Lewis Lake at Yellowstone National Park

I’ve spent the better part of this rainy Sunday catching up on reading various travel magazines and blogs wondering why I had to take a path to adulthood that made me a banker full time and a wannabe world traveler instead of someone like Wandering Earl who has been traveling  around the world for several years.

But, alas. I have too many bills (read: student loans) that I feel an obligation to pay, and so instead I work and cram all my travel exploits into one week a year. This year, the big adventure is to see Montana and Wyoming, with a glimpse of Denver to see my old roommate.

Saying I’m excited about this trip isn’t exactly accurate. Saying this trip is my lifeline to sanity is slightly closer to the truth. You see, I may be a banker but I don’t keep banker’s hours. College gave me enough debt to create my own international economic crisis, so I work overtime whenever I can get it which lately has been pretty much every day. The week spent in Big Sky Country will soothe my soul.

Our trip is going to start out in Denver, where we will then drive to Glacier National Park and hit Yellowstone National Park on our way back to Denver. We’re going to have about two days to spend in each park. I’m a little more excited for Glacier because I haven’t been there before — and I’m pretty sure that once I’m there I won’t want to ever leave — and we’re planning a big hike!

While my family is worried about serial killers and rapists abducting us in the wilderness, I’m more worried about my physical fitness. I’ve spent the last several years working (read: sitting on my fannie at a desk) and not spending a whole lot of time being active. So I’m as out of shape as I’ve ever been in my life and that has to change. So not only is this trip going to be theraputic to my soul, it’s going to benefit my physique.

Between now and September, Lacey and I are spending as much time hiking and exercising as we can and we’re both trying to eat healthier. No more mint chocolate chip ice cream binges. No more vegging on the couch all day (except for today, because it poured down rain all day). So look for some hiking blogs and some tales from the trails!