Reflections of the Grand

No mountain in all of America is more impressive or more likely to capture the imagination of a budding young climber than the Grand Teton.

Soaring 7,000 feet above the plains of Jackson Hole and reaching toward that Wyoming blue sky, “The Grand” dominates a vast, western landscape for miles around. As a young teenager, on a summer vacation with family, I passed by here and vowed to return some day in answer to an internal call to ascend this peak. It took nearly 50 years to finally get around to answering that call, but the wait was worth it.

In August of 2014, Carrie and I, joined by three other capable friends, took on the challenge of lugging heavy backpacks up the steep trail to an awaiting campsite, then arose the next morning at 3:00 AM to begin the long awaited ascent. The fickle weather that day granted us a reprieve and offered us no more challenge than some expected wind and near freezing temperatures higher up. By noon, we stood upon that rocky summit, over a thousand feet higher than any other surrounding ground and gazed out across what seemed like half of Wyoming and Idaho. Six hours later, we were back down the mountain, packing up our campsite, and already contemplating the climb as a memory. It’s an indelible memory and this reflective photo will always serve to remind me of that day.