Tag: Hiking

The Simplicity of Perfection

Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks

“All good things are wild and free” – Henry Thoreau

As we drove through the windy curvy roads of Wyoming there was no second guessing we were passing the Grand Teton as we saw the dynamic snowcapped mountains in July. Our itinerary included Yellowstone for a few days and then wrapping up in Grand Teton National Park. Growing up in Colorado I expected beautiful mountains but the experience of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons was more. The mountains were raw, clear of houses, wild, and untamed as though they were still barely discovered. They impressed on me a feeling of wonder, excitement and a grand adventure coming my way.

We stayed between Jackson Hole WY and West Yellowstone MT exploring Yellowstone National Park. While in Jackson Hole, we started our day with coffee from Starbucks or the local Cowboy Coffee Co and then grabbed our pre-packed breakfast burritos and snacks and took off. Given the amount of sites to see and distance between them we recommend you make a plan so you’re able to see it all. We also downloaded the parks app so we could have an offline park map which came in handy multiple times. If a site was closed due to repair or just too busy for our liking we quickly found another amazing hike or site to see instead. A few of the most popular sites: The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Old Faithful, and the Prismatic Spring will leave you speechless. Each dynamic and powerful in its own way. Yellowstone Lake is another beautiful site that if you plan it right, I recommend stopping at for lunch with a view.

Buffalos in Yellowstone, The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and the Great Prismatic Spring

Some of the evenings we walked around Jackson Town Square where there’s boutiques, coffee shops and restaurants. Not realizing we had to make reservations if we wanted to eat at a decent time in town square, we took to the backstreets and found Thai Me Up Restaurant and Brewery. This place is a hidden gem. Great food – great atmosphere – great staff. They have thai food clearly but also serve a fun flare on burgers and other classic American dishes.

On our last day in Grand Teton we hit the water and took a scenic raft cruise down Snake River. After days hiking, exploring and being on the move it was nice to take a breath and just take in the sights from a raft. There were bald eagles galore and seeing the massiveness of this river and feeling its power and force underneath the raft again left me in awe of creation.

As we headed into Grand Teton National Park for the final full day of our trip the simplicity and perfection of nature kept standing out to me. As we hiked through Cascade Canyon the perfection and beauty was tangible, and there I was with no makeup, sweaty, just me and my camera keeping it simple and feeling so alive. You see a bald eagle or a moose and even with flaws, it’s still perfect. It’s not trying to be something that its not nor change what it is, it is simply being. Its existence is purpose enough. We as humans often believe that we need to create ourselves because we have a fear that who we are underneath isn’t enough. Though who we are underneath is really the greatest expression of ourselves that we can be. We can make life so complicated but if we follow nature’s example we should be keeping it simple, and by keeping it simple we’ll reach our greatest expression.

As we wrapped up our national park adventure and started driving back to Colorado, I was encouraged. Encouraged to live simply and strive to be the truly greatest expression of me I can me be; not add on layers but instead peel them back to reveal me. So Wonder readers I encourage you to take a sip of wine, take a deep breath and simply be, knowing that is enough, you are enough.

Kate

A Hidden Oasis – Sky Pond, RMNP

Up at 10,900 ft lies an oasis unlike anything I’ve ever seen in Colorado. Glassy lakes, lush wild flowers, waterfalls, and towering dynamic mountains.

I was born and raised in Colorado, which is now something as unique as a unicorn. I grew up with this gem called Sky Pond in my backyard yet I never knew it existed until I was 27 years old. This led to me wondering “What other gems and oasis’s have I been missing out on all these years?!”

Going back to Sky Pond, it’s a 10 mile round trip moderate hike with unbelievable views and adventure. In September I headed up with my boyfriend AJ around 7am from the Glacier Gorge Trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park. Something to note is that the All Trails hiking app said it was only 8 miles… though we tracked 10. Make sure to bring snacks.

My favorite thing about this hike is that you pass multiple incredible sights on your way to Sky Pond such as Alberta Falls, The Loch, Lake of Glass, and of finally Sky Pond. You even get to climb up a small waterfall on your way to Lake of glass which makes for a good story later. As you ascend, each body of water get clearer and clearer and more glassy. After you climb up the waterfall you enter this lush, vibrate green area where you would expect to see fairies flying. I’m not kidding – it is that surreal and not your classic Colorado scene.

As I reached Sky Pond I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with wonder and awe of the creation around me. The journey was as amazing as the destination. The time I spent up there was still and filled with color, life and bold majestic presence.

Being up there gave me the reminder that’s there’s more out there. There’s more to life than the daily routine, there’s more to a person if you give them the chance and there’s more to your backyard if you dare to explore it. So be encouraged today and don’t loose hope that what’s in front of you is it because that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Beauty and wonder are out there, we just have to choose to seek it.