Summer Recap

Back when I blogged often, before I lost ready access to internet for the summer, and before Practice Court stole my soul and so much of my free time that 5 hours of sleep was a luxury, Tuesdays were Travel days.

I travelled all summer, really. Lived in a different culture than most of us are accustomed to. Woke up amazed by the grandeur of Electric Peak every morning. Dozed off listening to the river running mere feet from my open window.

Today, I just wanted to share with your a few of my favorite memories of the summer I’ll always look back on as one of the best in my life.

Parked along the road in Yankee Jim canyon, watching rafting.

The summer was arguably the best years for whitewater on the Yellowstone River. So almost every evening, we put boats in the river, loaded up and paddled down the canyon. Occasionally, I didn’t feel quite up to the effort of wiggling into a wetsuit or soaking in the tropical 40 degree water if we flipped. So, I grabbed a camera, drove the bus, and took pictures as the rafts came by.

Hiking with my mom, dad, and Paul

The trail to my favorite waterfall was closed most of the summer because the trail was covered with snow. Looking back, hiking comprised some of my favorite memories of the summer. Hiking near the hoodoos with the girls and coming upon a Grizzly sow and two cubs just a couple of hundred yards away; hiking across from our dorms and deciding to sit on the mountain top and have “girl talk” for an hour; hiking LaDuke alone and singing loudly, bear spray in hand, because I was in bear country; hiking 7 mile hole (which is about a 9 mile hike, oddly) with a huge group and enjoying lunch in the grand canyon of the Yellowstone; hiking the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone for about 13 miles back out to Gardiner with the guy I was completely interested well before he was interested in me, which means I tried desperately to play down my attraction all day long; and ultimately, finally hiking to my favorite waterfall with the guy, once he’d finally become interested in me, with my parents when they came to visit. It was a beautiful day in the summer sun, surrounded by wildflowers as I tried to control my klutz tendencies and not fall all the way down the steep, switch back trail, while Paul laughed at me and took every wild berry before I got a chance.

Grand Prismatic

When your back yard is Yellowstone National Park, you never run out of places to explore. On days off, we often loaded up a car and drove various areas. Stopping along the way to hike to some of our favorite places like Trout Lake, or Mystic Falls. Doing the Old Faithful thing just because we had to. Walking around the boardwalk at Norris Geyser Basin. And stopping at the Fairy Falls trailhead to scramble up a little mountain to gaze upon one of my favorite places, Grand Prismatic.

My memories from the summer far outnumber those listed here. They include playing capture the flag up a mountain with Mammoth Hot Springs in view. Learning to Western swing. Dancing at “The Sonic Boom” every Thursday. Soaking in Chico Hot Springs. Cooking family dinners. Hanging out with customers on their overnights and camping in the teepee.

Keep a look out for further recaps. : )