Reflections in the Tetons. The traverse runs through the range before getting to Jackson, WY.
As I write this post I am sitting on the sofa that will soon be mine, in the apartment that will soon be mine, at the university that will soon be mine. Things are looking awfully comfortable... but how did I get here? Well if you've been following along you've most likely had a peek or two into my life; some witty caption to a pretty photograph posted to Instagram or a photo-dump on Facebook. What isn't all that apparent are the thoughts that go behind each photograph, the people encountered when traveling, the sights that didn't make it to photographed glory, the logistics of adventure, or the gear that makes it all possible.
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, a highlight along the GYT
It has been a while since I have attended a class. If you include the fact that I had to take PreK twice, I was in school for 16 and a half years, almost all of it in the same suburb of Atlanta. When I saw my opportunity to go explore, I didn't have to think all that much. Since I walked out of my last final in the fall of 2016, I have traveled coast to coast, backpacked all 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail, built out a conversion van, photographed the west, and worked at one of the busiest hostels on the Appalachian Trail. So, what in the name of God could I do to cap this all off before a life of predictability? Make a new long distance backpacking trail of course!
The Greater Yellowstone Traverse - over 500 miles of theoretical in a place that is all too real. Starting roughly 60 miles north of the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park and heading south it hits many of the park highlights, through the Teton Range, a quick resupply in Jackson Hole, and the crowning jewel being the formidable Wind River Range. The masterminds of such a beautifully stitched together trail are two acquaintances of my travels, Oil Can (Eddie Boyd) and Cheese Beard (Josh Tippett). I met these guys on my way to photograph Great Sand Dunes National Park when I was convinced by a friend to stop and introduce myself to them. They were a part of a documentary on backpacking called 3mph that, at the time, had stopped in a dusty Continental Divide Trail town in Colorado. Oil Can is one of, if not, the youngest persons to have ever completed a solo triple crown. When I met him he was 20 and finishing his last leg. Cheese Beard is another triple crowner and adventure photographer who has been documenting his own journeys for several years now. Myself? I'm just happy to be along for the ride.
Red is existing trail, blue is not maintained, black is road, and purple is alternates.
While a similar traverse has likely been attempted, or at least plotted, we intend to be different. Technology is on our side. Along with the fun and joy of just being out there, much of the team will be collecting data along the way. Water sources, campsites, view points, road crossings, resupply options, and anything else a thruhiker could possibly need. The majority of the route is already existing, shorter, back country trails stitched together with a few longer bushwhacks and road walks sprinkled throughout. All of which will one day become available in an app for mobile download!
It is because of this trip that I have decided to attempt keeping an updated account of my travels. I hope this outlet gives a much better understanding of what I am seeing through the lens and sensing all around myself at the moment I clicked the shutter.
P.S. Don't worry gear talk is coming later!