Ever since venturing to Colorado last summer, and subsequently reading Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer last fall, I have fallen into a full blown obsessions with everything mountains and mountain climbing. For a lot of people, Into Thin Air is more of a cautionary tale about the risks of mountain climbing, and, more specifically, the huge risks of climbing Mt. Everest. But not for me. That book sent me in to a tailspin of excitement and research. I’ve probably watched three or four K2 or Everest documentaries in the past six months. Recently, two mountain climbers attempted to reach the Everest summit without supplemental oxygen, and I followed their entire journey as they documented it on snapchat. Pretty awesome stuff.
Needless to say, the biggest draw to being out here is the mountains. Today, I decided to take a scenic drive through the Medicine Bow National Forest, which is only about forty minutes west of Laramie. Every afternoon when I drive home from work, I can see Medicine Bow Peak way off in the distance, and today I got to see it up close!
It’s one of the tallest points in Wyoming at 12,013 feet above sea level. Since the second I set foot in Laramie, my goal has been to hike to the top. Apparently, it’s not too bad of a hike, and I’ve been able to find some hiking buddies who would be up for the adventure. All we have to do is wait for a little more of that snow to melt; hopefully by late July/early August I’ll have a picture looking down on all of this instead of looking up.
Medicine Bow National Forest is beautiful and driving next to mountains is an incredibly humbling experience. It does wonders at reminding you just how small you actually are. Driving through these national parks is probably one of my favorite things to do. Just like Trail Ridge Road in CO, the twisting roads are pretty daunting, but the beauty of it all is beyond measure.
I may be tackling a 12 mile hike tomorrow and I may also have some exciting news in a few days about life after Wyoming, so stay tuned…
rach
how to be quiet 