On A Mission

Today was a little different than all the others so far.  We were on a mission of sorts. 

When my dad was a young man, growing up just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, we heard stories of him and Gerald (his brother) taking trips to the Tetons.  As I picture this back in the late 1930’s, early 1940’s, and the cars they were driving at the time, I am seeing not a vacation, but more of an adventure.  I can’t imagine the road conditions nor the conditions of the park at that time.  Fast forward to the late 60’s and early 70’s and my family taking summer vacations to Grand Teton National Park.  Camping, eating cold cereal on a log next to the campfire, and hiking up to Hidden Falls above Jenny Lake, below Grand Teton.

Jenny Lake.  Hidden Falls is in the canyon, right center.

Fast forward again to March of 2007.  My dad turned 90 years old, and Miki and I offered to take he and Pat anywhere he wanted to go for his present.  Yep, the Tetons was the destination that summer.  We loaded up the car and headed out for a road trip that would take him through Grand Teton National Park one more time. 

Jenny Lake and the hike up to Hidden Falls wasn’t even a question.  When the day came we got our tickets and seats on the ferry that took us across the lake to the trailhead.  Once off the boat, he grabbed his trekking poles, put his head down, and like the Energizer bunny he headed up.  That memory will forever be a motivator for me to keep going.  He seemed to be living up to the attention he was getting on the ferry and trail as others learned he was 90 and heading up, with Grand Teton watching over him once again.  For whatever reason (pardon me) he kicked ass on the trail that day.  After arriving at Hidden Falls, a high cascading set of falls we came to know over the decades, he just sat in its presence as if to soak in it’s mist one more time.  We had seen the falls in high water and low over time and it always fascinated, like watching a campfire.  He seemed in no hurry to leave.

Today, Betty, Miki, and I hiked up to Hidden Falls one more time.  With us, was a plastic bag with some of dad’s ashes.

Heading out on the trail, we had to go around part of the
lake, due to the shuttle boat closing operations a
few days earlier.  Two extra miles was the cost.

After fooling Betty into hiking a little father than she thought she was going to, we ended up at Inspiration Point.  It is a most spectacular overlook of Jenny Lake, with a matching view of Grand Teton.  

The last few steps to Inspiration Point.

The overlook at Inspiration Point.  Jenny Lake below.  Inspired yet?

Looking back up the canyon from Jenny Lake.
We were inspired to get moving.

We ate lunch and rested from our 3 mile hike up.  We then retraced our steps to the spur that lead to Hidden Falls.  The timing was perfect and very few people were admiring the falls upon our arrival.  When they weren’t looking, we spread his ashes next to a tall, strong fir.  A mature tree, that could have easily witnessed some of his antics as he discovered the park in his youth.  Without much fanfare we headed down the mountain.

Hidden Falls

Inconspicuously spreading a few ashes is not that easy.  The grayish color
does not blend in well with the brown soils and tree needles.

This is the rock dad sat on during his birthday trip.  The
large tree is just to the right of this rock.  There was a nice
convenient hole in front of the rock that took the remaining
ashes.

But I digress.

We woke up to Sunday blueberry pancakes and after pounding them down, we grabbed backpacks of various sizes and shapes and hit the road on our mission.

Oh yeah!

Despite the grimace, her tummy was very, very happy.

On the way to Jenny Lake we stopped off at The Chapel of the Sacred Heart, just around the corner from the Jackson Lake Dam.  A small, rustic chapel with a history all it’s own.  In 2007, dad wanted to stop at the two chapels in the park, so this trip it seemed appropriate to stop and leave a little of him there, after a few choice words from Betty.  Coincidentally, it is Sunday and you could say he got us to go to church one more time, something we were not always that excited to do.  We took out the unopened box that contained his ashes and took its contents out.  In it was a plastic box that held a plastic bag that held my dad’s remains…about 10 lbs.  We prepared smaller bags of his ashes to carry to other locations.  We then headed for our trip to Jenny Lake and Hidden Falls.

Unpacking!

A hefty amount of dad to go around.

Betty and I taking a moment at the chapel with dad between us.

My first realization that dad was not blending in well with his new surroundings.
The grayish color gave his presence away.  He always did stand out!

I wasn’t sure how this day was going to be received by us, as we carried out our mission (for lack of a better term).  In general we reminisced, joked a bit, and I am sure had our own private conversations with dad.  A few tears ebbed and flowed with the day, but it was a good day indeed. 

Betty chillaxin' on the way back to camp. 

Disclaimer:  Assuming that it is illegal to spread the remains of anyone, in any form, in a national park, the part of our day that relates to this topic is totally fictional. 

My Zen from the Road:  Moments are fleeting.  Memories last.  It is not what you see, but what you remember.  Thanks for the memories dad!