OUTDOORS: GNP isn't going anywhere: I support the Blackfeet's decision to keep the east side entrances closed

Nothing like a global pandemic to put things in perspective. Yes, it's times like these when you realize what's truly important, and what, at least in the short-term, you can live without.

I think about those things every single day. And because I'm trying my hardest to keep things in perspective during these strange and crazy days, I felt the need to publicly issue my support to the Blackfeet Nation, and their decision to continue their non-essential travel-ban on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

It's absolutely the right thing to do, and while I am sorely going to miss hiking in Many Glacier and Two Medicine this summer, I also realize I can live without it. And I would rather not be able to travel to either of those majestic places for one summer, knowing that, by not going there, I helped protect my fellow citizens of Montana, and in this instance, the people of the Blackfeet Reservation.

Now, that's not to say I don't feel disappointment that I won't be seeing that side of Glacier National Park for what will end up being almost two full years. It's actually very disappointing because I can't remember the last time I didn't visit Many Glacier, and or Two Medicine at least once in a summer. It's been a long time, I do know that.

It's also disappointing that my wife and I won't be able to spend a few nights at the Red Eagle Motel in St. Mary this summer, or eat breakfast at the amazing Johnson Cafe, or eat our traditional post-hiking trip meal at Serranos in East Glacier. It sucks that I won't have a freshly baked cinnamon roll from Brownies in East Glacier, or Sweet Peaks Ice Cream in St. Mary, or pizza at Nells in Many Glacier, or the amazing burgers they have at Two Sisters Cafe in Babb.

Those are all things my wife and I enjoy every single summer, and I'm going to miss them all. But I can take comfort in knowing that, by taking a year off from our usual summer routine, I'm helping to protect my neighbors on the Blackfeet Reservation.

And that's the point ... we need to take care of each other during this COVID-19 stuff. We need to treat each other with respect and decency, and that includes protecting each other from the virus itself. It doesn't matter what you believe, or what you think about the virus, what does matter is not spreading it to others. No matter what you think, not protecting your fellow man from this virus is wrong.

So, all of you avid Glacier Park fans, all of you diehard hikers, campers and backpackers, don't be mad at the Blackfeet Nation. They are doing the right thing. They are doing what is necessary to protect their people, and to protect their neighbors from the spread of the coronavirus. There's no politics involved in their decision, there's no hidden agenda, they are doing what is best for the Blackfeet Reservation during this crisis and I fully support that.

Will I miss that side of Glacier? You bet I will. Will I miss all of the things I listed above? Absolutely. I will miss it dearly. But I also know this, by respecting the health and safety of the Blackfeet Nation, I also know that I'm helping to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and by doing that, I also know that I'll be able to get back and enjoy Many Glacier and Two Medicine in 2021.

Yup, that's right, Glacier Park isn't gong anywhere. It was there way before I was born, and way before I became a hiker, and, as much as a summer without it is going to suck, I know it will be there next summer, and the summer after that. It will be there when this pandemic is over, and between knowing that, and knowing that, protecting the Blackfeet is absolutely the right thing to do, I think I can manage. I think I'll be just fine waiting a year to visit the east side of the park, and so will everybody else.