What a great couple days it has been since ending my internship on Wednesday. It was weird to think that tomorrow I am heading back to the east coast after being out here since May 21st. Looking back to the past couple months that I have been out here I have really had some amazing experiences and some memories that I will definitely remember. Being able to get as much climbing as I did this summer was a really big deal for me. It had been a couple years since I really was able to climb that much every since my accident climbing in GA a couple years back. Successfully climbing the Grand Teton was definitely one of biggest highlights of my trip out here because it was something that I promised myself i would do 7 years ago. Making it to the top with my brother made the experience that much greater as having William to share the experience with made the whole experience that much more meaningful.

On Thursday Will and I hiked back up Fairfield Hill after he finished work. That is such a great hike and definitely will give you a workout. The views of the waterfall and the Winds in the distance are great and you usually wont see anyone else up there which gives you sometime away from real world. It was a great hike and was also my one in Wyoming for the summer.Friday night was low key and nothing went on. Besides us going to Asian Cuisine for dinner we didn’t do much.

Saturday Will,Brian,Liz and I went to Fremont Canyon to do some crack climbing. It was such a great climbing area with sweet views and endless rock to climb. I had not crack climbed for years and I forgot how fun and difficult it was. It is different from slap climbing and requires uses different techniques that aren’t really used with face climbing. We spend 8 hours climbing there and really enjoyed ourselves being out in the canyon and climbing.

Sunday Will and I really kept it low key. Will made pasta with bison and homemade tomato sauce. It was a great dinner and definitely one of the best he has made this summer. I am all packed and ready to head back to Atlanta tomorrow. I am excited to go back home but will definitely miss living here and being with my brother but it is time to head back to Vermont. This summer has been so memorable and the experiences that I have had with Creative Energies and with William will continue to influence me as my life continues to unfold

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I woke up at 4 am this morning to drive to Grand Teton National Park where I needed to  get a camping permit to camp in the Moraine’s at 10,800 feet just below the lower saddle. The Moraines are an ideal place to camp when attempting to climb the Grand because you are in a very good position to get to the technical part of the climb quicker because you are higher up. The lower saddle is right above the Moraine’s and is where you begin to hike towards the technical part of the climb. It was important that I get to the ranger station by 8 am because without a permit you risk getting kicked off the mountain by rangers who will randomly come up to the area and check permits. I was able to secure a permit in the Moraines which was a relief and spent the rest of the day relaxing and preparing for the climb the next 2 days.

I was able to find an awesome camp site with an amazing view of the Teton range and especially the Grand. I sat in my tent on top of Shadow mountain and looked at the Grand for hours while I waited for Will and Curtis to arrive from Lander. As I sat on top of Shadow mountain I thought about the climb and remembered my experience 7 years before when I attempting to summit the Grand. It was very exciting knowing that I would be back climbing that mountain the next day and that I was one step closer to fulfilling my dream.

Its always nice to be with family especially when we have the chance to explore the West. I had an amazing time with the family and definitely had some memorable memories. Taking the whole family out climbing at Wild Iris on Friday was a great time. It was awesome getting to watch my sister, mom and dad climb up several routes. It meant a lot to Will and I that we were able to have our family climb and see what we have been passionate for so many years. I lead several climbs which just adds to my list of completed lead climbs.

On Saturday we decided that going to Thermopolis, Wyoming where there are hot springs would be a perfect place to go after a long day of climbing the day before. We all enjoyed ourselves and spent some quality time with the whole family. That night we went to the Cowfish for dinner and feasted on many good dishes. Spending the weekend with the whole family was great and I am very glad that we all were able to spend several days together here in Lander.

Will and I decided to take the whole family out climbing at Wild Iris today. We really had a great time and climbed a couple routes.We spent all day at the Iris which made for a good climbing day. It is really great to be with the whole family here in Lander and the rest of the weekend will be even better. I will be heading back to Atlanta on August 10th which will allow me to spend more time with my family.

After climbing we all went to the bar to grab a couple drinks before we went home. It is always nice to drink a cold one after climbing all day and this time was no different. We went to dinner at Cristinas home where she made a huge mexican dinner for us. It was a thank you dinner for some of us who had helped her and jim out over the past couple months. We had a great time and ate some great homemade food. Tomorrow is going to be another exciting day but a bit more relaxing. This weekend as been a great time and I wish it could last longer but we have 2 more days with the whole family and then its back to Atlanta for them.

Recently I cooked several different meals that was a change from my standard rice, beans, vegetables, and tofu/chicken. Here is one of the recipes. I also made homemade pizza and will post the recipe soon.

• Curry Chicken and Jasmine Rice

1. 1 Cup of Rice
2. Green/Red Curry Paste
3. 14 oz Coconut milk
4. Vegetables ( 1/2 red pepper,  2 Jalapeno’s, zucinnni, garlic (however much you want), onions (use any vegetables)

Cook the rice first and let it sit covered while you cook the rest of the dish. Cook the chicken and cut into chucks after it is cooked. Than in another pan put your garlic and olive oil and let it heat up. sauté the vegetables for a couple minutes and then mix the cococunt milk and curry paste to how you like it and pour it in. Let everything simmer for awhile and then ENJOY!

This weekend I made it a goal of mind to climb as much as possible. On Friday Will and I just hung out after work and drove through the Winds on the loop road. Never had been on the road before but we found a couple places to camp and will probably make our way up there sometime in the future.

Saturday we did not hesitate on going climbing and drove to Wild Iris right after we woke up. We climbed a good amount and I lead a couple as well. I did a clean assent on La Vaca Pelegrosa (5.8) which is definitely a classic at the Iris. I lead a climb called Ticks for Chicks which is a nice 5.8 climb that is pretty slabby. The more I keep leading the more comfortable I am becoming which is the only way to get better. Leading climbs is more challenging because the falls are usually farther but when you complete a lead climb there is so much gratitude. Some other routes we climbed were Hanging Tree (5.9), an unnamed long climb (5.9 +).

Sunday it took us a little to get up but we managed to get to the Iris around 12. My arms were definitely tired from the day before but we climbed some great routes that I hadn’t climbed before. I lead 2 routes which were Bowls of the West (5.8) and Gun’s of Diablo (5.8) I also top roped up  Britchen Strap (5.9), Saddle Up (5.9). Both these climbs were challenging in different ways but I was able to make it to the top regardless. What a great weekend at Wild Iris it was and as my time out west gets shorter I hope to be able to have more days like these in the future.

Having Michelle come up to visit me was a treat this weekend. We had a great time and I am pretty sure Michelle got a good taste of what the west is like. After driving back from Salt Lake on Friday we went to the Cowfish in Lander with Will and enjoyed some of the festies going on with the climbers festival.

The next morning we got an early start with William making us some breakfast before starting a day filled with being outdoors. I was able to get Michelle to climb up 2 routes that I led and Michelle even belayed me on one of the climbs. It was awesome to see her climb up some rocks and even do it as if  she had been climbing for years. We all than hiked to the waterfall including Blue which is a hike that everyone must go on when in Lander. The two activities that must happen if visiting Lander are climbing and hiking in Sinks which are both rewarding and also give you a taste of what Lander has to offer.

The next day Michelle and I went on a road trip up to Tetons and made a stop in Yellowstone National Park. It was interested to go back there after 8 years and see the change that had occurred. We went to Old Faithful Geyser which I had been to 8 years ago and to see how the area had changed was a shock. The National Park had put two different lodges and other building that surround the geyser. We took a nice hike on a boardwalk which brought you to other geysers and hot springs. You weren’t allowed to walk on the ground for obvious reasons but I must say it was temping to jump into some of these hot springs even if it was a federal crime. After exploring the area and watching Old Faithful erupt we made our way into Jackson where we grabbed some food before making our way to Idaho to get closer to Salt Lake. It was a very long road trip but well worth it and I wish Michelle was able to stay longer so I could show her more. I think that I was successful in convincing her the west is the best which was my goal all along. This coming week is already looking to be another eventful week with a installation and some other work going on in Laramie, Wyoming.

The drive was long but adventurous. I took my time driving down to Utah today and was able to enjoy some beautiful views and also ran into some surprises. I planned my route to minimize the amount of interstate highway I had to use as well as try and find the least busy roads (preferably no one else on them). After driving for about 4 hours and was traveling on a dirt road in the middle of no where when all of a sudden I went over a ridge and found a huge wind farm in front of me. It was amazing to see a wind farm up close. I was literally driving through the middle of it and couldn’t control myself to get a closer look at them so I drove right up next to one. They were HUGE and I just starred at them in amazement. I counted 67 turbines and found out from a worker that each turbine was producing 2.1 MW. It was very windy in the area which made it a perfect spot for the wind farm. I was observing the turbines for about 30 minutes until i saw people on horseback and thought they might be the land owners so I left fairly quickly. After leaving the wind farm I somehow managed to make the wrong turn and instead of driving through the national forest I ended up next to the interstate which was the last place I wanted to be. I decided that it would be a waste of time and gas for me to drive back to where I thought the turn off was so I drove the rest of the way to Salt Lake on the interstate. I drove through Park City, Utah and all I wanted was there to be snow so i could ski on the mountain. It was amazing how beautiful the area was and how much terrain the ski mountains had. It was literally a whole mountain range that could all be skied. I cannot wait till ski season starts up because I will be going to Park City this year!!!

The July 4th weekend was quiet a surprise that involved a lot of fireworks and some memorable hikes. On Friday I had the day off from work because of the two installations we had done during the week. William and I decided to hike the Mexican Creek Trail which brought us to a pretty sweet canyon. We spend about 5 hours hiking it and it was really relaxing to get out into the woods for awhile. We spend awhile overlooking that canyon hanging out and just taking in the view. On  Friday night the festivities began with a local guy putting on his annual firework show which was pretty amazing. There were more people in Lander from out of town than I had ever seen or thought would be in Lander.

Saturday the festivities began with the July 4th Parade which was interesting especially listening to the NOLS crown get rowdy. In Lander the open container law is relaxed until 12 am Sunday which we all took advantage of. It was weird talking to a cop on main street holding a beer in hand. William and I wanted to get outside and go on a hike so we went into Red Canyon to explore it a little. Found a pretty cool cliff that we just hung out at for awhile. That night I saw the most amazing firework show I had ever seen. Literally all of Lander was lit up with fireworks from every direction. It was almost like there everyone one in Lander was shooting fireworks off at the same time. We were at a guy name Marks house who was having his last 4th of July party. There were tons of fireworks and beer and everyone had a great time. He has a flat roof which everyone took advantage of regardless of how sketchy it was. To get onto the roof it involved climbing a tall lander and then grabbing a rope and pulling yourself up a steep angled roof.

On Sunday we got an early start and headed to Togwotee pass where we went on a the Pinnacle trail. It was about a 10 mile hike that was a gradual uphill the whole way. This hike was pretty amazing and had some beautiful views of the Tetons and of the national forest. During the hike Blue decided to run after a black bear which was pretty intense to watch as the bear could of hurt blue easily. The top of the ridge we were hiking was filled with open grass plains where it was clear a lot of game traffic traveled through. A wonderful weekend indeed and many more great stories to tell.