Our craft will be manned by the Casting for Recovery gang. The theme of the Carnival this year is Fiesta Pescado Blanco (that means Whitefish Festival, folks), so we will fiesta up the drift boat and do our best to show ‘em how we party in West Glacier! If you are around the Flathead Valley this weekend, don’t miss the parade and carnival – it is a ton of fun!

Casting for Recovery was founded on the principles that the natural world is a healing force and that cancer survivors deserve one weekend — free of charge and free of the stresses from medical treatment, home, or workplace — to experience something new and challenging while enjoying beautiful surroundings within an intimate, safe, and nurturing structure.

Parade starts at 3pm on Saturday, but check out the full schedule for all the fun things to do.

We’ve stripped things right down to the walls!

What’s changing? Heck, just about everything.  The purpose is to offer all our guests a better fly shop and gear store experience as well as a better experience in booking rafting and fishing trips.  Glacier Outdoor Center was great already–this new flow is going to make it even better for staff, guides and you.

We are looking forward to sharing our new look with you this spring. Please plan to come on by and check out all our hard work.

Here’s our man, Mike Cooney, workin’ the stainwork.

]]> http://blog.glacierraftco.com/fresh-and-new-for-2012-goc-gets-a-facelift/feed/ 0 http://blog.glacierraftco.com/trophy-elk/ http://blog.glacierraftco.com/trophy-elk/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:53:57 +0000 OM http://blog.glacierraftco.com/?p=2685

This elk is the 2nd largest harvest on record in Montana, coming it at 411 6/8ths.

The family in south central Montana who shot it generously agreed to let us display it at the Glacier Outdoor Center. Come on up this summer and take a look!

Glacier National Park has reported that the 2011 visitor figures dropped by about 15% from last year. Although we’re never happy to hear that kind of news (Glacier Outdoor Center is right outside the western entrance to the Park, so that means fewer folks visiting us too!), we also know when to appreciate the good side of news too.

First of all, 15% lower than 2010, which was an all-time record high in visitation, so let’s keep our perspective, right?And even at the reduced number, there were still 1.85 million people visiting this gorgeous Park. That’s a lotta folks!

And secondly, knowing this information now means we can get on the ball in encouraging everyone around the world to book their 2012 Glacier vacations now!   So, come on out! Plan a trip to Glacier.  There’s plenty of room for everybody!!

Here are some great examples of what you can experience in the Park. GNP posts ‘eHikes’ and ‘eTours’ on their website that let you take a virtual look around.

If you need more of the eye-candy we posted here, check out the photo gallery on the Park site, where we got these pics. You’ll be packing your bags by nightfall…

And, of course, you can find all sorts of good stuff on our website, and we are here and ready to help you with all of your vacation planning. Need lodging- we got it. Need whitewater – we know just where it is. Need fishing – yep, we’ll take you.  Give us a ring  or an electronic poke and we’ll schedule a great adventure for you.

We thought we’d find you some nice tips on how to shoot great images during the winter months. If you are close to the Glacier Outdoor Center, our neighbor Glacier National Park beckons and rarely disappoints for great image opps. We like to watch the Lake McDonald Webcam for an indicator of when conditions are ripe – some of the most beautiful shots of the Park are taken right there.

So, here are a couple of quick tips before you head out into the frozen landscape, from professional photographer Jerry Monkman, and the folks at OutdoorPhotoGear.com.

• “Stay powered. Cold temperatures reduce the length of time your camera’s batteries will function. Always bring a spare or two, and use power-sapping features like auto focus, live view, and LCD playback sparingly.”
• “Stay dry. Keep snow away from your camera and lenses as much as possible. While dry, fluffy snow isn’t as bad as rain on your equipment, you should still blow or wipe it from your gear whenever necessary. Also, never bring a camera and lenses directly into a warm environment after it has been out in the cold. Pack them in your camera bag or plastic bags before heading inside and let them warm up to room temperature before taking them out. Otherwise, moisture will condense on the glass and metal surfaces, potentially damaging your gear.”

Read all of their hints and tips on their blogsite.

And Dan Bailey, at MasteringPhoto.com has some great equipment advice to keep in mind, along with some great images of outdoor adventure. Check it out here. That’s Dan’s shot at the top of this post.

You got any great winter shots yet? Send them our way, we’d love to share them.

(ok, maybe not THIS warm)

Our local paper, the Flathead Beacon recently published a story from the Christian Science Monitor by Mark Guarino which tells us that the northern tier of the United States has been decidedly devoid of the white stuff so far this year.

“Although the National Climatic Data Center does not yet have total results for December, it reports that 13 states in the Northeast and the upper Midwest recorded a top-10 warmest November and none had a top-10 coldest November. The month was the 25th warmest in the center’s 117 years of recordkeeping.”

We’re definitely seeing that up here in the Glacier National Park area.  We did get a little last night…and that’s AWESOME!  But it’s certainly not the accumulation we were hoping for.  The good news is that Glacier is more accessible than usual this time of year, and the views of Glacier Park in winter are stunning.

Here’s a nice shot of a beautiful winter day in Glacier from the Park website

And you can check out the park webcams here, for instant gratificiation!

For us, Glacier Outdoor Center is buttoned up warm and cozy for the season, all of our employee family are part of the scattering – visiting family and friends in New York, Idaho, Utah, or hosting friends and relatives here at home.

We extend to all of you our most sincere wishes for a happy holiday. We hope that you too are gathering with those you love and sharing the special connection of the Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!!

To keep you thinking of Glacier over your holiday break, we offer you some images here from our friend Chris Peterson’s website. Chris is a stunningly talented photographer, and he is one more thing we are thankful for this season!

Around the country, snoweshoe racing season has begun, building to the championship in Frisco, Colorado on February 24th.

Snowshoe Magazine has put together a list of top 10 tips for snowshoe racing. It’s worth a read if you are getting ready to take on the challenge.

Although we’re closed this winter, we’re still way into snowshoeing.  We’ve got some GOC employees in the Coloado area this winter and they’re looking forward to watching the championship action in Frisco.

If you don’t get a chance to visit any of the races around the country this winter, we hope you’ll at least get some good trips in your own area.  We’ll be tromping around the woods and trails in West Glacier.

Happy winter, everyone!

Take a look at the Lake McDonald cam – this shot in the pre-sunrise is just getting going. Keep watching, and your eyes will thank you.

GNP has eight awesome webcams. Check out all of them here.

]]> http://blog.glacierraftco.com/glacier-national-park-webcams/feed/ 0 http://blog.glacierraftco.com/night-of-lights-parade-is-dec-2nd/ http://blog.glacierraftco.com/night-of-lights-parade-is-dec-2nd/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:29:09 +0000 OM http://blog.glacierraftco.com/?p=2592

It’s time for one of coolest parades in the Valley (and not because it’s COLD!)

This Friday in Columbia Falls is the beginning of the Night of Lights Weekend! At 5pm the town center comes alive with craft show, music, snacks and beverages, and special deals at local businesses. Details are here.

At 6:30 is the big parade, which really is truly beautiful. Santa and Mrs. Claus join the parade!

Then, Saturday morning from 9am to noon, Santa will be on hand at Glacier Discovery Square for Rotary’s Brunch with Santa – yummy food from local restaurants and caterers, HUGE silent auction, photo of Santa with the kids, music, and more!

Get the full details here.

Don’t miss it!