"There is probably no pleasure equal to the pleasure of climbing a dangerous [mountain]; but it is a pleasure which is confined strictly to people who can find pleasure in it." 
        -Mark Twain

Donny on top of Teewinot

I spent most of last week in the Tetons. Our plan was to do the Teton Traverse- a grand tour of the dramatic skyline that has become so popular to photographers and climbers alike. We had planned three days for the endeavor, and felt like we had all the information we needed to move fairly quickly.

Well, the weather had other plans. Now, there is an idea floating around out there that there is no such thing as bad weather- only inappropriate equipment. And I usually agree with this sentiment. But when we woke up to cruddy rime ice on our route and almost zero visibility, we knew in a hurry that we would probably have to adapt a little bit. Despite these setbacks, we still got to do a good portion of the traverse. 

More importantly, I had a great time catching up with Donny- an accomplice to many of the more memorable adventures in my life, a cousin, and a good friend who I have been out of touch with for far too long. In the same way that photographs can never quite capture the essence of the mountains, it would be impossible to describe in words how good it was to be out again with Donny as my companion. Just like old times.

Anyway, here are a bunch of pictures. The Tetons were spectacular as always, and we are already planning our return to complete the traverse all in one shot.

Beautiful Fall weather in the valley...

...But a big soupy mess in the hills. This is me trying to find a way up.

We could only see about a hundred yards in front of us. We got off-route a lot and became very familiar with areas of the mountain that probably not very many people go. The guidebook and all prior knowledge we had of the route were essentially useless. It was awesome! Besides looking really cool, it gave a sense of discovery as we picked our way up the rock- first this way, and then that- never quite knowing what we would run into. What a day. 

Summit! This one was totally worth it.

The next couple of days were a lot better when it comes to weather. Here are some more pics.

Our camp at the saddle between the Middle and South Teton

Our route goes straight up from here

What a view!

This is Tom, the mountain mouse. I found him at the summit of the South Teton and fed him cheese out of my hand.

Working our way up an icy couloir. There were some sketchy parts on this one.

More summit photos.

What a trip!

*****

I realize that everything else that happened last week pretty much pales in comparison with the Teton trip, but there were a few other notable events that I'll get down here.

Chamber of Commerce business of the month!

Probably one of the last visits to the beach this year. It's starting to cool off and the water isn't so inviting any more.

Nothing like enjoying live music with your best friend in the world.

Also, a big shout out to Addy and Jack who turned 7 years old on the 9th! Their party isn't planned until later, so stay tuned for all the fun that is to come.

Have a great week!

"That is a picture of an old lady. She is in a house..."

"...The house is on fire and the old lady can't get out. That's how old people die sometimes."
       -Maren

Where did this child come from? It's creepy.

*****

I was driving through Montana yesterday on the freeway and I caught a brief glimpse of a little girl- probably about 10 years old- posing for a picture with the person I presume was her dad. She was holding a fishing pole and a fish, and had the biggest grin across her face.

Later on I noticed a car with the words "Just Married" painted across the back window.

Then we got backed up for a little while because of a car accident that looked pretty bad, with ambulances and everything.

And I started thinking- isn't it crazy how we go by people every day never knowing anything about them? Human dramas are happening all around us. Relationships being formed or broken, happy things, sad things, surprising things- it's everywhere. And yet, there we were, just sitting in our car- kids watching a movie, and Rachel and I just talking like everything was normal.

Well- not totally normal. We experienced our own little drama. Here it is in pictures:

 


It's the little things. :)

But seriously, think about it. So many things going on all around us that we are completely oblivious to. It makes you stop for a little bit and realize the obvious fact that the world, and all the events contained within it, are definitely much bigger than what it seems.

*****

Last night the kids got all their new school clothes and decided which outfit to lay out for their first day back. We had gotten home from Utah about 2 hours earlier. It has definitely been a sprint-finish to the end of Summer. I think everyone is ready to settle into routine again.

*****

For as long as I can remember, climbing up rocks has held a special sort of appeal to me. Last week I got the chance to go on a trip I have been dreaming about for years- the Cirque of Towers in the Wind River Range. This place is magical, with granite spires rearing up all around- a climber's paradise. It was also fun getting to spend some time with my Dad and Griffin (brother).

You can tell that we haven't gotten started yet because we're all fresh and smiling. It was actually a pretty grueling hike.

I didn't take this picture, but this is where we were. We camped about at the place where this was taken from, so this was our view for three days. Beautiful.

One of the coolest pitches I've ever led. Not difficult, but the angle of the "sidewalk" forced you to confront the exposure.

I like this picture

Summit!

Lots of rappels to get down

Besides climbing, one of my favorite parts of the trip was taking my sleeping bag out of the tent in the middle of the night and laying down instead under the stars. This is what it looked like:

 Let me be the first to say that I am not the one who took this picture. It is professionally done. That said, it was taken in the Cirque, at approximately the same location where I was laying. It is also very representative of what I saw that night: No moon. Lot's of stars. Milky way. Incredible.

It was honestly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen, and I just lay there soaking it all in. I looked at the stars in wonderment at how many there were. And I realized that a lot of the beauty of the night sky was that there was no single star that stood out among the others. Oh, there were definitely some that were brighter, and some that were bigger- but even these were easily lost in the breathtaking fullness of it all.

It is interesting, I thought, how our sun, a rather unremarkable star itself, is so close to us that it effectively obscures the phenomenal beauty that sits behind it. In this way it asserts it's own significance- a mere illusion that disappears only when eclipsed by the earth. In fact, if there was a person who insisted that they live only in the light of day (or in a large city), it would be impossible to blame them if they couldn't believe the night sky held any more than just a handful of dim replicas of the light they already knew. And yet the sky, lit up as I saw it that night, was nothing short of awe-inspiring, filling me completely with the deepest sense of wonder and humility. It reminded me of the Vincent van Gogh quote found, aptly, in a letter he wrote to his brother- "I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream." I think now that Vincent and I have probably seen the same sky and followed similar veins of thought.

*****

Of course Rachel and the kids couldn't let me have all the fun. While I was out in the mountains, they all went and visited Rachel's mom. The kids all said they had a great time, and they couldn't stop talking about the playhouse they cleaned out. Apparently it was pretty awesome.

Fun in the playhouse. Kelly (Rachel's Dad) made this a long time ago, and Rachel can remember playing in it when she was young. Over time it became more of a storage shed as kids moved away. Not any more! Bring on the grand kids!

After spending the week with Grandma Almond, we all met back in Logan at my brother's house. We got some good time in with them, and the kids all love their cousins and are excited to see them again next month.

So, yeah...We've had a pretty good week. I'm almost ready to relax a little more and settle into the routine of school.

...Almost. I still have a few trips left in me though. Stay tuned.

Have a good week!

In January we sat down as a family one evening and planned out our year. One of the things that almost everyone wanted to do was visit the ocean. This wish was granted this week as we loaded up the car and headed for the Washington coast. We had tons of fun. Here are some pictures.

We'll do this picture first. This was taken after Lindsey and I went on a walk at about 2:00 in the morning on the way there. The others were trying to sleep in the car, but this little girl was bright eyed and ready for action. She would not sleep, and she was keeping the others awake. It was actually a very pleasant little walk. There was a full moon, and we held hands as we just walked along the side of a back-road in Northeast Washington and talked about...stuff. Lindsey is so sweet, and as the youngest I'm afraid I probably don't give her as much attention as the others. This was good bonding time. It also made me wonder about the impression we probably gave to the very few passing motorists we saw- a dad and a little girl walking down the road in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night- it seems a little creepy, or sad, or both.

First impressions- wow, that is a lot of water.

A lot of playing in the water. Jack was the die-hard here. The others were either scared of the waves or else they got cold or tired of the salty taste. Not Jack though. He stayed out there for hours. He's about to get pummeled in the picture.

Lots of exploring and making forts with driftwood

They discovered they could write on rocks with small bits of burned wood from past campfires. This kept them occupied for quite a while.

This is how you know it's been a good day

Starfish!

Tide pools were definitely a favorite. We saw tons of starfish, anemones, crabs, oysters, barnacles, and sea urchins. We also found a couple of  eels, a few different kinds of fish, and even an octopus. The blood starfish were my personal favorite because you could hold them in your hand and watch their arms squirming around looking for a hold. Marine life of this sort holds a special fascination for me- it causes me to think about life differently and really stand back in awe at the wonder of it all. 

This is the look Evelyn gives me when she thinks I am being especially awesome or witty. She's going to make an awesome teenager.

Rachel is the healthy one- she decided to go to a local gym to get some bike training in. Meanwhile, the rest of us went and got pizza, bread-sticks, and soda. Afterwords, we went to the Olympic National Park visitor center where they had tons of kid-friendly activities and exhibits.

This is where we camped. Just as an FYI- the Olympic peninsula is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. It is by far the most biologically interesting place I have personally ever been. With the coast, the temperate rainforest, and the high rugged mountains, it can be pretty breathtaking to take it all in.

Rainforest means there isn't much dry wood around. This didn't deter Jackson though- he built a fire using matchsticks.

This is a place where we ate breakfast on the last day. The kids and I decided to go on a random trail-run. They did great!

Rachel wins the style award for the trip. I like the purple socks pulled up over the pants. I think she may be onto something.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend. Definitely a family trip that we will remember. Definitely a place to go back to.