Glacier National Park

Our 1st big stop was in Glacier National Park in the northern part of Montana. It was an amazing place to be! We got there on the 15th of May which is the first week or so of roads and campgrounds being open. We stayed in West Glacier the 1st 2 nights for $20.00 each night. Our campsite was close to Lake Mcdonald where we were able to fish (no license is required in this national park) and drive around for the majority of the day.

On our 1st morning we ended up going on an incredible hike! It was a little difficult at times climbing over fallen trees and the hill, but it was well worth it, we were able to go and explore a ton of waterfalls and the river was just insane with how fast the water was flowing. Jesse & I have never been on a hike like this where at the corners another surprise awaits you, we hiked for about an hour or so in then turned around once the trail had become too difficult to see.

Since we could only go 18 miles on the Going-to-the-Sun Road we decided after the 2nd day to head to East Glacier and camp there for 2 more nights. We had an awesome time there the 1st full day, the weather was nice and we actually saw alot of different animals. My favorite in this park was the Big Horns. Our 2nd day it was VERY VERY cold and rainy so we sat and hung out in our tent the entire time, we actually ended up having to move our tent because where we had it ended up being extremely windy and our tent almost flew away...now we choose our spots a little bit better.

We were able to go on a few hikes despite the majority of the trails being covered in snow but it was nice & I definitely recommend the St. Mary Falls Trail in St. Mary, its only 1.6 miles and is absolutely breath taking!

Travel Tips:

*Drive around as much as you can in the area you are, you'll be surprised at the beautiful sights you might come across.

*Make sure to check with the information centers at national parks to check which campsites or trails are open. They also have maps available for you.

*Stop at larger cities to get groceries & ice...they're usually less expensive & have a much wider range of choices.

Getting started..

Getting started was quite an adventure, there was ALOT to plan and ALOT to organize for a trip of this size. We first made a list of everything we needed such as:

- Tent
-Sleeping bags
-Air Mattress
-Coolers
-Clothes & shoes we'll need for any type of weather
-Survival Packs (Knives, First Aid Kit, Extra Water, etc.)
-Hiking gear (backpacks, camelbaks, head lamps, insect spray, sun tan lotion, snake bite kit)
-GPS
-Shell for our truck, to keep all the supplies in where we can lock it up safely
-Hygiene Products
-Small portable Grill w/propane tanks
-Cooking Utensils
-Storage containers (helps stay organized)
-Axe, shovel, ratchet winch
-Extra automotive kits
-Shelving for truck aka back up bed
-Camera with LOTS of batteries or get a cigarette lighter converter for an outlet (WORKS WONDERS)
-Extra gas tanks
-Maps
-List of non-perishable foods in catagories of Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, & hiking snacks

That's pretty much the gist of what all we had to prep in order to get the trip started, its cost us a pretty penny; However, now that we have all this equipment it will now be cost effective for the next trips we have in store.

I got the truck ready with our Adervtisement that we feel very strongly about if you'd like to know more about how to stop foreclosure from happening call 888-894-8147 and speak with Jody Hill
Our storage containers with our food for lunch and dinners
Water, tent, and other supplies lined up to be stored in the truck
Jesse and I shopping for the food and other supplies.

Personal Traveling Tips:

* Baby wipes should be abundant, helps keep you clean when hiking since there are days when showers are not available.
*When choosing a camping site, remember to keep weather in mind if its windy make sure to have a good wall of trees around. Plus stay close to bathroom for the late night runs.
*Make sure to have easy light charcoal coals to help start a camp fire. Because wet wood is not fun to get started!
*Make sure to have a plan B
*If travleing in a different country make sure to write down the converter rates for currancy, distance, liquids, and tempurature.
*Stay organized and keep track of all your spending!

Plans have changed

Things have changed yet again with the trying times in Mexcio, we decided to go in the opposite direction and head north to Canada and visit Banff National Park and so forth, once we get out of Canada we're headed down the Pacific Coast Highway and down to the Grand Canyon then back up to Salt Lake City. We have a week left before we head out on our hopefully 6 week journey...it all comes down to the budget and how much we have, we're hoping to do this journey on $3,000.00, we've already spent a lot getting everything ready but now that we finally have good camping supplies we'll be able to go on more trips like this for ALOT less then what this total cost will come out to be.

I lost my camera on our last trip about 3 weeks ago to Chicago and we just bought a new one yesterday so I'll post pictures up of our stuff and the upgrades we've done to the truck...I've gotta say we definitely shouldn't have any storage issues on this trip, thats for sure!

I'm excited to get on the road and experince the west coast for what it is...the beautiful mountains, national parks, and beaches. The picture opportunities are going to be incredible and I can't wait to get all the pictures organized. Look at me I'm already planning the pics and we haven't even left yet, I guess that just shows how ready I am to get started.