Speeding into Montana like a bat out of hell, fighting my drowsiness where the rain wasn’t helping, and I almost hit two elk. Arriving at Kent’s house around 8pm there was catching up and a celebratory Spotted Cow. After meeting the comrades that we would be hanging out with for the weekend there was talk of a get together down the street. By talk I mean every 10 minutes we could hear people walking into trees and yelling obscene jokes. This gathering was actually bumping, but it was soon learned that everyone attending just graduated high school. Not really, but they were young. I took it into my hands to invite all the qualified individuals to “our” party the next night. Waking up the next morning left us dazed and confused. A quick skip over to Main Street Overeasy gave us the energy to start preparing for a Halloween bash. The events involved driving around picking up supplies, getting last minute costumes made, and spray-painting the beer pong table. The costumes were hilarious in my opinion: Petey (Kevin Bacon), Josten (Mugen from Samurai Champloo), Palmer (pumpkin head), Kent (Stallone from Expendables), Lane (Cougar hunter), there was another Garrett (Bob Ross), and I went as a Mardi Gras lady. Jake got off work around midnight to lay down some sick beats into the early a.m.
Saturday night collaborated with Sunday morning and made a crazy album. Since I was traveling the decision to keep the train rolling forward was easy. The speakers were blasted, people kept popping in to remind everyone what was said and done the previous night, then our brains started craving fulfillment through our stomach. Kent and I went to Old Chicago where he used to work as a cook. He ended up getting the worst burger I’ve tasted in my 24 years on this planet. THE WORST! My calzone was unusually good. When we got back to the house Kevin Bacon was greasing up the stove with bacon. With all the goonies fed we decided to go bowling, only after the haunted labyrinth was axed due to rain. Packers lost to the Rams in a close battle. Jello shots were generously passed around. To top off the weekend Pete, Palmer, and Lane got tattoos by Josten in the living room while we were watching some Airbender episodes.
Mondays have been my day of driving up to this point and Bozeman was feeling sticky. After mailing an umbrella back to Lil Kev in Milwaukee, I proceeded to drive across the most desolate part of the United States I’ve encountered up to this point. Traveling by yourself can get lonely every once in awhile, especially for an extrovert. But this drive made me uncomfortably alone. Miles and miles of no people, no services, no warmth. The goal: Glacier National Park. Stepping out of my car at sunset I finally reached the town of Saint Mary on the East side of the park. Quick to realize the town was abandoned since tourist season is over. Tumbleweed abandoned. Ended up finding a campground where I set up the tent and caught up with Scotty K for a couple hours about life.
I’ve been hiking one trail a day since the beginning of the journey to stay on top of my physical health. To find trails in your area there’s a neat app called “AllTrails” – your guide to the outdoors. Used it to hike up to Virginia Falls in Glacier which left me with incredible views and brief glimpses of wildlife. Discovered that Going to the Sun Highway was closed so the only way to get to the west side of the park is down and under, across Flathead National Forest. Couchsurfing for the win! There was a girl in Whitefish, Montana that said she would be able to host me. We met at a coffee shop in Kalispell where conversation flowed like a Jimi Hendrix riff. After several hours we adventured back to her house and cooked up some supper while listening to old vinyls sipping wine.
Halloween! As Elizabeth was at a meeting for work I caught up on sleep and my journal. Returning home we immediately came up with some ideas of how to celebrate the holiday. She had heard of a costume contest going on downtown that coincided with bar hopping. $400 as the grand prize…Bingo! We quickly gathered our costumes and embarked on a five minute walk to register. Bouncing from establishment to establishment we had our fare share of strange encounters. Meeting Trump and members of Al Qaeda, getting blasted with saliva from granny cheerleader and our new friend JD (who is currently looking for wife number four). After munching down some pub grub we realized we had waited too long for the costume contest. Judging was over and we still hadn’t hit five bars. Laughing at our lackadaisical efforts we decided to see the 20 Grand Band at Great Northern Bar, where the winners of the contest were announced. Dancing, laughing, meeting yet another new friend (Ira). For claiming to be an introvert Elizabeth didn’t convince me. A small gathering of three took place back at Elizabeth’s house after the festivities died down. Side note: everywhere West of the Mississippi sells alcohol in liquor/grocery stores up until 2am, what is with Wisconsin law cutting us off at 9pm!?
When I woke up Elizabeth had left for work. Ira gave me his contact information with the intent of inviting me to bonfires and other Whitefish outings (he forgot I was traveling). Taking Elizabeth’s advice I hiked up to Avalanche Lake in West Glacier. Three glacial waterfalls fuel this transparent lake and it was an easy hike. One hundred percent recommend. There was a spiritual moment on the way back while I was playing the song “Kids” by MGMT over my portable speaker. My whole body was filled with a chilling energy. It seemed as if the trees were transferring memories through me. I was not on any drugs. Euphoria came over me and a grin could not be wiped from my face. It lasted for the duration of the song before succumbing to “Young Folks” by Peter, Bjorn & John. In the parking lot conversation was sparked with a young couple from Calgary, Canada who convinced me to visit Banff National Park up in their neighborhood. I brewed over this idea while cooking supper that night.
Late starts are always dissatisfying. Trying to recover I thought about tackling a mountain within a close proximity to Elizabeth’s house. Big Mountain peaks around 6,800 ft and is used for Whitefish Mountain Resort during the winter months. About 7 miles out and back with a 2,000 ft elevation change it’s an intermediate hike. Climbing two miles up the side of the mountain my feet were drenched (forgot to put on my hiking shoes), I couldn’t see the top because of fog and traveled off the beaten path so it was safe to say I was lost. Tired and defeated with no summit. Getting back to the house I remembered that Elizabeth told me she might not get back until late. While sitting around flustered about not hitting my goal there was a knock on the door. An older lady (Ruth) with a soothing smile was inquiring about my vote in the upcoming election. After informing her I was traveling she opened up about her life and how her and her husband were from New Zealand. They have started multiple traveling exchange programs for neighbors around Whitefish, plus they try and involve themselves with giving back to the community as much as they can. Our talk could have lasted hours with all my questions, but she had to move on to the next house. Her support for Kathleen Williams needed to be spread. Shawshank Redemption and a light meal with Elizabeth coming in around 11pm turned the lights off.
Today was a new day. Woke up early, conquered Big Mountain in 3 hours with full preparation. Minor incident with older couple at the summit who said my music was ruining the experience. Gently reminded them that the experience is different for everyone. Came back to the house with Elizabeth passed out. Ruth came knocking again with the intention to acquire Elizabeth’s pumpkin on the front porch. While waiting around I read, listened to Bob Marley vinyls, and caught up on my journal. When she finally arose from her slumber her brain was mashed potatoes. The auto immune disease she was recently diagnosed has sent her through a whirlwind of emotions all at once. I could tell she wasn’t feeling like herself. With an intent to understand and try to cheer her up I accompanied Elizabeth to the supermarket. Light laughs were shared, but her personality was drained along with the stress of work. Returning back it was understood that we would chill and watch documentaries and movies while eating comfort food. I also told Elizabeth that my next destination was Banff up in Canada and I would be leaving on Monday.
An invite to church was waiting for me as soon as I opened my eyes. The congregation was small in part to it being a fairly new organization. Everyone was eager to meet me and the old saying of ‘welcomed with open arms’ was embraced. After the service we went back to Elizabeth’s place to pick up soup and head over to a gathering held at the pastor’s house. The topic of discussion, over a pot luck style lunch, was death. I would be lying to say there weren’t parts of the talk where I was uncomfortable. All said and done it opened up my perspective of the subject and allowed me to grow mentally. That night we were feeling lazy so Last Chair Kitchen & Bar fed us a nice meal. Followed up with Sweat Peaks where I tried huckleberry ice cream for my first time. My taste buds are still thanking me. Monday morning had come again and more see you later’s were in store. Canadian borders were in my sights.
Flabbergasted by Opportunity 