Two weeks into the road trip and time is starting to go more
quickly. Our second major stop in the trip landed us in Jackson, Wyoming. The
drive from Colorado to Wyoming consisted of some of the vastest landscapes we
had ever seen. There were only a couple of small towns that we encountered on
our nine hour drive. Our next stop will be Yellowstone for a day hike and then
Idaho for more kayaking.
Our
only plans when arriving in Jackson were to go backpacking in the Tetons before
moving on. Plans changed when we walked into Rendezvous paddle shop and discovered
a close knit paddling community that were quick to show us down some of the
best local runs. They introduced us to the local community of young dirtbags
who work during the day and live out of their cars by night. We fit right in. Big
shout out to Porter, Matt, and everyone else in the Rendezvous crew for the
hospitality.
The Grand
Tetons are always a presence around Jackson. We spent a few nights sleeping
under the stars on a ridge overlooking the Tetons before exploring them by
foot. We went backpacking in Garnet Canyon and stayed at a camp spot called the
caves. We were lucky enough to get the whole campsite to ourselves. The second
day we climbed to the lower saddle, the highest part of the Tetons that we
could reach without rope. What I thought would be a casual day hike turned into
a minor mountaineering expedition. We found walking sticks that we used as ice
picks to cross large snow passes. Getting to the top required following a loose
trail, climbing through vast alpine boulder fields, and making some sketchy
snow passes. Towards the top everyone else at the base camp was decked out in
gear. We looked out of place with our hiking boots and sticks. Getting down
proved to be the real adventure as I decided to slide hundreds of feet down a
very steep slope covered in snow. We missed our target path and found ourselves
in a survival situation as we had slid down to a sketchy rock island over a
massive cliff. The way back required blazing a trail through steep snow and ice
patches where a slip could result in a 300 foot plunge. We remained calm and
did what we needed to do. Without any protective gear and only a stick to
balance myself, I kicked foot holds in the snow and crossed step by step
towards safety. Falling was not an option, but certainly a possibility. Once
Sam and I had reached safety we reflected upon our encounter with serious
danger. The mountain had gained my respect. I won’t underestimate the dangers
of the alpine again.
I’ve
had a lot of time to think during the past week. The nature of my experience
has taught me things that people from home may have a hard time to relate to. The
wild nature of my lifestyle is showing me parts of me I never knew existed. Men
are part wild animal and part intellectual. Our intellect separates us from the
animals that we think ourselves to be far superior, but a man is still an
animal. We have built a society to tame ourselves. I want to experience this
wild inside of me. I feel alive as I dance with the danger of the river in my
kayak. I feel the fire pushing me to survive as a slip and scramble up a snowy
cliff overhanging certain death. I feel the simple pleasure of falling asleep under
the stars as the breeze lightly flows through my hair. These raw experiences
make me feel human, it makes me understand what I am. I can’t describe these
simple truths that I am discovering any more than one can describe the feeling
of being in love. It is something you have to experience for yourself and it
doesn’t come easy. I can’t find real meaning in distractions we have created to
entertain us in society. I think it is ironic that people call our working
adult society “the real world”. The world I am experiencing is more real than anything
else I have ever been a part of.
One day soon I will rejoin the
workforce as a contributing member of society. Not yet though, I have much more
to learn. When I do come back it will be with purpose and it will be under my
own terms.
Most Pictures Taken by Sam Lupo. Insta: @fruitlupsfordinner
Wyoming
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