I’ve been banging my head against the wall here a bit in Pinedale, feeling cooped up and restless. I’ve been keeping eye out for enterprise stories I can pursue for the paper – in the name of getting out and about – and talked my editor into letting me jaunt into Jackson for the day to shoot the new Teton Ice Park. The park, run by a lead guide out of Exum Mountain Guides, was utterly fantastic, and I came out with a good photo series.
I was due in Jackson at 10 for a business meeting, and then due at the Ice Park at 1. Curiosity, as it often does, got the best of me, however and I left Pinedale at 6 a.m., hoping to get into town early and shoot sunrise in the Tetons. Sadly the sunrise didn’t have much to offer in of itself (extreme cold, extreme clear, and harsh light) but I drove into Grand Teton and visited some old haunts near Moose and the Snake River.
Tromping around a river when it’s -18F and misty is a bit magical, and it offered a much-needed decompression. I then headed over to the National Elk Refuge, hoping to catch the light peeking over the foothills. After a long wait, the light finally moved to where I wanted it, and at the same time several sleighs moved across the shadows, amid the elk.
I climbed back into the car, tried to get some feeling back into my fingers, and headed back into Jackson for a coffee before the meeting. It was a busy day in Jackson, and I wasn’t able to get everything done I needed to, but a day spent outside is a good day.
I got back to Pinedale late last night and spent much of today covering an indoor triathlon here in town. I’ve had some… surprising options come up for the coming year and have been having difficulties thinking through everything in the day-to-day. The mini road trip to Jackson was just what I needed.
Somehow thoughts flow much more freely on the road and on the river than anywhere else.
