We woke up Thursday morning to the sounds of Joe and Lauren preparing to take off. Wishing them farewell was tough for both of us. Our week together was so easy and enjoyable that we didn’t want it to end. It also didn’t occur to us until they were leaving, that their presence served as a comforting reminder of home that we dreaded being without. We have met so many amazing and inviting people during our travels, but nothing matches time spent with those who truly know us. Once they were gone, we realized that it was once again the two of us and Mogli on the road. This meant putting our heads together and deciding what the next couple of days would hold. We agreed that we would check out a nearby climbing area before leaving Jackson and heading towards Lander. On our way to climb, we called our friends Mike and Cynthia to congratulate them on their engagement. They were in Croatia, so we got to hear about both the proposal and their travels. The spot that we planned on climbing is part of the national park and therefore doesn’t allow dogs. We weren’t aware of that until we arrived and had to decide what to do with Mogli. Due to the heat we decided to tie him to the shaded side of the truck with his bed and a bowl of water. As we made our way toward the trailhead, we looked back and just barely saw Mogli’s eyes peaking around the nose of the truck. The sight made us both burst into laughter, but he seemed less amused. We continued walking, but not without the disruption of his dramatic barking. We concluded, after some time that he would not quit, meaning he would instead be spending that time in the car. Clouds had rolled in, cooling both the air, and the truck. That night, we pulled into a free campsite that sat atop a marshy pond. Tom was immediately repulsed by the idea of staying there due to the likelihood that we’d parked at a mosquito farm. Feeling hangry and tired, I explained that it didn’t bother me if that was the case, because I planned to eat and go to bed in the comfort of our camper. He reluctantly agreed before exiting the car to find clouds of thirsty mosquitos. Without wasting time, we ran to the back, opening and closing the door as swiftly as we could. A few made it in with us, but we were safe from the hordes that congregated on our screens. Finally feeling secured, they became the object of our mockery. Little did we know that our “impenetrable fortress” was about to undergo an invasion. After eating dinner and playing cribbage, while killing what seemed to be more mosquitos than we had let in, we went to bed. Our efforts to sleep were met with relentless buzzing that seemed to intensify as time went on. I covered my head with my pillow and cocooned in my sleeping bag to avoid being bitten. I slept on and off before waking up to the sound of Tom smacking every surface of the camper, trying to kill the mass that filled the inside. Due to lack of sleep and frustration, his eyes were crazed, convinced that he could extinguish them one at a time. Once I had fully woken and digested the situation, it was clear that we were fighting a losing battle. I suggested that we drop the camper and get on the road.
Tom slept while I drove us to Lander. I appreciated the quiet time to myself, taking in the scenery and listening to my favorite music. It was early afternoon when we pulled in, allowing Tom the rest that he desperately needed. After running some errands, we left town to climb at Wild Iris. Not only are there endless walls to climb, but also free camping right next to them. We were able to find a secluded spot, easing our worries about the possibility of Mogli interacting with other dogs. We spent the evening climbing at Zorro wall. All of the routes were extremely challenging but definitely worth doing.
Saturday was a rest day, and rest we did. That morning, I made a sweet potato hash and took a stab at styling it. It was a unique experience since I rarely consider how food looks when preparing it. I was surprised by the fact that even after I had aesthetically plated it, capturing an appetizing image was still challenging. After breakfast was said and done, Tom read while I sat outside and doodled. It was the first day since starting the trip that felt a little like we were trying to fill time. Tom finished his book not long after I started one, so I read a few chapters before wanting to stretch my legs. Mogli and I ran with Tom biking beside us. We couldn’t have picked a better time of day for this excursion. The sun had just began to set, creating a masterpiece sunset and significantly cooling the temperature. Upon returning, I stretched and Tom made dinner. As darkness fell, we enjoyed delicious Pad Thai around a strong fire.
Feeling energized by the day before, we planned to hit it hard on Sunday. Althought the day was hot, we found a shaded area that had a variety of climbs within our ability level. It was a record setting day, both completing 10 routes. Tom climbed each one without falling which was no easy feat. The day itself was mostly uneventful apart from Mogli embarrassing me in front of some fellow climbers. They were a couple with a small dog passing through the area where we had stopped to get on a climb. She picked her dog up and I clipped Mogli to my harness to ensure that he couldn’t try anything he’d regret. We stood and talked for a while with both dogs seemingly uninterested in eachother. I was mid-sentence when suddenly Mogli decided to make a move, dragging me a short way on my ass. Tom and the couple were both concerned about me, but my pride was hurt more than my butt. Now that I know his strength, I will only be securing him to stationary objects.
By Monday, we were completely out of water and running out of meal options. In order to re-stock, we had to drive back into town. While there, shopped for groceries, filled our water jugs, bought a new bike seat (mine was bent) and treated ourselves to ice cream. Since the last few days had been hot and dry, we wanted to find a place to go swimming. I had found a natural waterslide while searching online which intrigued us both. It was a local favorite and only required a short 2 mile hike to reach. When we first pulled up to the trailhead, the weather was less than ideal. We sat in the truck and waited out the cold, intermittent rain. Eventually the clouds cleared, making the air warm enough to swim. The rock slide was around 20 feet in length and dropped 8 feet into a deep pool. Although slightly intimidating on the first go, it made us feel like little kids. We had so much fun and lapped it multiple times. After hiking back, we made our way to a nearby national forest campground where we made dinner and played games.
On Tuesday we climbed at Sinks Canyon at an area called: “Shady Side”. It is aptly named and therefore was a bit crowded. Nonetheless, we were able to get in a full day of climbing. We decided to camp in Lander that night since the climbing festival started the following morning. As we pulled into the park, climbers had begun trickling in to set up camp. I messaged Hannah, a girl that we had met in Colorado who was planning on coming into town. We ended up meeting her and her boyfriend, Josh for a beer. They are both really kind, humorous people and Tom and I both enjoyed their company.
The next day we climbed with Hannah and Josh at Frontier Wall. Even though Tom had done some research prior to driving out there, we had trouble finding the trail and instead bush-whacked up to the wall. The day started out extremely hot with no shade to be seen. After climbing for a few hours it quickly changed from sunny to cloudy. This was followed by rain and soon after, hail. Tom had a friend visiting from Rock Springs, so he had already made is way down to go meet him. Josh, Hannah and I were waiting, hoping that the weather would calm so we could get our gear off the wall. We were given a short window with no rain in which we quickly gathered our things. The rain began again after starting down the steep hillside that led back to the car. Hannah has a white husky named Rose who is an innate hunter and had been trying to catch anything she saw move. While carefully stepping down a wet, steep hill, we noticed that she had not only caught a rabbit, but had already ripped it’s head off and had begun eating it. Hannah and Josh both made efforts to get her to drop it, but all were unsuccessful. Before we were back on the road, the entire contents of the rabbits body was resting in Rose’s stomach. It was not an easy sight to see, but witnessing wild tendencies displayed by a domesticated dog was interesting. Hannah and Josh dropped me off at the parking lot where Tom and his friend Jordan were catching up, before they headed towards the Black Hills. After saying goodbye to them, I joined Tom and Jordan in the camper. Feeling wiped after what had already been a long day, I allowed myself to drift off while they hung out. Hannah and Brian, Tom’s climbing friends from Rock Springs, were in town for the festival and invited us to join them for dinner. The three of us went with them to a Mexican restaurant in town. After eating, we went back to the park and played Yahtzee before Jordan hit the road. Shortly after, Brian and Hannah pulled up next to us and we hung out with them, making climbing plans for the next day.
On Thursday, we climbed with Brian and Hannah at Aspen Glades. Our goal for the trip was to climb a 5.12 and Tom was confident that Brian could help him find one in that area that would be his style. After warming up, he attempted Brian’s suggested route, Whore’s Gold. On his first attempt, he fell multiple times, but on the second, he fell only once. Feeling frustrated and tired, he decided that he would come back for it another day. We climbed a couple more routes that were less difficult before driving back to camp. Tom returned a few phone calls while I sat in the river to cool off. After taking some time to rejuvenate, we biked to a small, local restaurant that had $1 draft beers on Thursdays. It was a fun way to be cheap while setting aside time to check in with eachother. After drowning more than one beer, we biked over to the Lander Bar where the festival hosted a pull-up competition and live music. We were nearly there when we saw a truckbed full of malamute puppies for sale. Quickly hitting the breaks, we stopped and immediately melted with the little fur balls in our arms. With slightly fuzzy judgement, we allowed ourselves the false belief that we could actually take one with us. When we got to the bar, we found Brian and Hannah and watched a hilariously entertaining lip syncing contest. Not long after, the band was jamming and we danced until we could dance no more.
We took Friday off of climbing to give our hands a break from the sharp rock. The first half of the day included; yoga, bagel sandwiches, reading, and sitting in the river. We rinsed the river water off with our pocket shower, which is essentially a dry bag with a slotted nozzle. As we were drying off, Stephen, who was parked next to us, apologized for his barking dog. We assured him that it was no problem and mentioned that we also had a dog. He was noticeably concerned and quickly explained that his dog doesn’t get along with other dogs. When we told him that Mogli was in his kennel, he immediately relaxed. This became an immediate point of relation between us and opened up a conversation about how difficult and inconvenient it can be to have an unfriendly dog. Our time with Mogli while traveling has helped us learn his behavior and yet we struggle to pinpoint his triggers. At times this has been the source of frustration for us both, but it has helped us conclude that we can only allow him freedom when he is not a threat to other dogs. Initially this was a hard pill for us to swallow but after talking to several other owners that have had the same experience, we feel less troubled by it. That evening, we watched a dyno competition that finished very impressively for both men and women. We had planned to head to the bar for live music afterwards, but instead hung out with Stephen and some of his friends. We sat in a circle; passing around my guitar and a bottle of whisky while getting to know each other and sharing good laughs.
On Saturday, Tom and I groggily woke awoke to our alarm after only a few hours of sleep. He had promised some newly-made friends, who hadn’t done much outdoor climbing, that we would take them. Immediately regretting that decision, we forced ourselves out of bed, getting our things together as efficiently as we could manage. Tom and I led the way to our destination, with Nate and Kali following behind. Once we were outside and moving around, we had a really great time. It was cool getting to share an activity that we love so much with people that were eager to learn. They made teaching easy by being receptive to our instructions and grateful for the experience. We didn’t have much in the tank that night, so we went out to dinner with Brian and Hannah (Rock Spring friends) then caught up with friends and family back home before hitting the sack.
After a solid night of sleep, Tom woke up determined to climb his 5.12 project clean. I on the other hand was facing a social hangover. We had spent the past week almost constantly with other people and it took it out of me. Although I wasn’t experiencing the same zeal as Tom, I readied myself to cheer him on and have his back. Moving slow, we made it to the climbing area late in the afternoon. Following our warm ups, Tom was once again on Whores Gold. Moving methodically, he made his way up the wall. Even though I was calling up encouragements, it felt like I was holding my breath. I couldn’t help but swear when he popped off at the very same spot that he had the last time he climbed it. Clearly bummed, he finished the climb with plans of trying it again after he had a minute to rest. I picked a pretty tough route that took me a while to finish, giving him the time he needed. His fourth and final attempt was clean as could be and well fought for. Tom had mastered each move and beautifully linked them together. He was thrilled and I was both proud and inspired. Definitely a moment to be remembered.
After being in Lander for over a week, it was strange to leave. We hit the road Monday afternoon with Arco as our destination. It was a 5 hour drive that flew by with conversation and interesting podcasts. We arrived in the evening with just enough time to greet my Mom and Tom, eat some dinner, watch a little trash television and take a much needed shower before sleeping in a clean bed.
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