Let's back up though and tell about this weekend from the beginning.
Actually, the beginning took place a long time ago. Provo, Utah. I had met a person who shared two very important traits with me. First of all, Rachel was someone who I could talk with- like really talk with. I have always enjoyed discussing ideas- picking them apart and then reconstructing them or seeing them from another angle and trying to understand alternative perspectives; constantly forming or re-forming opinions, and then turning around to challenge them to see if they can withstand scrutiny. More than a mere intellectual exercise, my mind seems hardwired to process things in this way. Besides this, it often leads to interesting insights that I feel have helped me to better understand the world. Rachel, unlike many people, seems to not only share this same curiosity about the world as I do, but is also eager to communicate and argue (in the best sense of the word) about the things she sees. Because of this, I am confident that we will never run out of things to talk about or ideas to discover together.
The second important attribute that Rachel and I share is a passion for doing things. This can seem pretty unremarkable at first, until you look around and notice how many people there are who actually fit the definition of a "Nowhere Man" as defined by the Beatles: People who live life either in the past or in the future (or both), but somehow never seem to have time for simply stopping and enjoying the now. One of the first things that attracted us to each other was that when we said "we should do...", this thought immediately set a course of action into place to make it so that the idea was carried through to its fruition. Remembering the past is important. Planning for the future maybe even more so. But the now- that is when life happens.
Ok. Enough said. Obviously, Rachel and I met in Provo about twelve years ago, got married, and the rest is history. And as expected, we have never stopped talking or doing. In fact, we have tried every year to set aside a couple of days in a row for just us. This is much more than a weekly date night (we do that too), or a quiet evening after the kids are tucked away in their beds. I think this tradition has been one of the biggest building blocks of our marriage, as we are constantly having new experiences and adventures together to keep the flames burning.
So...the Tetons.
As we have had more children, and as they have grown up and started getting involved in their own things, it becomes harder and harder for us to continue this tradition of getting away. Thankfully, my parents have always been willing to step in and take them for a few days each summer to let us get out. This is definitely not taken for granted, and we are forever grateful for their amazing grand-parenting.
*****
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| It was pretty windy- a good workout on our way up to Victor, and a nice easy ride back. |
After returning to our car, we drove up to Jackson Hole where the rangers helped us plan our backpacking trip. We spent the remainder of the afternoon meandering around Jackson, and then got ready for our night out.
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| Isn't she radiant?! This was where we had an amazing dinner before going to a fun show at the Jackson Hole Playhouse. |
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| Fun times |
*****
Before I get into the actual backpacking trip, I have to brag a little bit about our packs. Three days. Twenty pounds each. Oh, we are good. What's even more though, is that this trip was probably the most luxurious I have been on, in terms of extra creature comforts. Pillows and dedicated fuzzy warm socks just for sleeping, gourmet food, and plenty of deodorant...on a backpacking trip. I will never look back. I call it "ultralight opulence," and it is worth it.
After eating a nice breakfast we started hiking. I'm not going to go into too much detail about our route, because most people aren't that familiar with the individual trails and canyons of the Teton range. If you are interested then let me know.
Here are some pictures of the first day. Beautiful! Total distance: 17 miles
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| Rachel's super-hero chi is in the woodlands... |
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| ...mine is above treeline. |
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| Almost to our camp |
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| Made it! |
*****
On the second day I got up early and did a 9 mile run up to some alpine lakes with a gain of about 1,000 ft/mile. Talk about a good workout! I also ended up coming about 30 yards away from a mamma black bear and her cub. That was cool. I also saw a ton of deer and elk, and had a random bird (I named him Larry) run about ten feet in front of me for about a quarter of a mile. When I got back to camp, Rachel was just finishing up on getting our breakfast ready.
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| Made it in time for the sunrise! |
We got a luxurious start to our day and got some good hiking in. Total Miles: Rachel 16.6; Me 26.2 (Coincidentally, the same distance as a marathon)
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| It's hard to see Rachel in this, but I couldn't bring myself to crop it and lose any of the grandeur. This place is magical. |
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| Another lake we hiked to. I'll tell you what- pictures can not do justice to this place. |
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| I think this is one of my favorite pictures of us, but I can't say why. |
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| Our camp |
The next day we got an early start and walked out. On our way out, there was a moose cow and her calf eating about 20 feet off the trail. There was also a little elk who kept playing peak-a-boo with us around a corner about 30 feet off. It was a beautiful hike.
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| Headed home |
We had planned on an easy hitch back to our car, but we actually ended up doing a bit more walking than we expected. Finally, a seasoned old climber picked us up and we talked about routes while he got us as far as he could. Unfortunately, a road closure made it so I had to run the last three miles (which was actually sort of nice) and then take an hour-long detour to get Rach.
We finished up by eating a big meal and then heading home to our kids. Total distance: Rachel 42, Me 55
It was a great weekend.
Have a good week!
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