Glacier National Park Expedition - PLAN B

This is a new posting for an expedition to Glacier National Park utilizing the facilities of the Glacier Institute. The previous posting for an August trip has been deleted. Members desiring to attend this new June trip will need to sign up again. Keeping in mind that our trip will be structured to take advantage of the educational offerings and facilities of the GI, this is a change in the nature of the trip. Also, members should be sure they have read and are able to comply with the payment milestones required by the Glacier Institute. During the 5 day stay at the Institutes Field Camp, there will be daily, day long activities that include educational presentations, travel in the park or nearby national forest, and a day hike. Those who desire to pursue their own activities such as fishing, golf, river rafting, backpacking, sleeping in, or front country camping should plan to do so either before or after the stay at Field Camp. Our stay at Field Camp will include the following;

Program Opportunities - The charter of the Glacier Institute is to provide educational opportunities to members of the public that visit Glacier National Park. It is with that in mind that each day we will have a presentation by the GI staff. This may be a short discussion at the camp before leaving for the days activity or an educational presentation conducted trailside along our route. Topics might include, wildlife, geology, climate change, glaciers, park history, flora, or the top predator, grizzly bears.

Lodging- The Glacier Institute has small, newer cabins for resident programs. Typically a cabin sleeps 4 to 5 people in single beds, no bunks. Linens, pillows, and blankets are provided. Cabins do not have individual bath facilities. Modern, private bath and shower facilities are located in a recently built bathhouse proximal to the cabins.

Food - Field Camp has a common kitchen and dining area, all inside. Breakfast. We will be provided with breakfast fixings each day before setting out on our activity. Breakfast offerings include cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, hot and cold beverages, bagels or similar breakfast breads. Lunch. We can anticipate being in the field for lunch. Field Camp will provide the fixings for each participant to make their own lunch. Bread, rolls, meats, cheeses, fruit, veggies, snack bars are the typical offerings. Dinner. Upon returning to Field camp each afternoon we will have dinner provided. Possibly we can arrange a night or two to have dinner at one of the local cafes or lodges. We will be responsible for keeping the kitchen area tidy after our use.

Transportation - The GI will provide us with all of our program transportation needs during our stay. They will be taking us to trail heads and destinations in the park and nearby national forest in their van / bus each day. In addition, the GI will offer one pickup on Monday, June 17th for those arriving at Kalispell by air. They will offer one departure on Sunday, June 23 back to the airport. Members who choose to arrive prior to, or after, the GI program dates can contact Flathead Transportation to accommodate their specific needs at their own expense. The AMTRAK station at West Glacier is close to the park and we should be able to arrange to / from the Field Camp to those arriving by train.

All of the above will be provided at a cost of $870.00 per member attending. The cost structure is based upon the GI current availability of 8 spots. If additional capacity becomes available, additional spots will be announced. Certain fixed costs ( instructors, transportation) will decrease should additional spots become available but not appreciably.

The Glacier Institute requires a formal agreement with one representative for all payment and point of contact needs for this trip. The GI will not accept individual payments, nor will they process refunds to individual members. It is important that each person understand the particulars relating to payment and refunds.

IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT

An initial booking fee of one half of the $870.00 or $435.00 is due to the Glacier Institute by March 4th. I will collect the booking fee by personal check made out in my name and I will consolidate the booking fees to be sent to the GI in one check. There will be no refunds once I have mailed the check to the Glacier Institute. If I do not have 8 paid reservations in hand by March 4th, we will have to consider as paid up members wether or not we will continue with a smaller group at possibly greater individual costs or to do "something else".

The final payment of $435.00 is due by April 1st. Again, this payment will be by check made out in my name and consolidated into one final payment to the Glacier Institute.

If you are ready to sign up, please e mail me at jmcconn2@tampabay.rr.com for my address to which you can send your deposit. I would also be pleased to chat with you about any concerns you might have with this payment method. Again, please e mail me with your number and a time to call.

Signing Up- I hope you will consider this opportunity to visit one of our Nations premier national parks in the company of knowledgeable, experienced provided by the Glacier Institute. Following the stay, you may want to consider independent travel, hiking, or wilderness backpacking. The park has many front country campgrounds, lodges, motels, and cabins to choose from. Keep in mind that the park is very popular and must be booked soon. Myself, I'll likely stay in the park until the first week of June to do some backpacking and extended day hikes.

To constrain the attending list to only those who have forwarded a deposit, I have set the sign up parameters to myself +1. Any member desiring to go will be put on the waiting list and will be moved to the attending list only after their deposit has been received.