Favorite Travel Quotes

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts."
-- Mark Twain
Innocents Abroad

"Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey." -- Fitzhugh Mullan

"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving." -- Lao Tzu

Join Me

©Bert Gildart:   Consider this an invitation to some of my good friends (and their good friends) who are global warming holdouts. Join me this July on a hike from the Many Glacier campground in GNP to Grinnell Glacier; and though I promise I won’t suggest you are a retarded baboon (chuckle??) if you don’t believe global warming is real, I will point out that back in the early 1900s Grinnell Glacier extended from its current location in Grinnell Lake about six miles down and back almost to our trailhead.

GlobalWarming (1 of 4)


Trail to remnants of Upper Grinnell Glacier


Proof?  The B&W image shown here provides periodic comparison.  More proof?  If we’re lucky we’ll run into Dan Fagre (shown here in pointing toward his diagram).  He has a PhD in climatology, but, that doesn’t mean much to some.  Some will just say he’s educated beyond his intelligence.  Nevertheless, I must report that Mr. Fagre says that all park glaciers will be gone by 2030.


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Chart that chronicles demise of Grinnell Glacier; Dr. Dan Fagre points to Salamander Glacier, which once was part of Grinnell;
view from Grinnell Overlook of what was and what now is.


More proof?  This month’s (April issue) National Geographic magazine employees the following subheadings to support the meat of their article about “Climate Change.”:

1 THE WORLD IS WARMING.  2 IT’S BECAUSE OF US. 3. WE’RE SURE.

Yet More Proof?  Contact me mid-July and we’ll make the trek to Grinnell Glacier.  My objective will be to make a slight dent in the steel armor of any “Flat Earthers” who join me, and if I can’t do that I’ll admit that it is I, in fact, who is the ineffectual, dim-witted baboon.  But that said, we’ll have fun.


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THIS TIME LAST YEAR:

Botanical Adaptations to Desert

 

4th ed. Autographed by the Authors

Hiking Shenandoah National Park

Hiking Shenandoah National Park is the 4th edition of a favorite guide book, created by Bert & Janie, a professional husband-wife journalism team. Lots of updates including more waterfall trails, updated descriptions of confusing trail junctions, and new color photographs. New text describes more of the park’s compelling natural history. Often the descriptions are personal as the Gildarts have hiked virtually every single park trail, sometimes repeatedly.

$18.95 + Autographed Copy


Big Sky Country is beautiful

Montana Icons: 50 Classic Symbols of the Treasure State

Montana Icons is a book for lovers of the western vista. Features photographs of fifty famous landmarks from what many call the “Last Best Place.” The book will make you feel homesick for Montana even if you already live here. Bert Gildart’s varied careers in Montana (Bus driver on an Indian reservation, a teacher, backcountry ranger, as well as a newspaper reporter, and photographer) have given him a special view of Montana, which he shares in this book. Share the view; click here.

$16.95 + Autographed Copy


What makes Glacier, Glacier?

Glacier Icons: 50 Classic Views of the Crown of the Continent

Glacier Icons: What makes Glacier Park so special? In this book you can discover the story behind fifty of this park’s most amazing features. With this entertaining collection of photos, anecdotes and little known facts, Bert Gildart will be your backcountry guide. A former Glacier backcountry ranger turned writer/photographer, his hundreds of stories and images have appeared in literally dozens of periodicals including Time/Life, Smithsonian, and Field & Stream. Take a look at Glacier Icons

$16.95 + Autographed Copy






2 Responses to “Join Me”

  1. Henry Rosenbaum Says:

    Dear Mr. Gildart:

    Perhaps 21+ years ago, (I am guessing the Spring or Fall of 1995), our paths briefly crossed on the Natchez Trace in the state of Mississippi. My wife, I and another couple, out of Saginaw, Michigan were taking what had become an annual bicycling excursion. I would have been in my upper 50’s and ready for a more challenging ride than today. My wife and I had finished our day’s journey. I was a little concerned about the other couple so I travelled back several miles to see if I could “connect” with them. My wife was content with the shop she had found at the day’s end.
    I remember stopping at an overlook where, very shortly after, the couple arrived. Somewhere in that time frame, you arrived as well. You introduced yourself, told us you were writing a book on the Natchez Trace and asked if we would mind having our picture taken, which, of course, we did not. You gave me your business card.
    Much time has passed since then, although I still have very warm and vivid memories of that trip to Tennessee and Mississippi. Although we have remained friends with the other Michigan couple, we left the community in 1994 and our personal contacts (after the bike trips ended) have only been occasional. After visiting them in their current Michigan home, in August, 2016, I came home thinking about our shared trips (e.g. Katy Trail, C&O Railway Trail, Dorr County (WI) Peninsula, Louisiana, Maine, etc.) and remembered our encounter on the Natchez Trace. It was not difficult to consult Amazon and learn that a book on the Natchez Trace was written by you about that time. Your biography and the timing seemed to “fit” so I purchased it and enjoyed the read. Sadly, our picture didn’t make the “cut”.

    Happily, the other couple visited us in Arizona at the end of March, 2017. She is 86 and he is soon to be 87 while my wife and I are 78 and 79. I gave them my copy of your book and hopefully, they have reviewed it and enjoyed it as I had. Most importantly, we relived and re-enjoyed our cycling memories.

    A few days ago, I was looking through my desk drawer and found a collection of business cards. Yours was included. The address was 213 Main St. Suite 7, Kalispell MT. I had noted on the back you had taken a picture and were writing a book on the Natchez Trace for American (sic?) Geographic and the Park Service. That dispelled any doubts I might have had about the “authenticity” of the book I bought. It also moved me to look for you, find your website and write you this note.
    I am glad your Natchez Trace project was successful and hope you have had a full and happy life since our meeting.
    Regards, and happy memories,
    Henry Rosenbaum

  2. Bert Says:

    Dear Mr. Rosenbaum,
    At the moment we are in California’s Anza Borrego Desert State Park where we’ve spent the past six weeks in a small rental home. When we return to Montana I’m going to go through my transparences and see if I still have the image of you and your wife cycling along the Natchez Trace. It’s possible.
    The Trace continues to be one of our favorite areas in the country, and though we’d like to bicycle the length I must admit that traffic mortifies me. Our last trip there was two years ago, and it was pretty intense.
    I was born in Jly of 1940, so we must be close to the same age, and I must say that it is cycling that has kept me healthy. I’m hoping to make an annual ride to Logan Pass in GNP this spring before the Going-to-the-Sun Highway opens for vehicular traffic. On my bucket list is also the desire to bike the C&O Canal, the designated bike route that takes one from D.C. to Fredrick Maryland. The route passes by many Civil War sites. There are B&B’s along the 180 mile route so this is an adventure that might still be doable for me. Vehicles are not permitted on this trail, but I realize I cannot put this off much longer.
    And now I want to tell you how flattered I am that after all these years you would take the time to write me such a thoughtful note. It is the note from people such as you that add to my life, and I must say that yours is one of the most absorbing.
    Your note included wishes that my career had been satisfying and I believe I have had a busy life, serving as a contributing editor for the Affinity Group, which publishes both Trailer Life and Motor Home, providing them with many stories concerning travel to places such as the Natchez Trace. However, the stories I take the greatest pride in are ones concerning the preservation of our natural resources for publications such as Smithsonian and National Wildlife. I’ve also authored a number of books.
    I hope that you, too, have found satisfaction from your various activities and that you and your wife are still finding adventures that continue to add depth to your lives.
    My best, Bert Gildart