This is Evelyn narrating, because this was a pretty big weekend for me, and I wanted to share my point of view. Dad and I packed up the car on Friday with everything we would need to climb the Grand Teton. This was something I was wanting to do for a while now, so I was thrilled that the trip was becoming real. But now that I had to actually climb the mountain rather than just looking at it, I was almost as scared as I was excited. 

We arrived at the Ranger Station in the Tetons on Saturday morning, hoping to win the lottery that is National Park Permits. As expected, we did not get a permit, so we spent the day in Jackson. We got breakfast and went on a short day hike around Jenny Lake. There were a lot of other tourists, and it was hard to find parking, but the beautiful waterfall made it all worth it. After getting dinner in Jackson, we turned in for the night at the trailhead. 

There is something about alpine starts that I really love. It is difficult to explain, but it feels productive and unfamiliar to be awake in the early hours of the day, when very few people stir. After a quick breakfast, we started our extensive day around 3:30 am. The majority of the hike went smoothly, but the last two miles really kicked my butt. I was not used to the altitude at all, because I had never been up so high. This gave me altitude sickness, so I was dizzy and nauseous on top of the fatigue from the grueling scramble to the saddle. We made it up long past the expected time, but we had made it nevertheless. Now it was time to start the climb. 

We eventually made it over to Wall Street (after some route-finding that was more like route-following) and we set up gear. The move itself was easy, but the exposure made it feel much more serious. Once around the corner, we warmed our numbed hands in the sun, and continued up the rest of the mountain. It took a couple of hours, and it was 10 pitches because I was too scared to simul climb. The climbing was the best part of the day, other than standing on the top, of course. It felt very flowy and I enjoyed the process and all of the moves. It was also fun to climb with only dad, because we are usually both very wrapped up in our own lives. The last little bit before the top was tiring, and my body felt ready to fall apart. We made it to the top and I forgot about all the exhaustion that preceded this moment. It was such a wonderful feeling to be at the top of one of the most well-known mountain ranges in the Pacific Northwest. The entire way down I couldn't stop thinking: I did that.

As expected, the hike down was long and parts of it felt like a trudge. The rappel stations were very fun though, and I got to rappel on one rope over an overhang. After the rappels, we followed the Owen Spalding route down, which was either extremely steep hiking, or downclimbing. The hiking did not change much until we got past the lower saddle and into the woods. Once in the forest, we picked up the pace and did the last 4 miles in a little over an hour. We arrived at the car around 9:30, and promptly collapsed into the car. Now all that was left was to sleep and drive home, reminiscing about the adventure we had. 

It's always neat to see a mountain sunrise. It's like watching the world come alive. 

*****

Ok- this is Logan. I wanted Evelyn to write that first part so that we got to experience events through her eyes. The reason is because I think this was a very different trip for her and for me. This was my 6th summit of the Grand Teton, and maybe my 15th or 20th summit if you include the entire mountain range. The Tetons, for me, are full of memories. These are the mountains where I grew up. This is where I started leading trips, and where I gained confidence in myself. These times were formative- I would not be who I am today without the Tetons. That said, it has been over twenty years since I last stood on top of this peak. Every single landmark- every turn, every view- even individual climbing holds- evoked such a flood of emotion that it was a weird trip for me. But here I was, with Evelyn, who was about the age I was when I first did it. Crazy.

This view. Even now, looking at it, I feel the call of adventure and the taste of new independence. When mixed with the smells of the desert and the open road, it's like I am sixteen years old again. I feel it all so hard. 

There's me, the first time I climbed it. Donny and I camped on the lower saddle. It stormed that night and we thought we'd blow off the mountain, but the next day was perfect weather for climbing. We got lost on the route, found our way again, and ended up standing on top- two kids who were actually pretty darn competent even if we didn't look like it. A year later I would go up with a different friend and free solo the same route in just over an hour of climbing. 

Me on the left on my first trip

Me and Ev. Full circle. Kinda neat.

*****

While Ev and I were climbing the Grand, the rest of the family was doing other things. Addy went on an overnight hike with a friend. Maren picked a bunch of huckleberries, and is selling them to raise money for the New York/DC trip next summer. A bunch of people went fishing in the Silver Valley. It was a good weekend for everyone.

"If I make my legs straight, I can't tell that I'm wearing anything at all with these pants!" -Addy

The stove they brought finally burned out. Literally. This thing has been around for a while. Look in the picture above of me by the tent- just to my left. Yep.

No boiled water = crunchy noodles for dinner

Also, Evelyn has two jobs now- dishwasher at a sushi place, and cashier at 5 Guys. She's making a bunch of money, but is pretty busy. Once school starts, she'll keep just one of these jobs.

Have a good week!

I grew up running rivers. Sometimes it was a quick trip down the Kern, the Kings, or the Merced, and other times it was longer, on the Salmon, or the Bruneau, or San Juan. A lot of these trips were led by my dad or my uncle, but when I was around 16 or 17 years old I started planning my own. We would go for weeks, sometimes, living out of cars and just kayaking almost every day. At the time, a lot of this for me was about the whitewater- the adrenaline and managing emotions and calculating risk and losing yourself in the flash of a moment. Man, just writing about it brings me back to those days. 

But when I really spend time trying to conjure up specific memories- anything more than an overall vibe- there aren't many individual rapids that stand out to me. Sure, there are a few. But mostly, it is the moments in between the action. The swimming. The stories. The camping and beaches and just goofing around and being free in a halcyon world that seemed to run parallel to, but apart from normal life. The river world, where appropriately, things just seemed to flow. 

When it comes to the first bit- the adrenaline and reflex-driven action, skiing has largely replaced the river for me. But the other, more peaceful part- I have missed that. The pace is slower. The world seems warmer. There really is no good substitute for a day on the river, and I have had precious few of them in the past several years.

I have a feeling that's going to change though.

This week was a big deal for me, but I'm finding it hard to fully articulate exactly why. We spent three days on the water and camped in between. All the things I remember from what seems like a past life came rushing back to me. Even little things, like setting up a camp kitchen and doing dishes. Or packing a drybag. Falling asleep to the gentle lapping of water, or seeing the boats all lined up at the end of the day on a sandy shoreline. Nostalgia was strong- that is for sure.

What a weekend!

Most of the river flowed through this steep canyon with limestone cliffs on either side. 

A lot of just relaxing at camp

This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip, and it would be worth clicking on to see in full resolution. Once at camp, the kids would explore surrounding areas, and there was always at least one of them taking the role of the "water taxi." When someone needed a ride, they would have to hold a stick over their head, do a little dance, and sing out "oh Water Taxi," and the summoned ride would come. That is what you can see Maren doing on the left. Everything about this makes my heart smile. The simple game. The setting. The exploration and independence and cooperation. And check out that sunset! This was perfect.

Later, at this same camp, I would wake up early and watch 3 river otters playing in the water about 10 feet in front of me. They would spin and dive, and then resurface over and over again. That was a pretty neat experience too.

This river had water-access only campsites along the way with picnic tables, bear boxes, and open-air pit toilets. We saw other people on the river, but never had to share a site, which was really nice. It made the camping part pretty easy.

That is a frisbee. Thanks, Peach Orthodontics, for being a part of our trip.

If you want cliff jumping, this is the river to do. You could go as big as you want. For our family, we preferred little baby cliffs. Still plenty of fun though! 

Some of us are more graceful than others :)

This was a tiny waterfall set back in a cove that the river had carved into the bank.

This is also one of those pictures that bring me unreasonable amounts of joy. Because, believe it or not, kids don't always get along super well. There is almost always some bickering or hurt feelings or some other petty complaint going on. In this moment though, everyone was just playing in the water and seemed to be the best friends in the world. I hope that our kids remember moments like this. Being outside doing things seems to make this a more frequent occurrence.

Also, notice that Evelyn is not in the picture. She didn't come. She had to work. She did her own trip instead, which I'll include at the bottom, but we definitely missed her. In fact, we played charades one night and "Evelyn" was one of the people we had to act out. On the river, in private, I had at least 3 of the kids tell me how much they missed her and how weird the family felt without her. I think everyone is aware that she is graduating high school next year, and that she is already making plans to move away from home at the end of next summer. The time seems soooo short and we all feel it.

Everyone helped with camp set up and cooking and dishes and stuff. It was nice. This is Lindsey making dinner and testing the noodles.

This was a quick photo at a moment when we were all together, but I kind of love it. I think it captures the mood well. Fun and chill.

More cliffs. It was hard not to consider the opportunities for climbing.

This was kind of a neat cave thing. The river is dam-controlled, and at lower flows you can bring your kayak, canoe, or raft all the way in. At high flows, it was even cooler though, because you had to squeeze under this super low spot, but then it opens into a pretty good sized cavern. Big enough to stand up in, and could fit several boats. It probably went back about 30 feet or so into the bank.

The falls is a nice feature that signals that the take-out is about a mile away

Just a few more to show the scope of the scenery. This one and the next would be worth clicking on just to get a feel for how beautiful the area is. Wow!

I'm a sucker for sunrises and sunsets. Every time. They never get old.

*****

The river was the main event of the week. As mentioned above, Evelyn was unable to come with us due to her work schedule. She did take a day to hike to Steven's lake- a popular overnight destination for our family. She did it alone as a day-hike, and packed her book and a lunch. Appropriately, she finished reading "Into the Wild" while sitting by the lake. 

*****

Also, Rach and I went and saw Grease at a local theater. Here is that photo. One of these days I should make a collage or something with all these playbill photos- there's got to be about a hundred of them by now. 

Crazy eyes!

Have a good week!