Sarah's Panda Blog: Idaho!!

I spent the last couple weeks in Idaho, visiting my sister Cate. What most impressed me about Idaho was that people actually seemed willing to recognize fellow human beings. This was a shock after spending the last couple months in the very-populated Mid-Atlantic region. Acknowledging one person on the East Coast leads to an overwhelming realization that there are people. All around you. Millions of them. In Idaho, all you had to do was step out to the road, and strangers would stop, ask if you need a ride, ask where you were going, where you came from, and what you were doing in the road. My visit depended on this empathy, because skiing in the backcountry was much easier if people are willing to pick you up and bring you back to your car.

During my visit, Cate and I managed to convince five other ladies to accompany us the the Huckleberry Hot springs in Grand Teton National Park. The adventure is recounted in some detail here: Mountainbeering, so I'll just post a couple pictures.

Pit stop en route shows Grand Teton rising above the clouds.

About three feet of steamy water covered mud about two feet deep. The deeper you sunk in the mud, the hotter it got. Also, deeper submersion increased the chances of creatures crawling up your butt.

About a week later, our parents were set to arrive. Cate and I booked a hut about three miles into the backcountry, perched on a ridge above Leigh Canyon. We bought food and supplies before our parents realized two days before they were set to leave that they could not come, because my grandfather is sick. While we were sad, we managed to get quite a crowd to join us up at Commissary Yurt, and had a pretty excellent time hiking up the nearby Beards Mountain, and skiing down again. Also, we made dinner and played cards. Chili, tequila, and bacon were key.