers say to warn the unsuspecting bears of our presence. I don’t know if it works, but we all do it. My tent mates Coyote and Radio came around the corner. Radio has been struggling with blisters so I offered him up my hobby’s favorite remedy, Compeed. He was thrilled!

The big climb started over Piegan Pass. It was long and steep, and the worse part was I really could not see where the pass was. Usually you can see a saddle or something that looks like a perfect place to get up and over, but Piegan Pass was a mystery. What wasn’t a mystery was the glacier fields. Oh how I do not like crossing these!

After what seemed like hours, I finally arrived at Piegan with rain coming down and a cold wind. Both me and Norman were covered from head to toe. I usually plan my lunch stops on top of passes but today, no such luck. I had a trail bar and found my way down the backside.

The clouds had covered the tops of all the surrounding peaks, but it still was beautiful in its own way. All I could think about was getting off this mountain. Especially when I saw lightning. It was a flash of light and that’s all I needed to beat feet down the mountain.

About half way down the mountain, I hit the trees. This usually is not a problem except it holds the snow for much too long. I had a few glaciers to travel across but there was at least two, maybe three miles of solid snow fields. My shoes were wet, my socks were soaked, my gaiters were cold and my pants were drenched. I was NOT a happy hiker!

But, my cousin Ed happened to be in Glacier this week. Oh this could be my ticket to warmth. My new and improved I-phone has satellite access so I sent out an SOS to Ed. He was finishing a hike with his son Andrew and girlfriend Amanda. Ed accepted my request for help and picked my cold and frigid body up. We went for dinner and I am now crashing on his floor. It is dry and warm and I will be back at it again. And don’t think I bailed on my miles. I finished up all miles and will be back at again.

So funny side note. For Mothers Day, George bought me a new watch, the Garmin Enduro. It has way too many functions to even grasp. But as I was lying on my sleeping pad, it told me that I need to take a rest day. When does your watch get to override when you need to take a Zero Day? Ends up, my peeps that I’ve been hiking with, had the same message. My following day will be like a rest day. Only ten miles and flattish. Hopefully that’ll count as a Zero!

When I was cold and miserable, wondering what I was doing on the mountain, God already had a plan for me.

Philippians 4:19 – “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus,” assuring believers that God supplies every need abundantly.