There’s a reason this road is the main attraction of Glacier. I had a bad habit of catching up on sleep while driving this road, but it was well worth being awake for every time.

I also had the best experiences hitchhiking.

The most magical moment of my entire life may have been the morning I did Sperry Glacier, my favourite hike in the park–I had stayed the night with a friend in West Glacier, and the employee shuttle never showed up in the morning. I stuck out a thumb and the first vehicle that drove by pulled over. The motorcyclist offered me his helmet, and though my initial reaction was to not take the proferred help, I decided to be smart. I pulled out my windbreaker and my sunglasses and hopped on for my first ever motorcycle ride. The sun had just risen and the whole entire world was still tinged with pink and orange as we drove around the lake. The wind tickled my hair and I felt so extraordinarily alive.

Another perfect moment came after hiking to Baring Falls and Sun Point with a friend. We were trying to get back to St. Mary, and eventually a pickup truck slowed down and let us into the bed. This time, the sun was setting and everything was beautiful. Though it was cold, it felt like flying to be so outside. We drove past two bears, as well.

The third memorable moment was less spectacular, but spoke to the kindness of strangers in the national parks. After a weekend camping near Lake MacDonald alone I was heading back to Many. A group of ladies picked me up at Lake, offering to take me to the Bend, where they would hike the Highline Trail. Halfway there, the driver suggested that I take their minivan and drive up to Logan Pass and leave it there so that I’d have a shorter distance to hitchhike and they wouldn’t have to take the shuttle later. I didn’t take them up on their offer as I wasn’t sure if I’d know which pedal was the brake, but I appreciated their friendly attitudes.