Week 1
July 3: I drove down to Peter’s house in Colorado from Illinois (14 hours in total).
July 4: We elected to stay in Colorado for a few days to prepare (logistically and physically) and explore a bit. With several of Peter’s friends, we started with an easy 2 mile hike to Seaman’s Reservoir where we celebrated our nation’s birthday by jumping off of cliffs and rope swings. In doing so, we observed two bald eagles fishing on the lake. It was an unquestionably patriotic afternoon. We later watched fireworks nearby.
July 5: Peter and I ventured down to Boulder, CO (where I lived last summer) to climb the exquisite Flatirons that provide an indistinguishable backdrop to the most “granola” city in America. Our overall hiking distance was only about 2 miles, but the climb was exhilarating. The faces are steep enough to make your heart race when you look down, but slanted at an angle that just allows for an ascent by athletic, but unseasoned climbers. When we reached the bottom, we ventured to a soccer field that I used to play on and found some people to play pickup with for the next 2 hours. I was exhausted.
July 6: I awoke with a radiating soreness, but that provided even more incentive to get myself back in shape. Peter and I went with his mother to Rocky Mountain National Park seeking to summit Hallett Peak (12,713). Starting at Bear Lake, Mrs. Boxley started out at a blistering pace; My calves were on fire within minutes. I later found out she just wanted to be in front of everyone from the start. By the time we reached the last 200 feet of ascent, Peter took off running, Mrs. Boxley was on her merry way toward the peak, and I was on the verge of crawling. We chalked it up to the altitude, but I think we all knew the truth (to be fair, though, we passed probably 30 people along the way and were never passed up by anyone). The summit hosted the strongest winds I’ve ever experienced. The roundtrip was 11 miles and took about 4 hours and 40 minutes (the suggested time is 6-7 hours).
July 7: We took off for Jackson Hole, WY. The trip took about 7 1/2 hours. We arrived at the famous antler arches and began to wander. Eventually, we found a mountaineering store and received some much-appreciated local camping advice. Our Subaru meandered its way up the hills of Curtis Canyon to a campsite with an unmatched view. That night, we met some locals that worked at an outdoors camp for inner-city children and shared a campfire and beers. I can’t adequately describe the blanket of stars that enclosed us from every horizon without a cloud in the sky. You know how you’ll sometimes see really cool pictures of the galaxy and think it’s just some scientific rendition? Sleep on top of any mountain near Jackson Hole and you’ll know better.
July 8: We got up and saw the Tetons in full light for the first time, we were in wonder. We cooked the usual: Oatmeal with a little protein powder. We then sought a more “local” hike and settled on summiting Snow King, the ski resort that overlooks Jackson Hole. The first part of the hike was surprisingly strenuous. With little footing and a very steep trial, our calves were (again) working overtime, but the trail later rewarded us with about a mile of shallow up-and-downs along a ridge before reaching the peak. We ate a simple lunch at the top and due to the steep nature of the trail, Peter decided to spare his knees and take the gondola down. I wanted to test my new trail running shoes, so I took off down the mountain. Hyperfocused on my footing, I flew down about 3/4 of the ridge, but as I looked up to evaluate a fork in the road, my focus was lost and my foot hit a rock and for a moment, I was flying. My bliss was squandered immediately by rocks, dirt, and bushes. Thankfully, I got up without much more than some minor scratches (which is a minor miracle, for those of you who know me well) and continued down the mountain. We camped once more at Curtis Canyon (for future reference, don’t go without 4WD), this time alone. Views were great as ever.
July 9: The downhill was a better workout than expected and my legs were (and still are) sore. We got up and shared a breakfast conversation with a woman who was camping nearby. We played frisbee catch with her dog and heard all about her time spent overseas and her aspirations to foster child victims of sex trafficking in Latin America. She offered a unique perspective. Oh, and her sister just casually went hang gliding while we were there.
We then began our drive to Yellowstone. We saw Old Faithful blow, we saw other geysers and waterfalls, but were ultimately unimpressed by our first day. I think it really boiled down to the dissatisfaction of the Drive-thru nature of the scenery. It felt more like a “look-but-don’t-touch” outdoor museum than true wild landscape. We planned, instead to back country camp. That night, we snagged the last camping spot in a camp nearby. It was far less secluded and wondrous, but it did the job. There was a large stream/small river near our camp that attracted several bison and female elk in a field whose beauty I failed to fully capture on camera (a constant theme to this trip so far). About an hour after retiring to our camp, rain began to fall, then it fell harder until there was lightening that illuminated our tent followed by thunder that shook the ground like nothing I’ve ever felt. In retrospect, I should have been more afraid, but I was loving it in the moment.
July 10: We awoke to find our campsite flooded and the rain still falling (still probably the most peaceful sleep I’ve had). We could smack the bottom of our tent and it would respond with the texture of a water bed. Our amusement quickly changed to dread of the task ahead. Fortunately, the tent did its job and we (and our sleeping bags) were dry, but our boots and the tent itself were a pain to clean/dry.
As the rain continued to fall, we decided that Yellowstone didn’t offer the natural beauty of the Tetons and the weather was dissuasive in its own right. We began the drive south to get back country permits a few days early in the Tetons and it was only then that we found the truly wild/beautiful areas of Yellowstone. Tip for the future: you can see west Yellowstone when you’re old; go instead to the east side and fish, hike, camp, explore, or wrestle bears to your heart’s content. It was pouring rain that entire drive, but I could have happily driven for 24 hours straight in that wilderness.
However, we were still committed to the Tetons. On our way back, we passed the Tetons just as the “megastorm” was passing and the light broke through low clouds in a scene that could only be described as heavenly. The pictures don’t begin to do it justice. After a brief consultation with the visitor center, we chose to camp nearby at the base of Shadow Mountain in order to be the first in line for permits in the morning.
We arrived at Shadow Mountain to find a far less colorful crowd. Nobody left their tent/camper the entire time (save for one man sitting on the bed of his truck). Although the rain had quit, the land was soaked and there was little hope for a fire, but with a cold night ahead, we scoured the landscape for anything that might burn and, by some miracle, were able to kick something up and dry some of our clothes.
July 11: Happy Birthday Mom! Peter and I got up at 6:45 to get our permits and promptly pulled out our stove and cooked breakfast in the parking lot. We’ve been in Jackson Hole since then getting our supplies ready and getting some work done before we go off the grid for four days. For me, that means this blog and uploading a bunch of pictures, and for Peter, that means med school applications.
Our back country hike is known as the Teton Crest Trail. It’s regarded as one of the most beautiful and wild hikes in America. It spans 39 miles along the west side of the Tetons and it’s crawling with bears, moose, and other forms of wildlife. We’re taking necessary precautions (bear spray, bear canister, expert consultations, pushups, etc.), but if I don’t make it out, I’ll at least have some great GoPro footage.
Wish us luck and stay tuned!