Left an oar behind at the ranger station boat inspection this morning (7/29/22) in Many Glacier, but luckily we aren’t leaving until tomorrow so were able to retrieve it without any backtracking. Otherwise I might be posting a video of me rowing around in circles. 🙂

New rule: I’m not going to post chronologically necessarily. So here goes.

Highest priority row was Lake McDonald in the west part of Glacier National Park. Last time I was in Glacier, standing on the gorgeous red and green rocks of its waters, I fantasized rowing here. But a trip to Glacier is days away from home, traveling with my Maas Aero sticking out in both directions on top of the car. Would H be game?

Of course, cuz that’s the kind of guy he is. My very patient partner and trip photographer made it happen for me with a well planned trip to Montana and Idaho weaving in a myriad of other lakes, creeks, hikes and a bike. More on those later.

Though we’d had the boat inspected in Idaho and then Montana, we needed to have it inspected in the NP. So that was our first order of business. Glad they are keeping their waterways as pristine as possible! We found a place to launch by Lake McDonald Lodge, and voila! The most awesome, delicious row of my life. The lake was glassy, not a wave to be found. No boats nor people in the water that I could see. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.

I got a sudden urge to know the indigenous name for this sacred body, Lake McDonald did not seem right at all. This is a very feminine presence. She who dances with the waters flowed into my consciousness. I asked later at the St. Mary Visitor Center; the person referred me to the Place Names of Glacier National Park book. According to this source, the Kootenai name is Yakil Haqwilnamki, “a good place to dance” or “where people dance”. It is believed to refer to ceremonial dances old timers say that were performed at the foot of the lake. These waters evoke a heart for dancing with them, I so get that!