Winter Caretakers

Welcome to Jeff and Heidi's winter blog!

Jeff and I will be spending a winter as caretakers of a historic lodge in Glacier National Park. We will be snowed in 7 miles from the nearest plowed road for 6 1/2 months. To escape, we must hike or ski the 7 miles out of the park where we may or may not have a ride for the remaining 3 miles into the nearest town of Babb. We will be working about 40 hours per week maintaining the lodge. We will be shoveling snow, fixing furniture, making minor repairs, etc until the snow melts and we are freed from our majestic prison.

Jeff and I will be living at Many Glacier, taking care of Many Glacier Hotel and Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. The historic hotel has 214 rooms and allegedly a few ghosts! Life should be pretty interesting between the snow that drifts to the second and sometimes third stories of the hotel, the avalanches, the bighorn sheep that hang out on the porch, and the overall seclusion of the place. We expect to have a few visitors over the winter. Victor and Allie are sure to visit a few times we hope. And hopefully we'll see Kate and Aaron and whoever else stays in Kalispell or Whitefish this year.

There was much preparation that went into planning this winter. Jeff and I had to plan 6 1/2 months of food and personal items. This has cost us about $2,000, which really isn't bad when you think about it. It is less than $80 per week for the two of us. Also, we live there for free. No rent or utilities! We also have a few luxury items, such as TV, internet, and free long distance. My dad also got me a web cam and we have Skype, so if anyone has Skype, let me know!

Anyways, just for kicks here is our list of supplies for the winter:

115 lbs of meat (50 lbs chicken, 10 lbs, turkey, 25 lbs pork, 25 lbs beef, and 5 lbs ham)
180 lbs of veggies
30 lbs of fresh potatoes and 150 servings of instant potatoes
40 lbs of rice
48 servings of stuffing
60 lbs of canned fruit
40 cups of dried beans
15 lbs of pasta
12 lbs of butter
18 lbs of oats
55 cans of soup
10 large cans of spaghetti sauce
24 cans of chicken and tuna
24 cans of frozen orange juice
50 lbs of flour
10 lbs of wheat flour
23 lbs of sugar (15 lbs white, 8 lbs brown)
15 cups of cracked wheat
40 cups of barley
20 gallons of powdered milk
6 gallons of shelf stable soy milk
4 dozen eggs ( to be frozen)
10 lbs of cheese ( 5 lbs cheddar, 5 lbs mozzarella)
300 teabags, 50 pkgs hot chocolate, 4 lbs coffee, 30 pkgs apple cider
10 boxes of cereal
3 boxes of cream of wheat
15 boxes macaroni and cheese
20 lbs of pancake mix and 2 giant maple syrups
6 doz bagels
Plus endless spices, condiments, random ingredients, and snacks
We also picked up 28 bars of soap, 60 rolls of toilet paper, 2 lg shampoos and 3 lg conditioners, 4 tooth brushes, 8 toothpastes, 3 face wash, 10 pk chapstick, 10 pk tissue boxes, etc.

Jeff and I are in for a long winter, but i'm sure it will be a memorable one. We will try to post an entry every day so you can see what we are up to. We should be able to post pics and video online too. Jeff will be out there October 15th, but I won't be there till the 30th, so journal entries should start in November. We may get a Post Office box, so if we do i'll post the address on here.

Jeff and I will only have a land line while out in Montana. We will be turning our phones off the end of October. To reach us call 406-732-4123 or email us. Also, we have a webcam and will be using Skype like I said before.

Can't wait!

Heidi