“No good thing is pleasant to possess, without friends to share it.”
Seneca
Since it was Independence Day, I started off the morning by attending the Jackson, Wyoming Fourth of July parade. I honestly don’t like parades. Never have. I’ve just never really seen the point of standing in the heat on the side of the road waving as cars and people go by. The only parade I really ever truly enjoyed was the Boston Red Sox victory parade after they won the World Series in 2004, and that was most likely from the mania of living in Boston during their first World Series win since 1918. And also, I wore a sweet sateen Red Sox jacket like this which made me feel like Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting.
Anyway, the town parade here is actually pretty good, and made especially fun by meeting our friends downtown. Also, my parents were in the parade this year – my dad drove the National Elk Refuge van and my mom walked alongside it and handed out candy. That was a pretty great sight to see.
At the parade, I mentioned to a friend that I was going to do a hike later, and he was interested in going. It’s always nice to go hiking with a buddy. I really enjoy the solitude and reflection of being on my own sometimes, but in general, I prefer to hike with a partner. He needed to shoehorn in a quick tennis match beforehand, so we decided to meet around 2:30 and head out.
We planned to hike the Signal Mountain Trail which is another trail in the Park that I haven’t done. I guess I’m starting to realize that I haven’t done as many trails in the Park as I thought I had. This trail is a moderately short out-and-back from the Signal Mountain Lodge area to a lookout most of the way up Signal Mountain.
The trail gains a little elevation, but nothing too overwhelming, so we made good time. The only things that slowed us down were good conversation and the nearly insurmountable cloud of mosquitos. It was thick. Ridic thick. There were mosquitos everywhere, and I was really grateful for my lightweight Stio Hylas pullover and defensive leg hair.
The trail passes one nice pond, and one not-so-nice pond. It eventually ends at a beautiful vista overlooking the Tetons to the west and the Gros Ventre range to the east. The only annoying aspect of the end of the trail is that people can also drive there, so the payoff seems cheapened a bit. But, I also understand that there are people who can’t make the hike, and it’s great for them to experience the view as well. We returned the way we came, inhaled and swatted a few more mosquitos, and made it back to the parking lot easily.
Danny and I talked the entire way. Between work and kids and life, we haven’t spent a ton of time together lately, so we had a lot to catch up on. All the talking didn’t leave much room for Stoic reflections, but I was more grateful for the conversation. One thing that I did think about however, was how lucky we are to have such great friends. Since moving to Jackson, we have made some close friends who are always up for adventure, dinner, conversation, and generalized fun-seeking. Especially as we get older, and our kids spread out, I think having a close circle of friends will be crucial for our longevity and mental health. Hopefully, we can all support and encourage each other as our homes become quieter and the days less full. At the very least, I hope we will continue to take hikes together to share conversations and vistas.
Mileage – 6.6 miles
Time – 2 hours, 21 minutes
BGAS – zilch
PS – some
Niiiiice!