2017 A Final Post

So as I write this final post of the 2017 Montana Trip a lot has happened since I had a chance to last write.

Friday was a whirlwind of goodbyes in the school. Our boys touched the hearts of the students as was evident by the sad faces on the DLSBS students and the comments I received from both the kids and teachers alike. One young lady stopped by to tell me she loved our boys and was really sad to see them go. The teachers likewise were sorry to see their classroom help move on. It will be short lived though, as LaSalle University was arriving on our heels and will be in the building Monday morning.

In the afternoon we were able to visit Glacier one last time going on a guided hike by the National Park Service. We took the Red Eagle Lake trail that loops by the Beaver Dam at the St. Mary's entrance to the Park. The Beaver Dam is huge and the lodge is pretty impressive. The nice thing about this hike is that our guides, Matt and Becky were able to give us a Forestry lesson to go along with the scenery. They were great and the boys had an outstanding time. We managed to dodge most of the rain and got out of the elements just in time.

We followed up our hike with a quick drive up into St. Mary's to see some Elk, which wrapped up the most impressive wildlife viewing any CBC group I have taken has gotten to see (Elk, Bear, Deer, Owls, Osprey, Moose, Wolves, and Buffalo). We checked that off the bucket list and headed to East Glacier for dinner at the Two Medicine grill. The boys feasted on Bison and regular burgers while getting some last minute souvenir shopping done.

We returned to the bunkhouse in time to do some packing and cleaning before Mr. Gerdes and I put our undefeated Spades record on the line one more time. If you were or are a Spade player then you will understand that if the boys were more patient and didn't go Nil at terrible times then they might actually beat us.

As everyone bunked down for the night there were stories told and laughs shared as they slowly drifted off to sleep one more time in Montana.

Our travel day on Saturday was pretty much clock work. Eat, Shower, Pack, Clean all done by 9:00 am. We departed at 10:00 am, had time for a light lunch in Great Falls and were all checked into through TSA by 1:00 pm. Our flights boarded early, left early and arrived early at all locations. We managed to be out of Lambert by 9:00 pm when our flight was supposed to land at 8:50 pm.

All in all another great trip for the CBC boys. I am left in awe of the gifts our boys bring and receive on this trip. I am also left a bit sad as most of them likely won't visit Montana again. I hope that I am wrong. Hopefully the old groups and parents will read this. I am hoping to plan a reunion trip for next summer to do some work and share old stories. If you are interested contact me.

So now on a Sunday night before I leave for the Graduation Lock In, I am left with all kinds of thoughts and emotions. The one thing I know is that.

Jesus Lives in Our Hearts....Forever!

See you in 2018.