National Parks Trip: Camping, Driving, Hiking, Thriving

A quick recap of mine and Derek's road trip out west: Denver to the Twin Cities

I was scooped up at Denver International Airport around noon, and we wasted no time heading up to Rocky Mountain National Park. Derek's Subaru Crosstrek was loaded up with a survivalist's treasure trove, complete with the essentials: tents, sleeping bags, a handsaw and dehydrated cheesecake. Let me just say, if love truly is what makes a Subaru, a Subaru, then that Crosstrek must have ascended to king of the brand, because she was incredibly well-loved by the end of our two weeks. Of course, all love stories have their bumps-- and that drama will not go unaddressed (I am a servant to my audience)-- but I'll kick off our saga similar to how we kicked off our trip: bright-eyed and impervious to challenge.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Our first day hike took us on a six mile out-and-back trail to Loch Vale, a beautifully serene lake nestled in trees and surrounded by towering mountain peaks. The majority of the trail followed a river that cascaded into Alberta Falls, carving out a breathtaking gorge of orange rock walls. The sun was showing its shining face all day, giving no hint that it would be in hibernation for the next week, and our spirits were high as I introduced Derek to the joys of the GoPro throughout our trek.

Finishing our hike around six, the next few hours consisted of increasingly worrisome campsite hunting, which culminated in a winding gravel road to a campsite in the hills that we may or may not have paid for. But hey, we weren't sleeping in the car on night one, so we consider that a win. It was at this site that we first recognized the necessity of Uncle Kurt's beloved handsaw, which Derek used to make logs and get our fire going as the temperature dropped (That saw would continue to star in each night of our trip).

We returned to RMNP for day two, but ended up settling for a drive-through, since trails were limited due to both COVID-19 capacity regulations and wildfire closures. We did do a short trail at 12,500 feet, and trust me when I say that thin air made it feel like a lot more work than the 1.3 mile Strava post made it seem. We drove all the way through the park, stopping at overlooks to redundantly marvel at the vastness of the mountain range. Luckily, Derek did not drive us over the edge of a cliff, and we made it into Wyoming by the afternoon.

Medicine Bow National Forest

After a quick snack and booze run at the Walmart in Laramie, we headed into Medicine Bow National Forest in search of our campsite for the night. Derek lead us to Brooklyn Lake Campground, a favorite of his, where we set up our tents with in view of the lake. It was just as we got our fire going that the rain began, foreshadowing our next few days. Luckily, we had our Snowshoes (Bourbon & Peppermint Schnapps) to keep us warm, and Derek's excellent fire-building skills kept the flames alive through the drizzle. We split a dehydrated meal of surprisingly edible quality and crawled into our tents to rest up for our next hike.

The following morning, we hiked a 5.5 mile trek around Sugarloaf Mountain, maintaining an elevation of about 11,000 feet. The landscape actually resembled the aftermath of spilled sugar, salt and pepper shakers, grains scattered across the ground and collecting into mountains and valleys. Several lakes pooled in the low parts of the area, providing beautifully unique views that distracted from the gusty wind. For some reason, Derek wasn't interested in going for a swim.

From the National Forest, we drove northwest to Lander, Wyoming- Derek's future place of residence, if he has anything to say about it (I'm not quite sure what draws him in more: the low population or the reasonable price of beer). We had a few drinks and dinner at Lander Bar, which collaborates with the local brewing company, and enjoyed our first night in a motel as the rain that was beginning to stalk us pounded the roof.

Grand Teton National Park

Our drive to Grand Teton National Park was probably incredibly dangerous but we couldn't tell... because, well, we couldn't see anything. The dense fog allowed for maybe 20 feet of visibility in some parts of the winding mountain road, but the passing signs that we could make out were not comforting: "DANGER: BEARS CLOSE TO ROAD". Well, mom, no use worrying about things that never happened! We made it to the park in one piece and immediately set off on our first hike.

We started our planned 7.7 mile hike around Jenny Lake, greeted with stunning views of the Tetons across the water. As we continued our trek, we became less certain of the route, and decided to base our hike on landmark signs that we passed along the way. We hiked up to Inspiration Point, which proved to be a much greater elevation gain than expected, and then decided to continue on to "Cascade Canyon", as directed by signs. And so we hiked, and hiked, and hiked, all the while passing signs with arrows supposedly directing us towards the canyon. Meanwhile, we've found ourselves deep in the Tetons, with slates of rock towering up on each side of us. The rain has begun again and our packs have been tucked under our jackets to keep them dry as we continued our

exploration. It was just as our resolve began to waver that we stumbled upon a moose just off the trail.

A MOOSE.

IT WAS SO COOL.

Around then, we decided we had gotten what we came for, and turned around to head back out, reluctantly giving up our quest for the mythical "Cascade Canyon". It wasn't until after we completed our 9.7 mile trek that we realized we were IN CASCADE CANYON THE WHOLE TIME. So... I guess, yay, we found it!? Not the whether nor the misguided wandering could put me in a bad mood though, because not only did we get incredible up-close views of the Tetons, but we saw a MOOSE, which really justifies it all.

We set up camp for the night at Lizard Creek Campground, with a site right on Jackson Lake (if the lake hadn't been half dried up due to the wildfires). The saw once again served us well and we build a fire fit for kings that night, despite the damp wood.

After a chilly morning of mittens and spiked coffee, the sun took pity on us-- perhaps too much. Our hike to Bradley and Taggart lake was bathed in sunlight and heat, resulting in about a 40 degree temperature shift from that past night (gotta love the mountains). The blue skies only served to accentuate the unbelievable views at Bradley Lake, which lies at the feet of the majestic Tetons.

We capped off our time in the Tetons with a drink at a cowboy bar in Jackson, then spent one more night at Lizard Creek before heading north.

Yellowstone National Park

Next stop was Yellowstone, just a short drive from the Tetons. We got all of the touristy things out of the way first (Derek was a trooper), stopping at Old Faithful, the Excelsior Geyser and Firehole Canyon. We decided to squeeze in a hike at the end of our day, despite the misty cold weather and bear warnings. After some discussion, it was determined that Derek could take the bear in a fight, should we run into one, so I wasn't concerned. We did a short 4 mile hike up to Grizzly Lake (Yes, we really did choose THAT trail) and enjoyed a nice overlook of the hidden body of water, despite the smoke and clouds that unfortunately clogged the air.

We spent that night at a campsite on the river in West Yellowstone, where our tents got pounded by rain (in spite of my optimistic assurances that evening that it definitely won't rain on us again). Derek woke up partially submerged in a puddle the next morning, but, all things considered, we still slept pretty well-- we might both be gifted with extreme durability. We packed up our wet camp (that was fun), and drove towards the Eastern gate of the park, all the while I insisted that we not get out of the car until the temperature got above 50 degrees. We were winding through the Absarokas on our way out of Yellowstone when the temperature gauge in the car hit that golden number. As luck would have it, we happened across a trailhead at about the same time and made the spontaneous decision to investigate. The trail sign for Avalanche Peak (that name should've been our first warning) depicted a reasonable length of just over 5 miles, and the high probability of steep grade wasn't enough to deter us.

I'm so glad we did it, but the next two hours were pain.

Our calves were on fire as we hiked up and up and up, past the tree line and over another ridge until there was snow under our boots. Finally summiting, the 360 views were stunning enough to numb the ache. Or maybe that was the sub-freezing temperatures? Either way, as always is the case with tough hikes like this, the view instantly erased any memory of pain or struggle on the ascent. Let me tell you, though, our bodies did not forget. In fact, our legs were reminding us of that little adventure quite aggressively the next day, but that 2,050 foot elevation gain (we later found out) was so worth it.

Leaving Yellowstone, we drove to Cody, Wyoming, where we decided to set up camp for the night. We enjoyed a nice fire and some dehydrated chocolate mudslide dessert to celebrate our first night in a while with no rain. Well-earned, I must say.

Devils Tower National Monument

Reaching the northeast corner of the great state of Wyoming, we had one more stop to make: Devils Tower. The creation of this strange monument has no concrete explanation, so any reasonable person would have to assume aliens. Derek and I, being the college-educated intellectuals we are, decided that it does look like a pretty convenient place to land a spaceship. Origin story aside, we enjoyed an easy hike around the base of the tower that took us through a unique landscape of red rock and a minefield of rattlesnakes. Just kidding, we only saw one rattlesnake, but Derek fought it off with his bare hands. Just kidding again, it slithered away immediately, but only because he knew Derek could fight it off with his bare hands.

After this fun pit stop, we chose to spend our second night in a hotel, where we got a good shower and filled up on Applebee's 2 for $22 (what a deal!). Next stop: the Badlands.

Badlands National Park

The drastic change in scenery from Yellowstone to the Badlands could not go unnoticed. The barren wilderness of the Badlands was striking as we drove through the park, looking out at the sharp hills of clay and rock that stretched out as far as the eye could see. We did just a short walk along the edge of the landscape, following a narrow path across the ridges of the rock walls. We decided the risk of rattlesnakes wasn't worth it, but I think we really just didn't want to push ourselves into another hike in the 90 degree heat (come on, we were still recovering from Avalanche Peak).

The original plan was to camp just outside of the Badlands, but we weren't really sold on the desert wasteland charm. All it took was a sign at the campsite warning us of aggressive bison, while a couple grazed just a few hundred feet away, for us to switch plans. After a stop at the iconic Wall Drug for some homemade ice cream, we were heading east again through South Dakota in search of a more appealing place to pitch our tents. We ended up at a campground on Lake Mitchell, where we could take a quick swim to cool off before our dinner of rehydrated Chili-Mac (Courtesy of Auntie Ann).

Minnesota

The following day, we stopped in Sioux Falls where Derek finally joined the Dark Side. That's right-- he got an iPhone. A very exciting moment of personal growth for him, but that's his story to tell. While he tinkered with the new purchase, I drove us into the great state of Minnesota. We spent our last night at a campsite just outside of Mankato, or Manchengo, as Derek likes to say, and then continued on to our lovely cousin's house in Eagan, Minnesota. Over the next few days we got to meet our two adorable new baby cousins, Harper and Davis (both angels) while spending time with family over food, beer and board games. What better way to end our bonding trip than by defeating Voldemort and the Death eaters and going out for drinks?

We made it back to Chicago in one piece with plenty of stories to tell (and some to not tell). We made a pretty great duo of adventurers over our two weeks out west, if I do say so myself, and I'm so so glad we made it happen.

Thanks D, for keeping me alive and sane! Cheers to many more memories in the making :)