This summer my family and I went out West for three weeks! We started in Whitefish, Montana. In Whitefish the first thing that we did was go alpine sledding. My mom and I went sledding while my  brother and my dad went zip lining! Before the alpine slide my mom and I hiked up a mountain to get lunch! Finally after lunch it was time for us to go sledding. My mom had done it before but I had never gone so I was scared but soon enough my nerves were gone and I was having the time of my life on the sled! Then we went hiking in Glacier National Park with our amazing tour guide Jordan. We hiked five miles and then cooled off in a freezing cold lake. Our last event in Whitefish was Whitewater rafting! Rafting was cool and we went through some fun rapids but it was not my favorite part of our trip. Our last stop in Whitefish was a rodeo. I had never been to a rodeo but it was crazy! Once we were done it was time to head to Stanley, Idaho.

Our next stop was Stanley, Idaho. We were staying at a ranch and it was definitely my favorite place we stayed at. When we got to Stanley it was raining so the staff told us that we should go to their hot spring! My family and I had never been to a hot spring and when I say we loved it I mean it! Next on our agenda was going horseback riding and my dad and I were the only ones who have gone riding. My brother freaked out and my mom was a little nervous but ready for an adventure. In the beginning it was fun but then it started to go downhill and when I say downhill I mean literally. Finally, we were back to our car safe and sound with no one hurt, just a few tears. Then we went back to the cabin for dinner. The dinner was a delicious three course meal with an amazing dessert after!

The next day we went fly fishing and we were split up into two boats, boys versus girls! My mom and my guide was named Hunter  and we were an amazing team. My mom was a natural but it took me three hours to catch one fish! In a blink of an eye we were at our ending point and we won by one fish! Then we were off to Yellowstone!

On the way to Yellowstone we took a pit stop at the Craters of the Moon! This was amazing. We went into deep dark caves and saw cool rocks! Then we were off to Yellowstone. In Yellowstone we went to the national park. We went with a tour guide and saw so many cool animals! We saw elk, deer, wolves, bison, and pika. We got lucky and saw almost all of the animals that were in the park. We also saw so many cool thermo areas and mountains too! Then we were off to our final destination Jackson hole!

Once we arrived in Jackson we rode a gondola up a mountain to a restaurant and it was scary but amazing! Then we got some rest and headed into our next day. On the next day we went on a sixteen mile bike ride to Jenny lake! At Jenny we went on a hike to the inspiration point. It got really high so my brother and mom let my dad and I go together and they started watching. In the end I was proud of myself for pushing myself. The next day was my favorite. We went camping!!! To get to the campgrounds we had to kayak ten miles with one of our tour guides Lucy and our other tour guide Conner took our stuff on a motorboat! The kayak ride was long but the campsite made up for it! The bathroom situation was actually okay and the tent was amazing. For dinner we had taco bowls which were delicious and then we had s’mores! After a late night of telling stories and seeing stars we went to bed. The next morning we had breakfast sandwiches and then headed for our three mile kayak ride to our next site. This one wasn’t long and our tour guide Conner went with us this time. This trip was more fun because Conner told us stories, gave us tips, and cheered us on. Then we went paddle boarding and we ate pesto sausage pasta for dinner. After dinner we told stories again and then went to bed getting ready for the ride back to the dock. On the third day we paddled three miles back to the dock and then got ready to go rafting with Conner. We went on the route called Dead Man’s path and it was super fun! Then we headed back to our hotel.:( Knowing this was our last day out West we had a delicious dinner and Huckleberry ice cream for dessert and then headed to bed.

In conclusion, our trip out West was so fun and exciting and overall I think this will be a trip my family and I will never forget. I learned so much on this trip and tried so many new exciting things!