Choose bear, take the keys and run

If you need an amazing trail destination, Waterton National Park in Canada is the new place I am going to be annoyingly telling everyone about. It is the Canada side of Glacier National Park and it will pop your eyes as you drive in both for the views and lucky me, for the bear and two cubs playing just inside the entrance. It also has nice Canadian people, awesome CBC radio reception, and some amazing hikes. 

The Crypt Lake hike requires a boat shuttle to the trailhead and I picked it since there would be a literal boatload of people to hike with since hiking solo in grizzly country is not the best idea. In conversation with some guys, likely around my age, one asked me if my husband let me go on this trip without him. I asked if he could repeat what he said, giving him the chance to say that one better, but he did not. I answered that in our house we didn’t really put things that way. He didn’t have further questions. 

I hiked a few more miles preoccupied thinking through way, way better answers. Like, “he has no idea, I just took the keys a week ago. He must be rip-roaring mad and is probably starving.”  

The next day, I went on a shuttle to a point-to-point traverse hike and three miles in saw my first grizzly in the wild. Followed by my second grizzly, both standing on either side of the trail like they were taking tolls from the hikers. After the entire shuttle of hikers caught up and all 18 of us carried on for an hour, they had only moved slightly closer. Half the group headed back down to the start. I stayed up with some others, hopeful the bears would move or we could go around but no matter which way we went, the bears just came our direction in a no-cares, snacking on berries, not backing down sort of way. In the end I got to watch these amazing creatures for over 90 minutes, one got a little too close and we all backed down the trail bailing on the hike, but in the end, I choose bear. It was awesome. 

MOBILITY
Come join me live on Monday mornings to start your day with 30 minutes of mobility. Start your rest day off right or just wake up to some foam rolling and musings from me. Rise and Shine information here. 

THIS IS RUNNING

• There is a record for six days of running and it is 636.482 miles. THIS is running (for a long time) 
• Pretty sure teams don't use live animal mascots anymore on purpose. THIS is running! 
• Sometimes it rains on your race day. Other times it floods and you run anyway. THIS is running.