Every year, my husband and I take a week-long vacation in a new state. Our goal is to visit all fifty. I’ve dubbed this endeavor the 50-Year Project. We went to Georgia in 2017, Montana in 2018 and Texas in 2019. In 2020, the pandemic transplanted us to Wisconsin for two months. It’s been an interesting journey.

You can follow us on Instagram for the next five decades @the50yearproject. I’m waaay behind in posting, but I’ll catch up one of these days.

Summer nights at the rodeo 🐎🏃🏾‍♂️🐃
July 4 - 10, 2018. Bozeman to Missoula to Many Glacier to Columbia Falls. * Facts about Montana: The sun sets after 9:30 at the peak of summer and before 4:30 at the peak of winter. In spite of being landlocked, it has over 100 islands. It’s an
One last pic. This is us on our last morning in Montana. We’d just hiked to Avalanche Lake, and a couple from Florida offered to take our picture on the little beach. From this angle you can really see the waterfalls. Glacier Park is a long, sa
This is the Highline Trail about 1/4 mile from Logan Pass. At this point the trail edges alongside a very steep cliff; a hundred feet directly below is the only road that goes through Glacier Park. I’m afraid of heights 🙄 therefore this was ch
🍒 Black and Rainier cherries from a stand off Route 93. Fresh off the farm in Bigfork. Fat, crisp and delicious.
Crystal clear, ice cold Lake McDonald is a barely unfrozen puddle. Had it not been ninety degrees outside, I never would’ve waded into water this cold. Gordon and I were amazed at how few people were around. Rangers are very strict about not le
Avalanche Lake as the sun rises over the mountains. There are four very long waterfalls visible from this beach; you can kind of see them in the distance in this photo. This was our last hike in Glacier. 4.6 miles round trip. We took our time. On the
July 9. We hiked about 33 miles in the last three days, and today we’re swimming. It’s in the high 80s, and the leftover snow on the mountains is sizzling, but all the water in the lakes and rivers is still nipple-hardeningly frigid.
At the 6-mile mark on the Highline Trail is the very remote, very rustic Granite Park Chalet. The log cabin is somewhere behind those trees on the left. Here we were a little more than halfway between Logan Pass and the Loop, finally off the cliffs o
About 9 am. Hiking along the Garden Wall. The Continental Divide is a few miles to the east. Heavens Peak is on the horizon. The sun hasn’t climbed over the wall yet.
8 am. Hiking in the shade of a mountain.
Bring layers, even in July. A poncho, a puffy. Start hiking early. Stuff your pack with snacks, water, maps, a basic emergency kit, duct tape and a hand-crank flashlight, and leave enough space to stuff your jacket when the sun comes out.