Glacier: Owning Our Day of Reckoning

There is nothing like looking Mother Nature in the eye and feeling both the awe of her incredible beauty and the weight of our human carelessness towards her. This was my experience in Glacier National Park. I consider myself moderately well-informed about environmental issues, and I do my best to make thoughtful choices that are gentle on the planet. However, I'm far from perfect and there's much more I could be doing, in my small way, to do my part, to ensure that my niece and nephew and all children of future generations have clean water, fresh air, and sustainable food to eat. Everyone deserves these things. And yet, so many do not have them. Climate change is an enormous problem and it often feels overwhelming to me. Then I remember one of my favorite quotes from Teddy Roosevelt. He said, "Do What You Can, With What You Have, Where You Are." Teddy's words brings me back to my own choices and how I move through the world, acknowledging that each action I take can be an expression of my values. My choices (our choices) make a difference, not only today, but down the line.

Before I went to Glacier National Park, I was well aware that glaciers were melting due to climate change. However, what I didn't know is how quickly this is happening. Given the rate of change and the speed at which glaciers are decreasing in Glacier National Park, scientists predict that they will be gone by the year 2030. (Yes, you read that right. I didn't make a typo. The glaciers are expected to be gone in the next 12 years.) The thought of this was almost too much for me to bear. And yet, we are on track to experience this reality and all of the consequences that come with it.

On my second day in Glacier I joined a Ranger for a 7-mile hike to Bullhead Lake on the east side of the park in the Many Glacier area. Ranger Bob was 73 years old and has been working in Glacier for 50 years. He is one of the most well-respected interpretive Rangers in the park system and is famous in Glacier National Park. He is a treasure trove of wisdom, and knows the Many Glacier area like the back of his hand. A group of 20 of us gathered at the trailhead to start our hike with Bob. He began by asking each of us why we'd come to Glacier. The vast majority of people said they came to see the glaciers before they're gone. It was a sobering moment for everyone, and we hadn't even started the hike yet.

I learned from Bob that glacial ice makes up the largest fresh water reservoir on earth. To be qualified as a glacier, an ice mass must be a minimum of 25 acres, be at least 100 feet thick/deep, and be in continuous movement under its own weight. Bob said, "I know climate change is a hotly debated topic, and as Rangers we're not supposed to talk about it now. But I don't need a scientist to tell me the glaciers are melting. I've watched this happen with my own eyes for 50 years. I have photos of these mountains covered in glaciers from years ago and it takes my breath away."

I heard this comment about "not talking about climate change" from other Rangers as well. You could tell it was deeply troubling to them and they were unsure how to navigate this territory. I was flabbergasted by what I was hearing. I said to one of them, "I can't believe this. This is the PERFECT place to be talking about this. We are standing right in front of the glacier as it's melting." One of the Rangers said, "I know. It's crazy." "It's beyond crazy," I relied. I could tell he felt helpless. What could one person do? I come back to Teddy Roosevelt's words. After my visit to Glacier National Park, I recommit myself to do what I can, with what I have, where I am. Because, I believe as, Margaret Mead did, "that a small group of thoughtful concerned citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."