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| The Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming are a special place. This is the view leaving the West Tensleep Lake trailhead on the way to Misty Moon Lake. |
I spent almost three weeks moving my parents and helping them settle into their new house. How long it takes to settle into a new space always amazes me. I reflected on the moving process as I helped unpack, organize, and put away their things. I find it fascinating how the moving process parallels our lives. Everyone carries baggage from situation to situation, just like when we move to a new house. I remember that when I moved, I always left things I no longer needed in the boxes I had packed, only to find them again the next time I moved. Fortunately, I am not unique. While helping my parents, I moved the same unpacked boxes I had packed for them 2 1/2 years ago. Reflecting on this, I wonder what other "unpacked boxes" I have buried in my psyche and what events will surface them?
I've grown fond of the nimbleness and flexibility of having few things. The longer I am without, the less desire I have to accumulate things again. What does this mean long term? Where will I settle again? Admittedly, I am still working on this. I concede that inevitably traveling has facilitated this feeling, and perhaps it is why I find my desire to return to how I lived here in the United States lacking. It isn't the only reason, though.
Once my parents were mostly settled, I focused on something I had wanted to do for the last few years. A backpacking trip with my nephews Aidan and Daniel. Aidan is now 19 years old, and Daniel will soon be 15. Through the Boy Scouts of America, they discovered backpacking and enjoy it, as I do. I canceled our trip two years ago because of severe wildfires across the western U.S. Ever since then, I've wanted to reschedule the trip. Now that I am close to them, this is the right time to do it.
The trip I have been wanting to do is in Wyoming. Bomber Mountain is where a B-17 bomber from World War II crashed. There are several crash sites throughout the Rocky Mountains. Most crashed on training missions before heading to Europe for the war. This one in the Bighorn Mountains is one of the more intact crash sites due to its remoteness and crash elevation.
So, I grab my nephews, load up the car, and head for the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming. After a long day of driving, about 7 hours, we found a campsite near the West Tensleep Lake Trailhead.
Tensleep, Wyoming, is located in the northeast corner of Washakie County (red dot). The county is in the north central part of Wyoming (the State of Wyoming is below the county). Tensleep is a tiny town of 250 people in the southwest of the Bighorn Mountains.
The drive to the Bighorns, although very scenic, is relatively quiet. Despite repeated attempts to engage my nephews in conversations, I realized that their phones are much more interesting than I am. 😂 I expected this, which was one reason I wanted to spend time with them in the backcountry. Habits take time to change, and I can't expect them to change in a couple of short hours. I know my nephews spend a lot of time plugged in, and when I visit them at home, I usually find them playing video games. Most of the time, the three play their favorite games separately in different rooms. I find it fascinating that they can be fully present with their video games and cannot be present with people.
Aidan and Daniel have yet to travel much outside of Idaho. Daniel perks up from the back seat near Dubois, Wyoming, as we traverse the painted hills. "Wow! I have never seen painted hills before. This is so beautiful," says Daniel. Daniel's presence makes me smile. This area near Dubois is incredible. There are beautiful landscapes and some great history too, I say. We converse briefly, but when we live the painted hills, I look back and see Daniel staring at his phone.
Far from a lightweight backpacking tent, this gem was the shelter the three of us used for the trip. I took this picture in the morning before packing up and leaving the trailhead.
A short while later, we pass near Crowheart Butte on the Wind River Reservation. Crowheart Butte is an important landmark and the site of a famous battle between Chief Washakie (Wash ah kee) and the Crow Indian Chief. The two fought to death for the rights to have their tribes settle into the Wind River Reservation, I tell my nephews. They barely look up from their screens as we pass by the isolated mesa. It's not for a lack of trying, I tell myself. 😂
We saw several other scenic places along the way. Unfortunately, the drive was long enough that we decided to push through. It was much later than I was hoping for when we arrived at the trailhead. Taking advantage of what little daylight we had left, we set up camp, sorted through our gear for the morning, and called it a night.
Despite the quiet ride, I am glad to be here in the mountains, and I am looking forward to hiking up to Misty Moon Lake tomorrow. At least tomorrow, there won't be any cellular service. 😂
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