Day 14
Sitting Tight in Jackson, WY (6,783 foot elevation)
Risk-taking is not my forté. So when Jon had asked in advance of the trip if I would be willing to do some hikes along the way, I felt it was a valiant leap outside of my comfort zone to say yes. Thus far, we had "hiked" in the Badlands but that had essentially amounted to forty minutes of slogging around the mud. I had calculated the chance of my imminent demise to be within an acceptable range.
This morning, however, when Jon excitedly pitched a hike to Inspiration Point in Teton National Park, my "danger radar" started flashing. I tend not to feel overwhelming enthusiasm about any activity that requires me to bring "bear spray." As we started the trek up the icy trail, my anxieties went into characteristic Elizabeth overdrive.
Though the fear of misstepping and plummeting to my death or being stalked and mauled by a bear remained with me throughout the four hour hike, even I could not help but be inspired by the views that surrounded me.
Mid-way through the hike, a young man whom we'd passed earlier in the route, stopped to chat. A 27 year old entrepreneur in from Michigan, he'd decided to hike solo and was now regretting the decision. He had decided to turn back but, now that he'd run into us, he asked if we would mind him tagging along as we continued to the summit. And that was how we met our new friend Tariq. Here's a picture of our intrepid group practicing social distancing, Western-style (I obviously was holding my breath because you can take the New Yorker out of New York...).
For a sense of perspective, Inspiration Point is the peak in the picture below. While we didn't make it all the way to the top (even Jon thought it would be a push - for me - with the ice on the steepest and most narrow part of the trail coming down), we did make it to the little "pimple" just below. I guess you could say we summited at Semi-Inspirational Point. As someone who considers rigorous exercise to be walking to the Fairway five blocks away from her apartment, I was pretty impressed with my athleticism and stamina by the time the hike concluded. And, as someone who believes wholeheartedly that if something bad could happen it most certainly will, I was most impressed that I'd survived with both my body and mind intact.
Following the hike, we took a ride through more of Grand Teton National Park, along Antelope Flats Road until we reached Mormon Row, an area that had been settled by Mormons in the 1890s where several original homesteads remained intact.
On the drive back to Jackson from our trip through the pioneer past, we were treated to some more exceptional views and one that clarified why the Tetons are in a town called Moose.
Gorgeous
ReplyDelete