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The guides are an incredible company- of quirky souls and real people just doing their best to make a living in the mountains. It is what a business should be- a place where you want to be- where you find yourself wanting to stick around at the end of the day- where you are inspired to do the best work you can- because you honestly want to make sure that the client has a good time. Its so easy to take places like this for granted in life- its just work- and every now and again Patrick or Paul might snap at you for not doing your paperwork- but its also a place where people hand you a beer at the end of the day, where you would be missed if you forgot to return.

This is why their trips turn out so special- because we want to be there. Jorge and I climbed the Grand Teton amidst a discussion about why we climb: is it for the summit, the exercise, or the journey? After mulling over previous ascents and our personality types we let the trip speak for itself. So clearly- it is about the journey- about overcoming doubt, and bravely going into the unknown- its about accepting your weaknesses and injuries- without letting them overcome your goals- its about enjoying every moment- or at least being present- because without that- you do not even allow the opportunity for happiness. We so easily get lost in the anxiety of “how much further?” or “will I be able to make it?” And in the end, Jorge became a mountaineer- addicted to the journey.

And then Elizabeth showed up. The discussion was about fear. About knowing the difference between real fear and fear reactions- how to remain calm when you know the fear will not help- and how to move beyond it by accepting it. And in the end- we climbed four big routes in four days. I have never had such a prolific trip. We arrived at high camp, climbed the Corkscrew (III 5.8+), then climbed Irene’s Arete (IV 5.9), then the Petzoldt Ridge (IV 5.7) on the Grand Teton (13,770′), then finished on the fourth day on the Red Sentinel (II 5.8), an incredibly exposed climb with a two hundred foot overhanging rappel. Somehow fear remained only a philosophical discussion and it did not come close to conquering our joy of the moment.

And maybe this is why I love Jackson Hole Mountain Guides- because they allow a forum for such grand adventures. Or maybe I just love returning back at the end of the day to so many familiar faces. It must have something to do with the mountains- with the shared passions- and the undeniable way climbing forces us all to know the moment.