Our Wintry Weekend Getaway for My 30th Birthday

Our Wintry Weekend Getaway for My 30th Birthday

• 2.03.2015

...also known as, the time we got lost in the dark cross country skiing.

^^Bron and I couldn't help reminiscing about how he proposed to me on my 22nd birthday, eight years ago!^^

Bron helped me kick off my big 3-0 birthday in the best way possible: a snowy weekend getaway exploring Jackson Hole, Wyoming!  And what a weekend it was, high adventure and luxurious relaxation all rolled into one.  I'm kind of dying to go back!  These special days spent as just the two of us are so good for our marriage.  We get to talk and cuddle and explore on our own timetable.  And without all the normal distractions of everyday life, it becomes easier to see just how incredibly well Bron treats me. There is something very comforting in knowing that this partner I've chosen for eternity takes great care of me, knows me inside and out.  I won the jackpot with this man.  And I am the luckiest girl alive.  Not to mention spoiled rotten.

But enough sappy sentiments... let's talk about how we celebrated my birthday!  We dropped the boys off early Saturday morning with my sister-in-law Amber (I heard the boys had a blast playing with their cousins) and headed straight to Grand Targhee for a full day of skiing.  Dense fog covered the valley, but up on the mountain it was nothing but blue skies and sunshine!  A gorgeous day to turn 30 years old.  We skiied until my legs began screaming their resentment and then headed to our overnight destination in Jackson, WY.

We checked into a nine bedroom rustic hotel-style bed and breakfast inn known as Inn on the Creek.  I totally recommend the place!  The best parts were the ten course breakfast in the morning and the jacuzzi hot tub in our room!  We warmed up and cleaned up before heading out to find a big birthday dinner.  Full disclosure: I ate my entire meal of baby back ribs, beans, and corn, and was STILL famished!  So I ordered the salad bar too.  Skiing is a calorie killer! 

^^Walking around the town of Jackson, Wyoming.^^

The majority of Sunday was spent on the Elk Reserve.  We took a horse-drawn sleigh ride straight into a herd of about 1800 elk.  (Brought back a few memories from our dating days!)  What a magnificent sight it was to see so many wild big-game animals so close!  We can't wait to bring the boys back one day.

^^I can only imagine what it must have been like to have lived in the old west under the majestic Teton mountain range.^^

^^Our studly horses and sleigh.  I learned a lot about elk on our tour!^^

Then we headed up the road to Teton National Park to conquer some cross country skiing.  I was a bit disappointed the majestic Tetons were covered in clouds, but it felt quite romantic as it started to snow instead.  I'll take that!  We picked the trail that led to Taggart Lake and started our adventure. Little did we know, our trip would wind up being a near-miss disaster.

Admittedly, Bron and I are very novice cross country skiers.  I was not above taking my skis off and hiking a ways up and down some particularly steep terrain!  But we made it to Taggart Lake without so much as a hiccup.  However, it was getting late and the sun was about to set behind the mountains.  The map the park gave us said our trail was a three mile loop, so we continued onward.  The trail gradually became steeper and more narrow until it finally disappeared all together--save for several sets of footprints in the snow obviously leftover from other bewildered hikers.

Bron and I were a bit confused.  We never saw any trail markers along the way.  Our biggest mistake was not turning around right then and there.  By the time I suggested it, the sky was becoming ominously dark and I was starting to freak out.  There we were, with very little gear in the middle of a wilderness and three feet of snow.  My imagination started running wild with thoughts of spending an entire night out there lost and freezing cold, though something deep inside told me we were going to be just fine.  Bron had a good idea where the truck was and I felt the same way, so we pressed on--up over one hill and down another and up again and down again.  Fortunately, though it was cloud covered, there was a nearly full moon that lit up the sky.  We saw power poles!  We saw blinking road lights!  And finally, we saw the truck!  Whew!  I totally earned that delicious chocolate truffle waiting for me.

Pictures from before we got lost...
                          

^^Frozen Taggart Lake!^^

^^Bron chillin' on the "beach"^^

Our Jackson Hole trip will go down in memory as one of our best adventures together.  It was sooo cold, but absolutely beautiful.  I think the build-up to 30 is much worse than actually being 30 years old because 30 is looking fabulous so far!

Thank you friends and family for all the kind birthday wishes!  Feeling remembered helped make my day even better.