by Mike Graf
Dad rolled over to the fire crew. He waited nearby and watched them discuss the situation. Meanwhile, several other cyclists arrived at the parking lot from the west.
Dad felt a chill from the morning wind and the sweat he had worked up on his climb. He pulled his windbreaker out of his jersey pouch and slipped it on. Then Dad watched the smoke from the fire expanding high into the sky.
The firefighter who had been talking on the radio turned and spoke to his crew. “The wind has shifted and it’s become a raging inferno down there. And the fire’s getting close to the highway above St. Mary Lake.”
Several firefighters hurriedly ran to their vehicles. Two trucks took off to the east; the ranger with the barricade moved it so they could get by.
Dad wondered what Mom and the kids were going through. He wheeled himself a little closer. “Excuse me.” A ranger paused. “I just rode my bike up here this morning, and my family’s at Rising Sun Campground,” Dad informed them. The ranger glanced at Dad, not anticipating this kind of predicament. He held up his hand. “Hang on a moment.”
After conferring with the others, the ranger returned quickly to Dad. “You can’t go back down,” he said. “It’s too dangerous, and the road is already closed.”
“What about my family?”
Again the ranger held up his hand so he could discuss the situation further with his crew. Meanwhile, the other bike riders pedaled over to find out what was going on.
• • •
Mom, Morgan, and James hastily broke down camp. Morgan put as much food as she could into containers. Mom and James tore down the tent and stuffed the sleeping bags into their sacks. The three of them threw everything haphazardly into the car and piled in. Mom started up the car, and they headed for the campground exit.
Morgan gazed out the window at the totally obscured sky.
Ashes drifted onto the car like snow. James saw raging flames flickering up the side of a nearby hill. “The fire’s really close,” he reported nervously.
As they approached the main road, they were met by a patrol car. The ranger there directed all traffic east.
Mom turned the required direction. “We’ll find out about Dad as soon as we can,” she said.
• • •
From their vantage point at Logan Pass, the group of cyclists stared at the massive bomblike cloud of smoke ballooning up from the horizon.
“The fire’s been going on all week,” Dad mentioned to the others, “but it’s gotten a lot worse since yesterday.”
The ranger strode briskly over to the cyclists. “We’re sending up a shuttle bus to haul you and your bikes down to the western side of the park. With all the fire crews coming up, there’s too much traffic on the road for a safe bike ride. The bus can drop you at Avalanche Creek Campground or anywhere farther west.”
Then the ranger looked at Dad. “I suggest you go to Apgar. If your family checks in at St. Mary, we’ll inform them through the emergency dispatch that you are there.”
The cyclists wheeled over to the bus stop. They all sat down and waited for the shuttle. Dad told the small group about how he got separated from his family. Others told of similar situations. “I’m supposed to meet my family at Rising Sun,” one said. “I don’t know how we’re going to meet up now.”
“I wonder where we’ll all end up tonight,” another added.
• • •
Mom drove east along with a line of evacuating cars. To the south, flames roared up on the other side of St. Mary Lake.
The Parkers approached the visitor center. A ranger stationed there directed all traffic to keep on going.
Once out of the park, Mom pulled over at the intersection. A ranger and fire truck were parked next to a Road Closed sign. Mom, Morgan, and James hurried over to the emergency personnel.
“My husband is on that road with his bike somewhere,” she told the ranger anxiously.
“Ah, the bicyclists. We were told about that.”
“And?”
“Apparently several cyclists are stuck at the summit.”
“So everyone’s okay?”
“From what I’ve heard, yes. They’re going to be shuttled down to the west side and have been told to reunite with their families and friends at Apgar.”
Mom remembered where Apgar was. “With this road closed, how do we get there?”
“The only way would be to head south to the junction at East Glacier. From there you can pick up Highway 2 along the southern end of the park. But it won’t be easy or quick. There’s a second fire there, near the highway. It’s extremely smoky, and pilot cars are escorting groups through.”
“Thanks,” Mom said. She put her arms around James and Morgan. “Come on, we’ve got a long journey ahead.”
• • •
The bus came a while later and picked up Dad and the others. As they wound their way down the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road, a line of fire trucks climbed in the other direction.
One of the cyclists looked at Dad and kindly asked, “Do you need any food?”
“Thanks,” Dad replied. “I still have a couple of energy bars. And I also have some money. There’s a store at Lake McDonald and at Apgar. I’ll be fine.”
The bus continued to descend to lower elevations. Eventually the road leveled out. The skies on the west side of the park were surprisingly blue.
The other cyclists exited the bus at Avalanche Creek Campground. “Good luck!” one called out to Dad as he hauled his bike off.
Dad exited the shuttle at Lake McDonald. As he lifted his bike down, Dad said to the driver, “The rest of the road is mostly flat, so I might as well ride. Thanks for the lift.”
Dad watched the bus drive away. Then he hopped on his bike and began pedaling toward Apgar.
In the northern part of the park, a male moose bellowed. It pranced out of the forest and noticed a female and her calf. But there was another male nearby.
The two competitors sized each other up. They stepped forward, then trotted closer. The males collided, grunting while shoving together forcefully. They locked antlers and attempted to push each other back. Both moose breathed heavily and continued to push for further leverage. At different times, each gained and lost steps while adjusting the position of his antlers.
Finally, one of the moose shook his head back and forth, then thrust his antlers forward and knocked the other out of balance. The defeated moose scampered backward and trotted into a nearby marsh.
The dominant moose lifted his head upright and pranced into the vicinity of the female. It pawed and scuffed at the ground, eventually digging out a depression.
The moose stepped out of the hole and walked up to a tree. The bull rubbed his antlers against the trunk, scouring off the new fuzzy growth. He shook his antlers several times, letting bits of fuzz drop off.
The female moose watched the proceedings. Finally, she stepped toward the newly formed den created by the bull.
At the town of East Glacier, Mom turned the car southwest on Highway 2. A few miles later, the Parkers approached a line of cars. Mom pulled up and waited.
Morgan stared out the window. “It’s so smoky,” she said anxiously, thinking about Dad breathing in the polluted air as he rode his bike. Ashes continued to waft onto the car and pile up while they sat there.
After a thirty-minute delay, a pilot car heading northeast passed with a long line of cars following it. After the last car went by, the pilot car turned around to pull in front of the Parkers’ group.
Slowly, the waiting travelers began moving. Soon they were inching along at twenty-five miles per hour on the road paralleling the southern end of the park.
Outside was an eerie fire scene. Fire trucks next to the road blocked one of the lanes. Some were pumping water into the smoldering brush nearby.
Dark, dense smoke choked the whole region. Mom turned on her headlights. Flames flickered on hillsides, and several hot spots flared up right next to the road.
“It looks like
a war zone out there,” Mom observed worriedly. “But I know the rangers were watching this develop. I’m sure Dad is in a safe place by now.”
Suddenly, two dark forms escaped from the smoke and flames and ran onto the highway. “Look,” James exclaimed, “wolves!”
The stunned animals froze in the headlights of the cars. One wolf quickly galloped south toward a nonburning forested area. The other limped after his companion.
“That one looks like the one we saw the other day!” Morgan said. “But it’s hard to tell with all the smoke.”
Soon the wolves had run out of sight.
• • •
Dad pedaled along Going-to-the-Sun Road. Eventually he made it to Apgar and rode up to the visitor center. A bulletin board was posted in front of the building with an update on the fire conditions. Dad read the information and looked at a map. Kristen and the kids must be here on this highway, he thought.
Dad put his bike against a wall and walked inside to find out more.
After talking with the rangers, Dad stocked up on snacks at the store across the street to energize himself for the several-mile-long ride up to Fish Creek Campground and whatever easy meal he might need later. He paid for a site near where they had stayed a week ago. Dad pedaled up to it, walked his bike onto the dirt, and sat at the picnic table. Dad stayed there, staring through the trees, thinking about his family and where they might be now and how they would find each other. He looked at the lake and wondered what to do next.
Dad rode back to the campground check-in station, borrowed some paper and a pen, and wrote a quick note:
Hi Kristen, Morgan, and James! I reserved us a campsite—D-18. It’s five o’clock right now. I am going to ride back to Apgar and hope to see you there. I’m okay and I hope you are too.
Love,
Dad
Dad anchored the message to the picnic table with a rock and rode back into Apgar Village. He also posted a message on the bulletin board in Apgar. All he could do now was wait.
15
Dad stayed around the Apgar area watching people come and go. After a while, he walked back to the ranger station and checked for updated information about travel on Highway 2. It’s going to take them some time to get here, he realized.
Dad wheeled his bike down to the water at Lake McDonald. He sat near the shore and gazed at the surprisingly clear view.
• • •
Mom, Morgan, and James approached a bend in the road at Bear Creek. The pilot car pulled aside and let the caravan of cars pass. Mom followed the car ahead of her into two-way traffic.
“It’s less smoky now,” James reported.
“Yeah, I feel like I can breathe again,” Morgan added with relief in her voice.
“We’re going to be fine, kids,” Mom assured them. “Look, the cars around us are speeding up. At this rate, hopefully we’ll get to Apgar in an hour or so.”
• • •
The late afternoon breeze chilled Dad. He zipped up his jacket just as he heard footsteps approaching.
Dad turned and, to his surprise, saw two familiar faces. “Hey! It’s my old buddies from Sperry Chalet!”
“Hi!” Greg smiled. “Long time no see.”
The couple saw Dad’s bike. “Are you out for a spin?” Corinne asked.
“Sort of. But it’s not quite the ride I intended it to be.”
Dad told Greg and Corinne about his climb up Going-to-the-Sun Road and the closure at the summit.
“So,” Corinne said, “you’re here without food, your camping supplies, and your family?”
“That’s pretty much it.”
“Throw your bike in our truck,” Greg spontaneously suggested, “and we’ll drive you back to Fish Creek Campground.”
“Thanks,” Dad said. “I’ve already ridden that stretch of road a couple of times today, and I was getting pretty tired from it.”
Greg and Corinne got into the truck, and Dad hoisted his bike into the back. Then he hopped into the backseat to join them.
“We need to stop at the store really quick on the way,” Corinne mentioned. “Is that okay?”
“Of course,” Dad replied.
• • •
Mom, Morgan, and James drove up to the ranger station. Morgan hopped out of the car and ran up to the building. She first checked the fire information board. Then Morgan jogged to where notes were posted. Morgan found Dad’s note. She read it, then ran back to the car.
“Dad made it!” Morgan reported excitedly. “He says he’s in site D-18 at Fish Creek. And if he’s not there, he’s around here somewhere, looking for us.”
Mom drove around the block several times. They also checked by the lake. “I think Dad’s probably in camp now,” Mom concluded after not seeing any bicyclists.
The three Parkers headed toward Fish Creek.
• • •
At the store across the street, Dad grabbed some additional food to supplement his stash.
Greg and Corinne saw Dad’s basket as he joined them in line. “You’re hungry!” Greg exclaimed.
“A little,” Dad admitted. “But now that I don’t have to carry all this in my bike jersey, I thought I’d bring it to camp.”
“You’re going to eat all that tonight?” Corinne inquired.
“Maybe,” Dad replied. “I can always save some for morning.”
“Where?” Greg asked. “As of now, you have no car to store it in.”
“You’re right. I hadn’t thought about that.”
Greg and Corinne looked at each other and nodded. “We’ve got an idea,” Greg said. “We’re staying at a hotel just outside the park. We’ll hang out with you until dark. If your family isn’t there by then, you are welcome to stay with us.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Dad replied sheepishly.
“You can’t stay in camp without a tent and sleeping bag!” Greg exclaimed.
“That’s really kind of you,” Dad said. “Boy, I sure hope Kristen and the twins make it here before nightfall, though!”
Dad paid for his food. They left the store and walked back to the truck. The three got in and began driving to Fish Creek.
• • •
Mom slowed down at the campground entrance station and rolled down her window. “We’re the rest of the Parkers in site D-18,” she reported.
The woman in the booth looked at a list. “Okay,” she replied. “I’ve got your name here.”
The ranger wrote their campsite number on a slip of paper. “Here,” she said, handing it to Mom. “Put this in your driver’s-side window.”
Mom posted the paper, then leaned out. “Have you seen a man on a bike wearing a blue jersey?”
“Yes,” the woman replied. “I saw him earlier today.”
“Thanks,” Mom said with a sigh of relief. She drove through, and they found site D-18, but it was empty. Morgan hopped out of the car and found another note from Dad on the picnic table. She picked it up and dashed back. “I’ve got another clue!” Morgan called out.
Morgan read the note to Mom and James. “We must have missed him somewhere in Apgar,” James concluded.
“Or he’s on his way here,” Morgan added.
“But then we would have seen him on the road,” Mom realized.
“Should we go back?” James asked.
“I’ve got an idea,” Mom said. “In case he’s around here somewhere, let’s set up for his birthday and wait. Then if we have to, we’ll go back.”
“Okay,” Morgan and James agreed.
The three of them hurriedly got out all their decorations. They taped up the HAPPY 40TH, DAD! banner, put out the tablecloth, Dad’s card, and his birthday cake.
Mom grabbed the candles and pushed them into the cake. “Let’s get a few pictures now too, before Dad gets here,” she suggested.
Morgan found her camera and snapped several photos.
• • •
When Greg, Corinne, and Dad drove up to the campground entrance station, Dad leaned o
ut the window behind Greg and asked the attendant, “Has anyone checked into D-18?”
The woman in the booth smiled. “Yes. They just got here a few minutes ago!”
Dad raised his arms. “Yeah!” he called out.
• • •
Mom gazed at their site with James and Morgan. “It looks festive, doesn’t it? But we’re still missing one thing.”
“Dad!” they all said at once.
A truck drove up. Morgan, James, and Mom stared at it. They saw a couple in the front, but didn’t recognize them.
Morgan noticed there was a bike in the bed of the truck. First Greg got out, then Corinne. Finally, a man climbed out of the backseat.
“Dad!” James and Morgan called out, running up to their father.
“Honey!” Mom exclaimed and joined in the reunion.
Dad hugged and kissed his family. Then he stepped back and inspected their campsite. “You’ve been busy!”
“Wait!” Mom said. She lit the candles and called everyone over, including Greg and Corinne. “Okay, ready everyone?”
And they all started singing.
“Happy Birthday to you…”
Dad blew out his candles, looked up, and smiled. “My wish already came true.”
“What did you wish?” Morgan asked.
“I don’t want to say. That would jinx it. But I bet you can guess.”
Mom looked at Greg and Corinne. “You’re going to stay for cake, right?”
“Of course,” Corinne replied. She looked at Dad. “Why didn’t you tell us it was your birthday?”
“I had other things on my mind.”
After eating, the Parkers exchanged e-mail addresses with Greg and Corinne.
As the couple walked back to their truck, Greg called out, “We’ll e-mail you our pictures from Sperry Glacier!”
“I’ll send you ours!” Morgan called back.
Once Greg and Corinne were gone, Dad smiled at his family. “Come here, all of you.”
Dad put his arms around Morgan, James, and Mom. “Thank you for a great birthday! It really was a surprise.”
“We had it set up for you at Rising Sun,” Morgan informed him.
