The Hiawatha

After Club Foster we headed toward Glacier National Park but along our way we stopped at the Haiwatha trail. Jace and Lindsey luckily came along with us here and on our first day in Glacier.

Us doing the Hiawatha!

The Olympian Hiawatha route has been called one of the most breathtaking scenic stretches of railroad in the country. The "crown jewel" of rail-to-trail. I highly recommend it and here is a little history from skilookout.com/hiaw and following is what you could see.

"Winding through 10 tunnels and 7 high trestles, this 15-mile route crosses the rugged Bitterroot Mountains between Idaho and Montana. The Route of the Hiawatha is best known for the long, dark St. Paul Pass, or Taft Tunnel, which burrows for 1.66 miles under the Idaho/Montana state line.

With an incredible history beginning in 1906 of construction, hardships and calamities, unprecedented electrification, and of carrying passengers and freight from the Northwest to the Midwest, generations of railroaders kept the Milwaukee Road running until it finally went bankrupt in 1977. The last train west of Butte, Montana passed through in 1980. After that the line was abandoned."

This is the start and the end of the Hiawatha trail. It is a process to rent and do the trial but well worth it. In the background is the 1.66 mile long tunnel. Which at this moment we did not realize was very muddy as you will notice. 

Yes, that is just dirt. 

Kissing with Helmets, it can not get better than that.