Distinctly Montana Magazine

W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA NA . C O M 23 G L A C I E R S A B O V E motor and devoid of all but the most basic of legally required instruments. I had no radio, heat, starter, or other onboard naviga- tion, other than a compass and an iPad. It was with this aircraft that I taught myself how to fly around the highest peaks of the Colorado Rockies, stationing it at the highest airport in North America. As life would have it, I moved south of Jackson Hole, Wyoming less than a year later, and now Montana was more accessible. At this point I decided I would at least fly to all of the glaciers of Wyoming. I then had the idea to hop over into Montana through West Yellowstone, dipping my toes in the land of great wilderness and intrigue. I still recall gazing northward further into Montana, thinking to myself how wonderful it would be to explore the place. Glaciers add a nuance of complexity to mountain flying. As it is, mountain flying is complicated and can be dangerous due to wind, terrain, altitude, reduced aircraft performance, turbulence, and weather. I had mitigated these challenges pretty well so far, while savoring what I wanted while keeping an appropriate distance. e problem with glaciers is that they tend to hide below vertical peaks or glue themselves to the side of other equally foreboding terrain. It is pointless to view them from a distance, as they have much to offer getting close. at meant figuring out how to get an old and GLACIER NATIONAL PARK During the lifetime of a glacier, rocks often tumble from mountainsides above onto the glacier, buried by annual snowfalls. As a glacier melts these rocks begin to appear, with ever increasing density. Eventually, after the surface of the glacier melts, it can remain icy beneath the rocks on top, lubricating their descent down the mountain, resulting in what looks like a river of rock.

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