tl;dr: Depressing? Motivating? Both.

Team Nordan spent the last couple weeks of summer in three national parks – Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton. Weather and wildfires cooperated to deliver spectacular views and lots of wildlife. I came across the gal below on a trail run; her two calves were out of frame to the left.

On our second day we took a long hike up to Grinnell Glacier. You can see it from a distance in the right half of the pic below.

At the outset a ranger laid out the state of play: When Glacier National Park was established in 1910, there were 150 glaciers. Now there are 25. By 2030 there are expected to be zero. When we reached the end of the hike I continued another half-mile off-trail to the glacier’s edge.

This being 2015, what do we do? We take a glacier selfie…

…before laying our hands on the ice.

As I walked back a disquieting thought came to mind. I’m 40 years old; my daughters are 11 and 13. Should I return with their children, there will be no more ice left to touch.