Life is Good

THIRD TIMES A CHARM


There are very few places in this world that bring as much joy and pleasure to me as The Tetons. I can remember my first trip here back in 2001. When I pulled around the bend from Jackson and caught my first glance of the Grand I screamed like a little girl. I was so moved that I could not control my emotions, it just slipped out. Now, seven years later and on my third trip I wondered if the same emotions would be felt when I made that infamous corner.

Mother Nature spoiled the day with thick clouds hovering around the 9,000 ft range and hiding the world famous jagged shapes of The Grand, Teewinot, Nez Perce and the family of peaks that sit in this formidable range. If you have never been here it is hard to explain the appeal of these mountains and why they hold such appeal to those that visit. For me it is their sheer size with little to no foothills distracting you from their grandeur. From your very first glance they smack you across the face with their jagged peaks and dark looming faces. They hide nothing from the viewer as if to say, "look at me, I am beautiful and I know it". They are the super models of mountain ranges.

I spent my day on a trail run around Jenny Lake and up to Inspiration Point. I traveled light (no camera) with hopes of making the 20 mile round-trip to Lake Solitude on the West side of the park, a place that I have always wanted to visit, but never had the time or the stamina. As I rounded Inspiration Point and headed into Cascade Canyon I was greeted with a flurry of icy rain and black clouds. Ill prepared for a +10 mile cold and wet return trip I retreated back to Jenny Lake and finished my run on the North Loop.

To me trail running is vastly greater than hiking. You can cover an immense amount of territory in minimal time, you can travel light and fast, and you can intimidate/impress the meer mortals that are hiking. I take some sort of weird pleasure in zipping past hikers in a dead sprint and passing people on an uphill climb hacking and weazing as if they were once the poster child for Marlboro Red's and catching them say "...freak, I can't believe anyone would run this." I just need to remember to slow down and take in the scenery every once in awhile.

After my day on the trail I caught up with my old friend from Vegas, Mark Limage. Mark is world class skier/climber/mountaineer who works for Jackson Hole Mountain Guides and recently found himself faced with a new mountain, fatherhood. We sat at the Silver Dollar Bar in downtown Jackson, drank Snake River Beer and discussed how life suddenly changes when there is someone else suddenly more important than yourself. This is a fact that I still struggle with everyday. Nothing really prepares you for parenthood. Sure there are books, classes, conversations with other fathers and the advise from your parents, but parenthood is something that you need to jump into with both feet. It is one of those things that you need to learn for yourself, not rely on someone else to tell you what it will be like. Mark will be a great dad and I look forward to supporting him in the growth of Zoey over the next few years.

After two beers and 10 miles of running I was ready for bed. I am not sure where I will lay my head tonight, but I know that when I wake-up I will get another chance to play in paradise. Until tomorrow.