Early Morning GlowA zoomed shot of our balcony view Good morning sunshineThe view from our balcony at Snow Bear Chalets

The next morning we awoke to the sounds of the birds chirping and we even spotted a squirrel scampering across the deck of our Treehouse Chalet.  There were a pair of Stellar Jays swooping around the trees when I went out onto the deck to grab a few shots of the sun rising over the shoulder of the mountain. Mark suited up for some morning skiing after we enjoyed some coffee on the deck – it was chilly but we were bundled up in some fuzzy robes we found in the closet.  I watched him walk the 10 or so meters to the ski hill, put on his skis, and then glide away down to the chair lift to spend the morning skiing Whitefish Mountain Resort.  Left to my own devices, and still nursing my torn MCL/ACL, I brewed a cup of tea, put on the fireplace, and settled down on the couch in front of the floor to ceiling windows and started processing some photographs. 

Balcony Views from Tamarack TreehouseMark riding the lift up to do some skiing at Whitefish Mountain Resort Sunny view of the skihill

Shortly after 4pm we headed into Glacier National Park to meet our friend for sunset on Lake McDonald.  We picked a pull over that would get us access to the beautiful lakeshore without too much stress to my knee.  After I had hobbled down, I plunked my bum in the multi-coloured rocks and chatted with our buddy Blake who is an author of some of my favourite books about Glacier, Climb Glacier National Park.  As we sat and visited and took photos, the sky did not disappoint us!  It went from peach to pink over the western mountains, and we snapped away, capturing the scene.  It was another magical Montana moment, and I felt very grateful for getting to experience it.

The next morning was a happy repetition of the day before: Mark skiing and Brigid relaxing by the fire, this time enjoying a good read.  That afternoon, once Mark was back from an awesome morning on the hill, we headed off for downtown Whitefish to do some shopping.  We hit all our favourite spots, starting with an Americano at Montana Coffee Traders. We’ve spent many hours sipping coffee, using the free wifi, and perusing the fun knick knacks.  Next door is a great selection of clothes (for hiking or around town) at The Toggary.  We continued downtown and stopped in for a local brew and some wings at The Craggy Range Bar and Grill. More shopping at Meriwether of Montana, The Montana Scene, and many other gift shops and book stores whet my whistle for spending (plus I was hobbling around on one crutch and my feet hurt) and we decided it was time for supper. 

After a short drive back towards the ski hill, we pulled into the impressive Lodge at Whitefish Lake for supper at The Boat House.  We were seated by a large window and had a lovely view out onto Whitefish Lake.  The food was delicious, and the chilled local beer was thirst quenching. We left the historic lodge full and satisfied, and definitely happy with our choice of establishment.  Returning to our Treehouse Chalet, we fired up the hot tub and relaxed into the evening.