Today is the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. In honor of NPS’s centennial, many NRDC staffers wrote short stories about a national park they have visited. Here’s mine on Glacier.
Somehow, after years in Montana and a lot of travel throughout the Northern Rockies, I had never made it to Glacier National Park. That changed earlier this summer, on Father’s Day, when my wife, Sarah, our son, Otto, our dog, Aldo, and I camped for a night at Two Medicine Lake in Glacier.
I was floored by Glacier’s raw, wild, rugged beauty. It was soul-stirring, and I fell instantly in love. And to share the experience with my wife and two-year-old son felt so good, and so right. We moved to Montana from Chicago almost eight years ago to pursue a different life. We love the outdoors, and we love raising our son in Montana. Camping in Glacier with my family on Father’s Day, I was overwhelmed with gratitude.
We cooked over fire. We slept in a tent. Otto woke up insanely early. Like 4:30 AM and that’s-the-moon-not-the-sun early. We took a drive so Otto would fall back asleep. We watched the sun rise over Glacier. Otto fell back asleep. We ate pancakes. We went for a gorgeous hike.
Our Father’s Day visit to Glacier was extremely special. I will remember it for the rest of my life. Not long after our visit, we learned the wonderful news that our family will be expanding by one early next year. I think of the future, and I am glad to know Glacier will be there for Otto and his brother or sister many decades from now; raw, wild, rugged, and open to all.
Yes—yes, indeed, America’s national parks are the best idea we’ve ever had.
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