The Secret of Facing Abundance and Need

  [Originally published in the Monroe News on October 2, 2020]

My brother and I just recently returned from an extended weekend trip to Grand Teton National Park. If you ever get the chance to see the Tetons or their nearby neighbor Yellowstone it is definitely a trip worth taking. We were hopeful having travelled to the land of grizzly bears and moose to see some amazing amounts of wildlife. We came up a little short on that wish. 

The primary agenda of this trip was to backpack a large loop around the Teton range. We’d spend three days carrying as little as possible so we could move as quick as possible and hopefully get through the 57 mile loop in one piece. Trips like this really help remind you just how little is needed for us to survive from day to day. Aside from a tent, a sleeping bag, and a mattress pad, we carried just a few other essentials. We didn’t even carry the kitchen sink out there!