It’s still 2 weeks away, but the excitement is already building for my annual Montana trip.  What will I do?  Where will I go?  What should I bring?  To me, preparing for a big trip is almost as exciting as the trip itself.  There’s always so much hope and wonderment thinking of all the possibilities.

A couple weeks out I like to get a list of must do’s for the trip.  This gives me a chance to pick up any special clothing or items I may need.  This year I have a big hike planned to the ice caves near Lewistown, MT.  The trail gains 2,200 ft in the first 3 miles.  I guess this means I need to start hitting up the dreadmill on max incline!  How do you normally prepare for vacation?  Make checklists?  Go shopping?

On one of my trips to Glacier National Park, a little more planning would have been very beneficial. However, it would not have been nearly as entertaining to all around me. I didn’t realize we would be doing any hiking the first day so I decided to wear heels.  Of course my real shoes were at the bottom of my bag and everyone was talking about the family of mountain goats just up the trail.  I wasn’t going to miss those goats, so I off I went high heels and all!