Another update from Glacier

Here's an update from the past week and a half! I hope you enjoy reading!

With love from Montana,

Sunday – June 19, 2011
Today was an alright day. It wasn’t bad at all, but it could have been better. I felt tired for the entire day! That could be because of what I imbibed in last night….. 
This morning, I recorded six songs! Six! That’s a personal record! It took about 6 hours. I must say though, they turned out really well (for the most part). I’m very excited about the progress I have made.
Then, I went over to Eric’s so send the songs out to my parents. My dad is a huge fan of my music, so I thought it would be a good Fathers Day present.  Also, I set up a blog! Sadly, I never have internet connectivity when I need it, so my entries will invariably be a day behind the timestamp…bear with me people. I will be sure to include a date in all of them so as to not confuse you! Finally, I downloaded a music notation software program, so I will be able to prepare my songbook in a professional way!
Then, I cleaned myself up with a shower and went to the Visitor Center. Sadly, I wasn’t very productive there. I’m kind of in a funk with my program. I am not moving forward like I want to. Maybe I’ll change it up….More info to come later.
Oh! Big news! Joanna is coming to visit! We have been scheming for a while about making this happen. Granted the way she is coming was not our first choice. Explanation: she put in a bid on priceline.com, not knowing that if it was excepted, she would be committed (I had no idea either!). Oooops! Well it works out alright. She’ll be here for a week and the plane ticket was the cheapest we’ve seen. We can’t really complain about it….because now she is coming to GLACIER! Exciting!
I left the Visitor Center in a weird zoned out attitude that comes with having stared at a screen for way too long! So, I treated myself to a fried chicken dinner! LOTS OF FOOD! I will have lunch and dinner for tomorrow! At dinner, I was writing postcards to lots of people. I wrote about five professors. I thought they would be happy to hear about my experience up here. In the middle of one post card, Brittany Banik called from Singapore! It is always so exciting to hear about her adventures. I finished up post card #10 and called it a night. Once again, if you’re reading this, and haven’t given me an address to write you, got on that! Also, I enjoy checking my mailbox and seeing a response! Hint hint…. Hahah!
Now I’m headed to bed. I am going to try really hard to readjust my schedule. Go to bed with sundown and rise with sunup. We’ll see how that goes…. 
Goodnight world. With love from Montana.

Monday – June 20, 2011
Today was a pretty great day! I woke up early! I actually did! Around 6:15am I headed to the gym for a 3-mile jog. It was awesome! I felt so good about myself!
Then, I came back, showered, and got in uniform! This week we will be shadowing other Rangers while in uniform. That being said, I spent the entire morning writing more songs for my campfire program. I have been making my way through a book called Mountain Echoes by Cowboy Poet James Whilt. From all my work this morning, I ended up with five new songs! Good stuff! I am particularly pleased with four of them. All together, I have 15 songs about Glacier National Park to work with. I’ve decided to revamp my evening program in a way that best highlights these songs.
Then, I went down to the lobby of the visitor center and worked the desk. IT WA S AWESOME!!! I swear, I did not sit down for five hours straight. I love helping people out and getting them oriented to the Park. The best part is recommending hikes for them to go on and planning out multi-day excursions in the park. Let me say it again: I loved it! Granted, I did get the same question over and over: “When will the Going-to-the-Sun Road be open?” But, it was my first day, so it didn’t get old answering. I really hope I’m not jaded by the end of my summer here. I want to have the same enthusiasm for every visitor that walks through that door.
Afterwards, I came back and made a nice dinner! Spaghetti with mushroom, onion, and tomato sauce. Then, Fran (the professor I worked with at Clemson/former Director of the National Park Service) called and we got to catch up. It was really fun to tell her about all of the positive experiences I am having up here!
Then, I lay down to take a nap….but not for long! Kaylin happened to be in the area and she knocked on my door. She was going for a drive up the Sun Road to do some studying/work. I was completely game for that and packed up my computer and guitar. We had a great time at Wild Goose Island Overlook until a momma Black Bear and her TINY cub walked nearby. We retreated to the car and went on to another overlook. From there, I worked more on my program and started notating a piece of my music (see below). How exciting! Although, it is almost overwhelming how much work I have to do to get to the point where I want to be. By the time I am giving my programs, I want to have notated all of the songs I will be playing so that I can hand out a songbook for visitors to look over. Also, I want to record all of the songs! It just takes so much time!
Now I’m back here about to go to sleep (it’s not even 11pm!) Way to go Austin!
Thank you all for reading! I hope you are having great evenings!
With love from Montana

Tuesday – June 21, 2011
Today was what you could call a down and up day. Notice the order. I woke up this morning feeling exhausted, which is weird because I went to bed so early! Maybe this reasonable bed-time thing is not what my body likes. So, I’ve reverted to my old ways and will be going to sleep around midnight. Honestly that might work better.
I had the option to sleep in until 9:00. Feeling so groggy, I took it, but it didn’t help.  At 10am, I took another boat tour ride with Elizabeth giving the commentary. It was awesome! No joke, she did a great job and I feel like I learned a lot. This time, when me docked, we actually got out and did the 3 mile hike to St. Mary Falls. In about a week, I will be leading boat tour/hike myself. I am very excited and not too nervous. The boat ride is just so beautiful, the hike is interesting enough, and the falls are dramatic. It all has the makings of a great morning/afternoon. Then, I came back to get changed into my uniform. From there, I headed over to the Visitor Center for an afternoon of manning the desk and working on my program. It was at first frustrating because all of the office supplies weren’t there that I needed. Additionally, I was still stuck in this low-energy funk which had plagued me all morning. My spirits began to lift as the afternoon progressed. I worked on memorizing the 12ish songs I will include in my program. That will be a big task (over 1,000 words to get down). I will just keep at it over the next few days I have left, and if I have to use a lyrics sheet, nobody will complain too loudly for the first week of programs. Alright now, I realize I am rambling. Sorry….
The evening was better. I had some nice conversation with some fellow interpreters. Maybe that has been my problem today, for the past five days, I have been so intensely focused on my project that I haven’t been spending enough time with people. As all who are reading this know, I am definitely a people person. I’ll work on this to lead a more balanced (and in turn more productive) life over the next few days.
Moving on, I talked with my parents for about 30 minutes and then called the Grandparents. Turns out grandpa is getting some scans on him to find where he is losing blood inside. He took 2 pints of blood today and felt better almost instantly. There is nothing serious to report at the moment, but keep him (and Grandma) in your thoughts.
Then, I went to the gym and happily ran 5 miles. It felt soooo good. Man I love running. That feeling you get after some good exercise is unlike anything else. 
I came back and wrote some postcards and now am ready to head to bed. Sorry for the mechanical post tonight. It’s been kind of a weird day. I am not used to feeling less that completely happy here. Tomorrow will be better I am sure. 
With love from Montana

Wednesday – June 22, 2011
Today was a pretty fine day. I worked insanely hard on my song transcriptions. Over the course of eight hours, I notated nine songs…only three more to go! I’m very excited about the possibilities of my program. We got word today that the webmaster would be more than willing to host my recordings, sheet music, and poems on the park website. Additionally, he wants to shoot some video to post on the Park’s Facebook and Youtube site. Cool!
Then, this evening, we all went down to Serrano’s in East Glacier. It was super tasty Mexican food! I have to tell you though, avoid habanero sauce….it just about killed me. No joke. I ate soo much it is ridiculous. Oh well, I deserved a nice meal. All told, there were 10 of us that went out for dinner.  I’m glad that happened. Over the past week I have been working so hard on my projects that I haven’t spent a whole bunch of time around other people. Once the next five days pass, I’ll be into the swing of things and everything might begin to slow down.
Since I’ve been back here, I have been working on memorizing my songs for Friday (that’s when I give my program to the rest of the interpretation staff). I’m not apprehensive about giving the program to them, but I am still a little unsure about how it is going to go… I have tomorrow to practice. Also, I’ve put so much work into this, I am sure that it will turn out well. 
I just got back from the gym (the second time today). The gym has a sign in sheet, and my initials “AGB” are all over it. I have the last three entries in a row… It’s good though. I enjoy waking up early and getting a 5k under my belt before the day even begins. 
Tomorrow does not technically have to start until 11:30, but I think I will continue my streak of waking up early and being productive. Besides, I have too much work to get done before Friday. Tomorrow will be an important day.
In other news, Grandpa is doing well. The doctors ran the gamut of tests on him and they haven’t found anything alarming. Yay Grandpa!
Thanks for reading this disjointed post. I love you all and wish you could be here to share in the beauty of this place.
With love from Montana.

Friday – June 24, 2011
Ooops, looks like I missed yesterday’s journal entry. I didn’t even realize that I forgot… Oh well….not much to report besides all the hard work I have put into my program.
Moving on to today. Guess what? Today was a good day for sure. I spent the morning preparing the supplemental materials for my programs. This included printing out my songbooks (all 12 songs for my program). Additionally, I compiled other portions of my program that involve audience participation. That was my morning.
In the afternoon, we listened to a lot of programs. This included topics on bald eagles, wild-fires, frogs, beavers, and of course my program. I came up with the title of “The Music of these Mountains.” I feel like that will capture the attention of visitors. For those of you that don’t know, I have set poems about Glacier National Park to music. Additionally, I have included a few songs that I have written. They all center around what this place means to people. The program culminates with an activity in which visitors write down what they value of Glacier. I will them compile these statements of meaning into one big mural art piece.
When I gave the program today, I felt like overall it went well. I feel like I had so much to do in such a little amount of time (i.e. writing, recording, transcribing, and memorizing TWELVE songs) I wasn’t able to give the holistic program a whole lot of consideration. In interpretation, we are trying to make intellectual and emotional connections available to the audience that are centered around one well-developed theme. My program had a whole lot of these elements of interpretation, but I feel like it lacked in a common thread throughout. As one of my advisors said, my program is right at the cusp of being great. I am pleased with how it went, but I completely agree. I want my program to be more than simply a concert. I want it to be an experience that resonates with the audience and makes them consider Glacier National Park in a more personalized way. I believe that I am almost there. My boss came up to me and thanked me for the “massive amount of work” I had put into my program so far. He, like I do, believes that my program could be something special. It will only take a little bit of tweaking from this point.
Moving on, the evening was just what I needed. We grilled out burgers, veggie-burgers, hot-dogs, chicken, and pretty much everything else. The beer, chips, cookies, and cupcakes flowed easily. It was nice to kick back and relax for a change. I have been working so hard for the past two weeks. I know that I give my program in two days, but it was so good to enjoy the company of good people, eat some great food, and enjoy the outdoors for a while.
Tomorrow, some of us are going to hike to Napi Point and then along Flat-top Ridge to Otokomi Mountain. It will be great to finally be up high and see some of this incredible landscape for miles upon miles. I am pumped! It will be about an 11 mile hike off-trail. EVEN BETTER!
Then in the evening, I can give some more thought to my program. Hopefully by that time I will have had a break from it and can look at it through clearer eyes.
Well, it’s off to be now. Thanks for reading. Sleep well!
With love from Montana!
Saturday – June 25, 2011
Today was a pretty great day! I actually got out and had some fun outdoors!
The main trek today took us to the top of Napi Point. Boy howdy, it was a haul! Listen y’all, I’m in marathon shape and that hike kicked me in the pants. The main reason why it was so hard was that there was no real trail. We climbed over trees, straight up rocky slopes, and through raging creeks. It took a lot out of me to bushwhack the three miles uphill. But man, it was worth it. I could finally see the dramatic Glacier skyline from a higher altitude. If you used a tiny bit of imagination, you could say that it looked like the Himalayas….so much snow and huge mountains (only the Himalayas are over 10,000 feet higher) Hahaha! On Napi point, we were right night to a around 600 feet cliff. We through a few rocks and sticks over the edge (I know model Park Rangers) and they took about 25 seconds to reach the bottom. In other words, it was a huge drift. On top of that, the wind was raging. We had to be careful and not loose out jackets/backpacks/ourselves over the cliff (that ones for you mom….) 
Aaron and I decided to head back after this trek. Lee and Jeremy continued on top of the ridge to another mountain. By that point, I had had enough of the wind/sun/and rough hiking. I promptly came back here took a great nap.
After my nap, I ate a great dinner. While I ate my awesome mushroom-cheese-hamburger, I watched old videos on this computer. As you might remember, this laptop was the family computer for a while. So, it has all the family pictures and movies. Tonight I watched footage of my brother Tyler’s Senior year football season (he was middle-linebacker and a team captain). I missed out on watching these games live because of college, but it was great to share in it after the fact. In one video, my brother intercepts a pass and takes it back for touchdown. It was so exciting! I felt so happy and proud. It might sound silly, but I really treasured watching that video. Due to my own adventurous spirit, I have been away for a lot of things. I know it was the right thing, but a part of me regrets not being there more. This is getting really personal, but I have never had much of a filter. Watching the videos and looking at the pictures makes me very appreciative of my incredible family. I don’t know if I can ever say how much I love you all.
Then, I headed to the Many Glacier area to talk with Kaylin. It’s crazy that I have to drive 30 minutes to even get in touch with someone. Yay for no internet connection and cell phone reception. It makes instantaneous communication very difficult. Luckily we saw each other driving on the road and we talked for a bit about our upcoming Monday and Tuesday off. We didn’t decided on anything except that she was going to my trailer at 8am so we can start our short vacation. In later discussions with Eric (the lead interpretive ranger) he recommended that we go to a few parks up in Canada. I completely in support of this idea. I think we’ll end up doing that. Look for postcards from Canada! Eh!
It was fun to talk with a few people for a while. Britney, JT, Eric, and I chatted for about an hour. Once again, the Park Service is made up of some truly awesome people. 
Tomorrow begins the normal work schedule. That means that I will giving my campfire program! I just practiced it and feel much more confident on where I am going with the whole thing. I think the visitors will love it! (Who doesn’t like a free concert?)
I am so excited to get into the swing of things. From now on, my summer will be completely different. It should be a change for the better. Training is over, and it’s time to get out there. Whoooooo!
Tomorrow’s update should be exciting!! 
With love from Montana,

Sunday – June 26, 2011
Today was awesome!! Totally awesome!
The morning started out well. I went to a Christian worship service in one of the campgrounds here in the St. Mary Valley. It was led by a friend of a friend who went to Clemson with me (Maryn Case for those of you that might know). They did a great job. As you all know, I am necessarily religious, but it was moving to be listening to this message surrounded by the magnificent mountains of Glacier National Park. I really enjoyed going and hope to be back many times the rest of the summer.
Then, I came back a cooked a huge breakfast! Four eggs and three pieces of toast. Feeling fat and happy, I went to the gym and lifted some weights. After a shower, it was time to report to work.
I began my shift at the visitors center at 12:30. From there, I spent four hours talking with visitors and explaining why the St. Mary Falls trail was closed. There was a deer carcass on the trail that a Grizzly Bear was eating. The hope was to move the carcass to open the trail, but the Griz was being very defensive of his kill. Instead the trail was closed off. NATURE!
After working the desk, I ate a quick dinner and ran through my program one more time. I felt very confident heading into this evening. I rolled up at Rising Sun Campground at 6pm. Therefore, I had two hours to walk around the campground and spread the word about my program. It seemed like everyone I talked to was coming! Exciting. Also, I met some more of the Christian Ministries people who were holding their evening service at Rising Sun. They didn’t have a guitar player to play the worship songs, so I sat in and played the songs for them. It was fun to meet them. They were very nice and friendly. I hope to run into them a few more times throughout the summer. As the 8 o’clock hour approached, I continued preparing for my program. I set up my props and waited for people to arrive. People began trickling in around ten till. It was fun to chat with all of them. We had people from Florida, Iowa, New Mexico, Alberta, and much much more.
Around 8pm, I began my bear safety talk. It is mandatory that we talk about these things. I had not really practiced that part at all, but I feel like it went well for being completely off-the-cuff.
Then, I began my actual program! Going into it, I felt really confident and I think it showed! Each song had a meaning that contributed to addressing the meaning of Glacier National Park. I didn’t mess up the words at all! AND, everyone seemed to appreciate the songs. Additionally, my tapestry/mural activity went very well and I think people got a lot out of seeing why others thought Glacier was important and meaningful. All in all, it was a really stellar first run. So many people came up to me and thanked me for sharing my talents with them. I really feel like I accomplished something tonight. All that hard work that I had put in over the past three weeks really paid off. My friend Britney was there and she said it was the “best interpretive program she had ever seen.” High Praise! (note, she works in Campground, so it wasn’t another interpretive ranger that told me this…) Also, Kaylin was able to come down from Many Glacier. She was very enthusiastic (as usual) about how my program went. With so much positive feedback coming my way, I have to believe that it was a big success.
Moving on, Kaylin and I went to the visitors center to do a little research on what we should do during our days off. Before long, we decided on going up to Banff National Park! WHY NOT? I mean, you can’t get much closer to Banff than we are! We’ll be going up there for two days and then possibly coming back to Glacier on Wednesday morning. What an adventure! I am so happy that I have a travel buddy like Kaylin here. We are pretty much cut from the same vine….spontaneity is the name of the game!
Now it is time for some serious shut-eye! I am going to bed really happy. I feel like my program made a difference in people’s lives. This is what the job is all about. I feel very content with life right now.
Thanks to everyone who reads these. You are very special to me.
With love from Montana.

Monday – June 27, 2011
Today I have witnessed an incredibly special place. I can’t really describe the excitement that permeated through the entire day of exploring the Canadian Rocky Mountains. To try and do it some justice, let’s start from the beginning.
Before the trip even began, I was lucky enough to get a call from Brittany Banik in Singapore. She just got back from a trip to Bangkok and had a lot of memorable stories to share. It was great to catch up and to tell her about the success of my program the previous night.
Shortly afterwards, Kaylin and I departed Glacier National Park bound for Banff National Park in Canada. Our drive was lively with good conversation and good music (Kaylin brought along her mix of 80s hits!). We stopped briefly in Calgary to get some Chinese food and plan our trip. From Calgary, it was only 150 km (hello metric system!) to Banff. We quickly stopped at the Visitors Center in Banff to get oriented and figure out what we were going to do with our two days here.
Our first stop was Moraine Lake. Stop whatever you are doing right now and look up a picture of this place. It is without a doubt the most beautiful lake I have ever seen. In the past, I’ve seen this lake featured on those inspirational posters and vowed to someday get there. Today was the day. Oh. My. Gosh. The impression it made was on the same scale as when I first saw the Grand Canyon and Yosemite Valley. Unbelievable. Kaylin and I walked the nature trail and explore a little of the “Valley of Ten Peaks.” Then, we climbed up to the classic overlook and snapped a lot of pictures.
The next stop was Lake Louise. This lake has a glacier at the headwall of the cirque valley. Coming right off the high of Moraine Lake, Lake Louise almost matched its splendor. Victoria Glacier is about 400 feet thick and looms over the entire lake. (again Google it….unbelievable). On top of that, we got to see a whole flock of the rare bird Clark’s Nutcracker (bird nerds, I know)… Moving on from Lake Louise it was around 7pm. That doesn’t mean too much though because it stays light out until 11pm!
Knowing this, we decided to explore the adjacent Yoho National Park. Driving through Yoho, our first stop was Emerald Lake. The lake was a magnificent green color because of the glacier above it. Glaciers carve stones and produce a type of rock flour that gets suspended in water. The flour reflects all colors except an eerie green. Thus, Emerald Lake.
Next we got to stop at a natural bridge. The water had cut through rock to create the awesome bridge…definitely worth a quick stop.
Then, we got to go to a magnificent waterfall. I think it was called Tankakaw waterfall. It looked a lot like a waterfall you would find careening over a cliff in Yosemite National Park. Absolutely breathtaking. The waterfall was nessled back in Yoho valley and provided outrageously beautiful scenery for the entire drive. I am so incredibly impressed with these Canadian National Parks. They seem to be on a whole different scale of size, enormity, and maybe even beauty. They are not really comparable to Glacier because they simply make my American National Park look small. Hahahaha!
Moving on from Tankakaw (sp??), we made our way back to Lake Louise and had a late dinner (I’m talking 11:30pm) at the incredible hotel these. The food was not that great, BUT the hotel was ridiculously nice. GOSH, I just keep getting blown away by EVERYTHING!!! Today has been such a special experience.
Moving on from dinner, Kaylin and I went looking for a campsite to crash at. We finally found an open site in the Lake Louise campsite. It is now around 1am and I need to head to bed. Tomorrow we plan on driving up the Icefields Parkway. The brochure we were given at the visitors center claimed that it is the “most beautiful drive in the world.” Big claim. But, if it can somehow exceed what Kaylin and I have witnessed today, then it very well might be the most beautiful drive on this planet. Thank you all for reading. I hope you’ve been inspired to add the Canadian Rocky Mountains to your destination list. The size and scale of this place is breathtaking.
With love from Canada.

Tuesday – June 28, 2011
This is a mid-day update. Kaylin and I felt like we had to stop and reflect on what we have done today. The Icefields drive has turned out to be jaw-dropping. There are so many HUGE glaciers here. In Glacier National Park, our glaciers are small and tucked into the highest of peaks. Here, they spill out of the mountains like lava. Moving on, I’ll give you a step by step account so far.
We left our campground around 9am this morning, with such a late night and a busy day ahead, we felt like sleeping in a bit would be a good idea. We began the drive and headed north towards Jasper National Park. Our goal was to reach the Columbia Icefields and the famous Athabasca glacier. After about an hour and a half of incredibly scenic driving, we arrived at the Icefields.
Oh
My
God
………..
Kaylin and I couldn’t stop giggling for about 20 minutes. Once more, google Athabasca Glacier. You can’t understand until you see what it looks like. I have never seen anything like it. The ice literally flows down the valley. Additionally, it is bookended by two other impressive Glaciers. To see such a large and impressive force of nature was overwhelming. Simply indescribable. I have seen a lot of beautiful places and impressive features, but this is unlike anything I have ever encountered. A glacier of this size, strength, power, and might is something completely new. As I write this, I am looking at Athabasca and feel like I am not communicating anything that I feel. I think we all know when we are witnessing something special. This is one of those moments.
After our initial trek to the foot of the glacier, Kaylin and I took a quick hike up Wilcox Pass. This hike gave us a view of the glacier valley from a higher elevation. It also took us up into a pretty alpine meadow. From the meadow we could see peak upon peak upon peak. The Rockies go on like one great wave of mountains. We took so many pictures that Kaylin’s camera batteries died. We will have to fix that because we still have half a day of exploring to do! Included in these great pictures was a picture of Kaylin and I both jumping in the air with Athabasca providing a dramatic background. When I have internet connection again, be looking for that picture…. 
Now we’re headed back to Banff along the Icefields Parkway. There are plenty of more lakes to see and quickly hike to. We’ll be making memories that will never, ever leave. I feel so blessed to be here. Places like these are eternal.
Alright, so I have to admit, I am writing the update from the second part of this day about a day later. So, here goes. Kaylin and I then piled into the car to head back towards Banff. We stopped at a junction with food/gas and planned on eating dinner. BUT, the cheapest thing on the menu was a burger (minimum $15 Canadian). Crazy. So we decided to cook our rice mac and cheese and some ramen noodles that we brought. We looked kind of ridiculous cooking food on my camp-stove in the parking lot, but who cares. Our surroundings made for a nice kitchen none-the-less.
After the motley dinner, we continued driving towards Banff. On the way, we stopped at Peyto Lake. This lake was essentially green from all the glacial flour suspended in the water. It was so beautiful. I swear, every place here has something special to offer.
We soon reached Banff at 8pm. For the whole trip I had joked about dragging Kaylin to a movie. Lo and behold, there was a movie/popcorn/soft-drink special at the local theatre! We bought tickets for the 9:30 Super 8 movie. From there, we got back into the car and drove to the famous Banff Springs Hotel (again…google it). Many years ago, my family spent the Christmas Holidays at the Hotel. It was special to go back and relive some of those vague but very happy memories.
We made it back just in time for the movie to begin. It turned out to be a pretty good flick, but the popcorn was even better. I was in hog heaven y’all. After the movie got out, we drove to a campsite nearby, by the time we rolled up the spot it was around 1am. We decided to sleep in the car instead of putting out the tent because it was raining and we had to leave super early the next morning. With a smile on my face, I went to sleep under the beautiful Banff sky.
With love from Canada.

Wednesday – June 29, 2011
Today was a big day. Kaylin and I left our campsite at 5am to begin our drive back to Glacier. I made great time and got back in plenty of time to shave, shower, and get ready for work. The trip was absolutely incredible. All told, we drove 950 miles in two days, but made so many special memories.
I began work at noon and staffed the visitor center for about 3 hours. Then I spent time working on my other programs (boat tour, guided hike, etc…). I also got to take a nap before returning to work after dinner.
This evening, I worked the desk again for a few hours and then worked admission to a special evening program here. The local Blackfeet Tribe have a group of singers and dancers who perform in traditional garb. It was awesome to see! Sadly, the emcee for the event (a Blackfeet elder) talked way too much and the program dragged on for almost two hours.
Since then, I’ve been back here in the trailer. I will be going to bed soon because I am super tired (notice the short entry for tonight). Tomorrow should be a nice and relaxing day for sure. I will have more time to prepare for my boat tour/guided hike (which I give on Friday). I’m so excited to close my eyes for longer than 4 hours. Our trip to Canada was unforgettable, but it did lead to a pretty serious amount of sleep deprivation. Until tomorrow!
With love from Montana (again) 