Tuesday, June 10: horseback riding in Glacier

We had our first “relaxing day” in a while, meaning that we didn’t have to wake up until 8 am. We had breakfast in the cabin and then drove back into Glacier for a 2-hour horseback trail ride with Swan Mountain Outfitters. I had been looking forward to this activity for some time, and my excitement grew as we approached the ranch with horses saddled up and lined up along the log fence. We had our quick safety demo and selected helmets, then went to pet the horses while our wranglers prepared. Kurt was assigned the biggest horse on the ranch, named Bonanza, and I was given a chestnut called Chuck. We ended up with a private trail ride, just us and our two wranglers. As we took the meandering path through the woods, I spotted a black bear about 150 yards away. Our wranglers assured us that the horses were used to encountering wildlife on the trail; it only fazes the humans. My Fitbit counted my horse’s steps as my own, as I learned when it suddenly buzzed that I had reached my goal at only 11 am that day.

Chuck and Bonanza

After our 2-hour ride was finished, we dismounted onto newly wobbly legs. We tipped our wranglers, pet our horses goodbye, and then went to check out Apgar Village. In the gift shop, we admired the handcrafted pottery. “I like all this stuff,” said Kurt. “Does that mean I’m getting old?” We purchased souvenir t-shirts, stickers, and an elk antler chew toy for the dog.

Mmm, beer…

Flathead Lake Brewing Co.

A day of relaxing means that it was time to finally visit the area breweries. We headed to Big Fork and had lunch and a few pints at Flathead Lake Brewing Co. Afterwards, we continued our pub crawl across the street to the Raven. They didn’t brew their own beer (despite the misleading sign that said “Brew Pub & Grill”) but they made up for it with an amazing view of Flathead Lake.  We sat outside until the ominous sight of storm clouds rolled in, and hightailed it out of there as the staff began to quickly shutter the beer garden.

us at The Raven

We made our last stop in Whitefish, checking out the Great Northern Brewing Co., home of my new favorite Wild Huckleberry Wheat. At the bar, we were able to watch part of the Spurs/Heat playoff game. It was strange to watch TV and feel looped back into civilization after our previous day of wilderness adventure. Finally, we headed back to the cabin and enjoyed some leftover rhubarb pie from the fridge before calling it a night.

Wildlife sightings: black bear