Glacier National Park (July 3-18) Part 3: Stuck in Chicago

Chicago Skyline: photo by Kara

As the Amtrak pulled into Chicago 7 hours late, those of us transferring to the Empire Builder to Seattle were instructed to walk to the Great Hall and go to the customer service table an wait for instructions from the attendants there. We were given 2 free taxi vouchers, a night's stay at the Swiss Hotel in downtown Chicago, and a ten dollar food voucher to be used in the train station. We would have to catch tomorrow's train at the same time. After waiting in line Kara, the young woman who was spearheading the phone call attempt to hold the train, was checking to see what plans the other passengers who had to stay the night were making. Another man we had met decided to get on another train that would take him to Los Angeles and then eventually to Seattle. At least another three days on the train! Mike, the Mormon accountant, had also missed his transfer to Utah. Kara decided to get a full refund, stay at an AirB&B in Chicago, and catch a flight into Seattle the following day. After checking on a few other passengers, Kara, Mike, and I decided to team up and make plans to enjoy the night in Chicago, which also happened to be the fourth of July.

The three of us piled into a taxi outside of Union Station Chicago, and took the cab to the Swiss Hotel a couple miles away. We couldn't have asked for a better location. The hotel was located right next to the River Walk, a few blocks away from one of the main areas to watch the fireworks. The hotel itself was really nice. I felt out of place with my dirty backpack amongst all of the professionals who were also spending the night there. My room was on the fourth floor, with views of the river, swimming pools, and other giant buildings. It was one of the nicest rooms I've ever stayed in. After taking a few minutes to recoup our energy, Kara, Mike and I decided to walk down to the AirB&B Kara was going to stay in which was a few blocks away and get her checked in. After all of that was done, we decided to get some Chicago style pizza at Giordano's before going to see fireworks.

Giordano's was jam packed with people. We had to wait 45 minutes for a table. When we were seated at our table, we were told our pizza was going to take an hour. I was afraid we were wasting our time and the food probably wasn't going to be that good due to the volume of people there. Boy was I wrong! THE BEST PIZZA EVER!!! Kara, Mike and I feasted on a deep dish pizza. Each slice probably weighed about a pound. I could only eat two slices.

After eating pizza, Kara, Mike and I walked over to the river and began looking for a place to watch the fireworks. Obviously, there was a festive atmosphere as the River Walk filled in with people. We found a spot right along the harbor. Fireworks began a little after 9:00pm, and ended 20 minutes later or so. The real fireworks didn't begin until afterward. Just as the grand finally came to an end, a severe thunderstorm blew in off the lake. Thunder, lightning, and heavy rain began falling seconds after the last firework exploded. Everyone became drenched from rain, kids and adults screaming as we all left the River Walk in a mass exodus. The scene was surreal as many sought shelter under Chicago's streets, tunnels, and caverns, as water falls poured water below from the city world above. It was a 4th of July to remember. Kara, Mike, and I didn't have far to go to our hotel so we were able to enjoy the chaotic scene. We entered the hotel lobby drenched, while a steady stream of soaked tourists followed behind for the next hour or so. Everyone seemed happy.

The following day was the 5th of July. Kara, Mike and I still had a whole day to fill, as our trains were not scheduled to leave until later in the afternoon. Kara's flight wasn't until later as well. We decided to check out Chicago's River on one of the tour boats. It was a great morning to see the city from the river. Sunny, hot and humid, but a nice breeze blowing off the water. After the tour, we walked down to the "silver bean" in Millennium Park and took a few photos there. By the time all of this was done, it was time to check out of the hotel and head back to the train station. The three of us jumped into a cab and spent our lunch voucher on some train station Chinese food. Before we new it, it was time to say goodbye and go our separate ways.

By 6:00pm, I was back on the train. A heavy rain was falling in the city. We had done our sight seeing just in time. It had been a great 24 hours in Chicago. Slowly the train pulled out of the station and began heading west. I was scheduled to arrive in East Glacier around 4:00pm the following day...

Glacier National Park (July3-18) Part 2: Amtrack-Washington D.C. to Chicago

On July 3rd, My parents drove me through the chaotic streets of Washington D.C. and dropped me off at Union Station where I planned to take the Amtrack. My route would take me from Washington D.C. all the way to Glacier National Park in East Glacier. We were running a little behind and I only had a few minutes to spare. I always feel a little strange with my hiking backpack in the city. Once in the train station, the scene became more chaotic with people everywhere moving in every direction. Most train stops I've been to are very simple. Usually one train heading in one direction. This was a little more like a small airport. My mind was not in travel mode yet so I had a hard time processing all the information bombarding my senses. Fortunately, I got into the right line just by chance, and a few minutes later, we were boarding our train.

I've had some great train rides in the past, which is why I still choose to do it I guess. Train rides are social affairs. There is plenty of room to walk around, get up and use the bathroom, and assigned seats have plenty of leg room. The lounge car has always been my favorite with large windows to enjoy the scenery. I'm not the most social person in the world, but it's always nice to meet new people on the train. It's not like airplanes where you can get by with not saying a word to anybody if you don't feel like it. On the train, you become "companions on the journey" so to speak, and conversation often occurs naturally as a result.

As soon as my tickets were checked, I walked to the lounge car. The stress of making the train on time began to melt away. A few minutes later, an older man asked,
 "Is this seat taken?" Pointing to a seat next to me.
"Nope," I replied.
"Hi, my name is Mike. Where are you headed?"
I told him about my plans to hike in Glacier National Park. Mike was a Morman accountant and was heading to Utah to visit family for a week. We continued to chat as the scenery unfolded around us. Highlights for me was seeing the Potomac River, C&O bike path, Harpers Ferry complete with what appeared to be an Appalachian Trail thru hiker taking a nap on the bench outside the train station. The lounge car began to fill up and conversations ignited all around us.

As evening approached, the train began to fall behind schedule. A few minutes here, a few minutes there. I didn't mind because I had a 6 hour layover in Chicago, before catching another train called the Empire Builder, west. By midnight, the train came to a complete halt. I was still in the lounge car, beginning to doze off and on into sleep. One passenger had unrolled a sleeping bag, and was completely horizontal in the corner of the lounge car, fast asleep.
"That guy is a genius," I thought to myself.
The train was not moving anywhere and then I realized how cold it was in the lounge car. I could feel the tip of my nose losing it's heat and wrapped myself in my rain jacket. Soon other passengers that were still in the lounge car began to sprawl across the remaining seats, trying to catch some z's. I decided to give the floor a chance, since it was apparent the Amtrack staff was not going to send us back to our seats which they sometimes do. It was too cold though, and could feel the AC blowing onto me from below. It was going to be a long, sleepless night.

The train finally began to move four hours later. Later we learned the cause of the delay was a fallen tree across the tracks in West Virginia, and break maintenance on the train as a result of hitting the tree. By the time the sun came up, the lounge car began to fill up once again. The guy in the sleeping bag in the corner woke up, yawned and stretched, packed away his sleeping bag, and returned to his assigned seat in another car. He probably had the best sleep of anybody on the train. I walked downstairs to the café car and ordered a coffee. I was going to need it. The conversation in the lounge car shifted to the delay. How far behind schedule were we? Would we be able to make our connecting trains? Mike had to catch a train to Utah via Chicago, and as things stood, he would just be able to make the transfer. I learned several other passengers were also heading west on the Empire Builder, and we had about an hour of wiggle room remaining to make our transfer in Chicago. The train still seemed to be moving at an excruciating slow pace, stuck behind freight train traffic which has the right of way on the rail lines.

Suddenly near Cleveland Ohio, the train stopped again. A groan let out amongst the passengers. 5 minutes passed, 10 minutes, 30 minutes. Finally after an hour we began moving. Rumors swirled amongst the passengers. Suposedly a pedestrian was struck by a freight train. Someone mentioned a protester. I still don't really know what happened. The Amtrack conductor came over the loud speaker and apologized for the delays and the "unfortunate incident." As the day progressed, it was clear we were now in a race against the clock. Those of us who had to catch the Empire Builder formed a small team and began calling the Amtrack hot line asking whether or not they could hold our transferring train for us. Many of us had places to be obviously, and schedules to maintain. One young woman named Kara was trying to make a wedding in Seattle. She began to lead the charge, encouraging other passengers to call and see what our options were.

The country side began to transform into an urban landscape. Finally we got word from Amtrack that they could not hold the train and we would be missing our transfer. Mile also was going to miss his train to Utah. We would all have to report to the customer service station in the Great Hall to see what to do from there. The landscape outside turned into an industrial wasteland and we could see the Chicago skyline off in the distance and one of the Great Lakes to the north. We pulled into Chicago 45 minutes too late to make our connecting train, almost 7 hours late total. Having only a limited amount of time in Glacier, I was disappointed to lose an entire day. Like they say, when life serves you lemons, make lemonade. It was the 4th of July in Chicago, the night at least held some promise...

Glacier National Park (July 3-18) Part 1

My friend Camo from the Appalachian Trail texted me a few months back asking whether or not I'd like to join him on a hike through Glacier National Park on the CDT this summer. Since I work in education, I had the summer off. I was not planning on doing any hiking this summer since I just recently picked up a fiddle and was planning on practicing during my break. The call of the mountains was too strong however, and I had to say yes. I was looking forward to getting a few more miles in with my friend. We contacted Moosie to see if she wanted to join us, but she was unable this time.

Camo wanted to aim for the first week in July to hike Glacier. I suggested we do the 90 miles or so along the CDT, from East Glacier to Chief Mountain. It was one of my favorite sections along the whole CDT when I hiked it southbound in 2013. The time frame fit just about right, so Camo and I began planning.

Since both of us have done a lot of hiking, there really wasn't too much to do. Camo had to pick up some more winter gear, including an ice axe and yak tracks. I had all of my gear, I just needed to make sure it all worked. I still had my GPS from 2013 with all of the waypoints stored on a small disc. I still had a CD with all of Jonathan Ley's maps on it. I simply had to print out 8 maps of the Glacier National Park section and print out another 8 for Camo. We decided to get our permits there at the park when we arrived, rather than go through the application process online. In 2013, I had no problems getting the itinerary I wanted although I started about a week earlier than what we were planning. This time however, we ran into problems, but more on that later. Camo decided to do an airplane/train combo to get to the park, but later changed his plans after a friend of his was also heading to the park at the same time. Camo drove up with them. I decided to take Amtrack all the way from Maryland to East Glacier, with a 6 hour layover in Chicago. I liked the idea of being able to reach the park completely by train.

After packing up my gear, my parents gave me a ride to Union Station in Washington D.C. and I hopped on the Amtrack on July 3rd and began heading west. Camo left with his friends on July 4th and began driving north from Texas...