Campfire Nostalgia: Wind River Range Summers


Campfire Nostalgia.
A collection of stories, written by our favorite outdoor enthusiasts, 
curated by AC and fostered by a shared passion for camping adventures. 
Everyone has a story. A moment on a strenuous hike, laughter around the campfire, 
silence under the stars. We want to hear these stories. And this is where they will be told.

Story No. 2 is from our dear friend Kelley, of MountainMamaCooks.com.


Ten miles of dusty, desolate, winding roads were torture to my 13 year old self, especially when I’d already spent the last 4 hours in the car sandwiched between my two brothers. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, my dad would navigate the car up the last little climb and we’d turn a bend in the road that would give us a peek of the lake that never seemed to warm up no matter what time of year it was.








In that moment, we all exhaled as we knew what lay ahead; a weekend (or longer) of no tv’s or telephones and staying up long after our bed time. Big breakfasts and lazy mornings were sure to be on the agenda. We’d fill our days with hiking new trails and fishing our favorite holes along the river. We’d lay on warm rocks, sipping sun tea and reading our respective books. Sometimes we’d play cards and sometimes not. The grimier we got, the happier we were. My brothers and I were lucky, even if we didn’t realize it almost 25 years ago.

We grew up spending just about every weekend and summer breaks at the mouth of Wind River Mountains in Wyoming. Both my parents worked hard and these weekend getaways were their reward; A family refuge where work, social commitments and school were left behind.

We spent entire summers playing in rivers, hiking to new lakes and fishing sunup to sundown. I learned to cook pancakes and bacon in a cast iron skillet that used to be my great grandmothers. I learned to catch, gut and fry a fish for dinner. I learned that I was a better shot with the BB-gun than either of my brothers. I learned that spending time with said brothers actually wasn’t that bad. I learned a love and respect for Mother Nature that’s just as part of my life today as it was so many years ago. Most importantly, I learned that four hours in the car and a 10 mile dirt road were a very short price to pay for what I got in return.

photos: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

1 comment

  1. Such fond memories for me. Thanks for having me here today!

    ReplyDelete

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