2023 CDT - Day 38 - Finale to Chief Mountain Border.

Where do we go from here?

Peace Park at the US/Canada border crossing. Chief Mountain Station.

I woke about 0600 with the morning light and cool air coming in through the open windows of the T@B. It was really quite pleasant before the heat of the day. It was Runningbird's last day on the trail for this year's section of the CDT adventure. I checked the Spot and saw that she was already on the move, and after adding the extra two miles of the lake transit that she had to do, estimated her ETA. I was to meet her at the Chief Mountain border crossing with Canada, about a forty minute drive from the KOA.

After coffee, breakfast, and my morning maintenance and housecleaning routine, I packed up some snacks for Runningbird and Beau and I got underway. On the way out of the RV park we were blocked from exiting by a motor home across the road and we had to exit through the entrance. A later inquiry found that the motorhome had backed into one of the "Red Buses" that does a daily pickup here for tours. The Red Buses are a fleet that have long been providing tours in Glacier Park and were built by the White Motor Company between 1936 and 1939 and carry 17 passengers. Hope the motorhome driver has good insurance.

Two Sisters Coffee at the Two Sisters Cafe, Babb, MT.

Heading up the highway towards the border I stopped at "The Two Sisters Cafe" to check on the hours and have a look at the menu in the window. In addition to the "Beyond Beef Burger" they also have several other dishes that would qualify for at least vegetarian including roasted Brussels sprouts, eggplant parmigiana, and salads. Their Huckleberry Pie is famous although most everything on the menu seemed a bit expensive but not a whole lot of other good options in these parts. Continuing on up the highway I enjoyed the wonderful scenery and majestic mountains of Glacier NP. We parked in the trailhead parking lot, about 100 yards from the USCBP crossing and about 150 yards form the Canadian Border entrance. After a potty walk for Beau I put up the Runningbird flag and settled down to read my book.

Glacier NP, MT.

It was only after a few pages of reading that I heard Runningbird call out "Hey David" and I put down my book to jump out and greet her. We got her pack off and after she used the porta-potty we walked up to the border guard and asked if we could walk up to the monument to take pictures. He kept saying "No" despite Peggy's pleas and then we realized he was laughing. He pointed us in the direction and told us we would need to walk back between some sensor things but didn't need any ID or passports as long as we didn't go beyond the Canadian entry station. He was laughing, but, I mean, why wouldn't we take the guy seriously?

Glacier NP from Highway 17 near Chief Mountain Station, MT.

Back at the KOA, we inquired about, and then later, decided to stay another day. Peggy liked the idea of hanging out in the hot tub and pool, going out to dinner, and visiting the shops in St. Mary. We got to the rig and changed clothes and she headed straight for the hot tub. I went to the office and registered us to stay in our current site for another day and then joined her in the hot tub and then the pool. The place was far less crowded than it had been the day before. We met some other folks there from Ventura, CA and visited with them for quite a while and traded contact information.

Finished at the northern border trailhead, MT.

At dinner time we went to the Park Cafe and both had the Vegetarian burger. While the burger was good, the setting in the cafe was sparse. No plates, just the foil wrapper it was served in. No utensils and the condiments were little packets provided in a paper coke cup. We were sitting at the bar counter and as business was slow, go figure, the server (from Wisconsin) sat there and chatted with us as we ate. We wanted to try the Huckleberry Pie but they were sold out. Apparently most everywhere in town was sold out of the widely advertised specialty. Our server was pushing the other pie flavors but at $7 for a sliver ($39.99 for a whole pie), I could go without.

We spent the evening reading and Runningbird continued to be hungry. Ya think she may have needed to replace some calories? She had two servings of Cesar salad and I walked up to the KOA store and bought a package of cookie/biscuits that seemed to provide a few more calories that I'm sure the Cesars didn't provide. It was sure nice to be able to drift off to sleep without checking the Spot and having concern about where Runningbird was and for her safety. I'm also sure she was happy to be reading a book and able to sleep on a comfortable bed with Beau snuggled up next to her with his head on her arm. It was also probably comforting to know she could get up in the night and go to the bathroom without going outside and that she didn't have to get up in the morning and go again. At least for now.

Walking back to the US border station and the terminus of the Alternate Route Trailhead.