Park wrangler will present virtual trail ride circa 1926

Guide and wrangler Tom Nelesen will present a free virtual trail ride through Glacier National Park during the next meeting of Flathead Audubon on Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. at The Summit, in Kalispell.

In "A look back at Glacier's dude ranch days," Nelesen will take the audience back to when the Great Northern Railway was developing the "American Alps" as a wilderness playground.

Nelesen's "South Circle Trail Ride" is set in the summer of 1926. The ride takes five days to cover 69 miles and begins with tourists arriving by Great Northern Railway at East Glacier Park.

From Glacier Park Lodge, the visitors travel by "jammer" buses to St. Mary Chalet and then by boat to Sun Point Chalet. At Sun Point, they saddle horses and begin the ride to Many Glacier Lodge, Granite Park Chalet, Lake McDonald Lodge, Sperry Chalet and back to Sun Point.        

A student of Park history, Nelesen developed the trails program for the Fish Creek Campground's summer amphitheater series. He and his wife Mary volunteer at the Apgar Visitor Center every Friday during the summer.