Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park

Solo Travel journal

Arrival

Glacier National Park is by far my most favorite place on earth at this moment in my life. It was just magical. You could feel the energy, and spirit of the land. I stayed at an Native American/Indian reservation camp site called “Chewing Black Bone”. I was told that this was sacred land and in my spirit I truly believe that. When I traveled to Montana I was 3 months sober from alcohol. I had just freshly admitted to my mom & an Alcoholics Anonymous group that i was an alcoholic & needed help. So i was excited to get away to nature so i could begin my healing.

The Indian Reservation camp ground was right outside of Glacier National Park. Gratefully when I checked in I was given an open but secluded camping area right on the lake, with a view of the mountains in the horizon. This place was so beautiful it was unreal. When i was 18 i went through a tough deep deep depression & The only thing that made me feel better was writing lists of places i wanted to visits, to explore, get away & meet GOD. Glacier was #1 on that list & finally, i was there!! When I got to my campground I turned on my radio, set up my tent, made a barn fire & enjoyed my 1st night.

Sacred land. Sacred People.

Day 2 Grinnell Glacier Hike

The weather wasn’t the best. It was around 69 degrees, cloudy & super windy. Trying my best not to be disappointed I woke up around 6am and got ready for my first hike, Grinnell Glacier. 7.6 miles round trip. It took me about 3hrs to hike up & 3hrs to hike down. Even though the hike is noted to be strenuous, the beautiful views took my mind off of all of the steep inclines, tripping over rocked & my buckling ankles that almost broke each time i stepped on a rock the wrong way lol. For this place to be so beautiful the weather SUCKED lol.

The higher up the mountain i got, the colder the weather became & the wind became even more fierce. Clearly i didn’t pack well for this trip, I didn’t think about the fact that i was hiking an actual glacier that may still have snow, which it did, Tons of snow. I was so cold & my fingers were so frozen i couldn’t even get my camera together to take pictures lol. I found 2 strangers & Asked then to snap a couple for me then i worked my way down so i could get the hell off of that mountain.

Walking down hill can be even more tiring than going up & easy to lose your footing and the scariest moment of my life happened when i was walking on a ledge i tripped over a rock & had to QUICKLY catch myself before i tumbled over. My ankle was in so much pain i had to sit down on that ledge & try to rest. I was so nervous because here i am on a mountain by myself, it might as well be snowing lol (dramatic) I’ve twisted my ankle & i have another 2 hours to hike down the mountain 🙄

DAY2 Rest Day

My ankle was swollen & so sore. I had plans to do the hike if my dreams to “Cracker Lake” a 12.9 mile hike. YIKESS!! but i knew i would never make it on my tire up ankle. So i decided to “actively rest” & explore the park, do some paddle boarding, sit by the lake etc. let’s just say me and paddle boards do NOT get along. I pulled that paddle board with all of my strength & limped on my ankle to edge of the lake & damn near fell in. I was so upset about my hurt ankle but i refused to not enjoy my day. Long story short, i thought i could stand up & paddle board & i thought wrong because i instantly fell into the FREEZING COLD LAKE!!

The lake was so cold i thought i was gonna go into shock, again i forgot that the glaciers from the mountains were melting into the lake. I literally freaked out lol i freaked out so bad i had to tell myself out loud “Candyss you’re an Army soldier you’re trained to handle anything” lol i freaked out because 1. It was cold as hell & 2. I had no idea what was in that water or how deep it was lol which is a huge fear the unknown. So once i swam back to the lake side i just chilled there for the rest of the day, seeing how i definitely couldn’t put any pressure on my ankle now. BUT TOMORROW, i had big plans to hike to cracker lake & NOTHING was getting the way of that.

Day 3 Cracker Lake

Since i was 18yrs old i had dreamed of hiking this hike. So at 5:30am i headed to the hiking trail head super early so could motivate myself & get my mind right while everyone is sleeping. I was Jamming Beyonce & Jay-z new album i had “I can do anythinggggg” on repeat trying to hype myself up because with my ankle & this 15mile (dramatic) hike ahead of me, i needed all do the motivation i could get. So i started my trail, no rocks this time HOWEVER the ground was all MUD, horse & deer poop!! So i had to walk in the jungle edge to avoid it all, this was so hard. About two hours in i met 3 people on the trail & asked if i could join them. You know that country saying “Over the river & through the woods” i literally had to go over the river & through the woods to get to this damn lake!!

This was by far the most difficult hike I’ve ever done in my life, the entire hike was inclined, with NO view so it was hard to focus on anything but the fact that i couldn’t breathe & my legs were burning. At this point i didn’t even remember my ankle was hurt. 1 hour out from the destination & i was in tears!! Lol i said fu** this shit I’m in so much pain I’m about to cry lol so i did, i cried my whole way to the top. Oh but once i maid it to the top of that mountain & physically laid my eyes on the view i had been dreaming about for years, i instantly started crying AGAIN. It wasn’t a picture anymore it was my REALITY, i used to tell GOD “GOD if you just let me see a place like this in real life i won’t be depressed anymore”.

This hike signified all of the obstacles I’d overcome, i had to earn getting to that place in my life, beating depression, beating addiction & even still i had to EARN my way to the top of that mountain. Before ya know it i was taking off my shirt, dancing, taking pictures lol & then i sat down in the grass, took off my shoes & sang a song to GOD. It was magical. The glacier water was a color blue i had never seen before....about an hour later i prepared myself for a 6hour hike down the mountain. The struggle lol

Chewing Black Bones

While trying to find WiFi in the camp sites recreational building i randomly met the owner. He looked just like the native Americans in the books. Brown skin & long hair down his back. We spoke briefly, he asked me how i was enjoying my stay? I told him how magical it felt here & that’s when he told me The history of this land. He said that it was sacred land & the only land that wasn’t conquered by the Europeans. As we spoke more he candidly told me that he could tell i was battling a demon & the only to win the fight was to not partake in the actions again!! My eyes instantly began to water.

How did he know about my addiction, how could he tell i was struggling with cravings? He then told me he’d be honored for me to meet his wife. As soon as he called her, she came out from a back room to meet me. She was actually from Texas, a y’all White lady with long hair & a very calm spirit. As we sat & talked she told me how she had over 23yrs sober from alcohol & gave me tips & motivated me to keep going. It was such an aligned moment for me to be new in my recovery from addiction & just happen to meet someone 23yrs into their sobriety on the side of a mountain.

I was in awe of how GOD was putting the right people in my life. Before i went back to my tent i asked the native american man if i could interview him, he could speak about whatever he wanted. He agreed & as i interviewed him with the mountains in the background i received some of the most profound information, lessons & wisdom that has ever resonated with my spirit. I still keep in contact with them both via Facebook!! This was the highlight of my trip, because i knew that each step i took & interaction i was apart of was divinely aligned.