Segway 3: Glacier National Park

After waving goodbye to the field school students (who decided to yell and sing goodbye at 4 in the morning as they left the Ponderosa), I checked out of Cody yet again!  This time I headed north by myself, destination Bozeman, Montana.  This season was rough on my boots.  The stitches had all busted out, so I had flaps of leather waving in the breeze.  Here is my official plug for REI, which took my boots back no questions asked and let me replace them with a more current model at no charge (I even got five bucks back!).  After taking care of business (which also included a few hot showers) I headed still further north to Glacier National Park for Independence Day. 

(The view from Lake MacDonald.)

I’ve never been before, and was glad I went.  Apparently there are only 25 glaciers left in the park, which will be entirely gone by 2020!  I drove around the park for a bit, but was turned off by the crowds of park enthusiasts everywhere! 

(Truck + tent = my humble home for the past two months!)

The quietest spot was my campsite, so I spent most of my time there drinking coffee, reading newspapers, ethnographic literature, and fantasy novels with the pikas.

(Catching up on the latest happenings in the International Peace Park.)

What a relaxing way to spend a couple days!  On my way home, I marked a significant epoch in my career as an archaeologist by stopping at Ace Hardware in Laurel and purchasing my very first trowel.

(Non-archaeologists might not get it, but this is kind of like getting your first car!  I had to take a photo to commemorate the moment.)

The field crew is now down to Laura, Katie, and myself!  We spent one more day in Cody prepping for our next session before heading out yet again.

(Thunderstorms over Heart Mountain, Foretop’s Father.)