It’s a late morning, as you might expect from the previous entry, and in a cruel twist of fate’s knife, we’re so late that we miss breakfast. In spite of yesterday, and this morning’s tragedy, we’re determined to get another hike in - both to keep our legs from seizing up and to make sure we’re getting the most out of the national park. We head back in and to a more distant trailhead on the opposite side of Lake McDonald to Apgar.
This trail - the Horse Trail Loop - should be a fairly flat route that takes us along the McDonald Creek, taking in some of the surrounding forests and a stepping series of waterfalls, and seems fairly popular judging by the busy carpark and groups of people attaching their snowshoes as we arrive. It’s an easygoing hike, with some very picturesque moments, which helps to ease our muscles and restore a bit of our emotional lustre.
As we head back, we’re very hungry so stop at A&W for some lunch - it’s a interesting experience, with a flustered young chap fighting with the ordering system and what seems to be a baby crying some way back in the kitchen, but the food is hot and tasty. Today we leave Glacier behind, but it’s managed to earn a place on my list of places to return to, although I think I’d like to see it outside of the winter months, as I imagine it has a very different atmosphere without the persistent blanket of snow.
It’s a beautiful day as we head south towards Butte, on our way towards Yellowstone, and the scenery continues to be indescribable as we weave through the mountains and valleys. The valleys here spread wider and far, but are stitched in by mountains in all directions - impossibly long trains rumble by, single engines towing miles of box cars that can take minutes to pass. We stop regularly to take pictures or stretch our legs, in what must be one of the most impressive stretches of geography in our trip so far.
We arrive into Butte in the early evening - the hotel is fine, but Butte itself is one of those specific American towns that sprawls across the valley with not obvious centre, only miles of busy roads lined with restaurants, shops and petrol stations. Butte was apparently one of the richest towns in Montana due to a successful rush on gold and silver in the surrounding hills, finding subsequent wealth in the large copper deposits once the shiny metals had be dug out. It’s hard to judge to much, given we’re only staying for a few hours, but perhaps this history has given the city what feels like a distinctly industrial feel as we drive in.
After checking in a pretty enormous hotel room, we head out to find some dinner - it seems like much of the city has closed and options within walking distance are limited. Given that we’re both pretty shattered after the past couple of days, we decide on a takeaway pizza and head back to the hotel to finish off The Last Duel - which we started, but never finished, during our time in the Montana pile up - whilst I do some laundry in the meantime. Tomorrow we hope to reach Yellowstone, so it makes sense to get some rest.