An accidental shot of Brian walking across my frame while brushing his teeth.

Our time in Grand Teton National Park was short and sweet, only spending one night there. Per usual, Brian and I went on a hike as soon as we got to the park in the late afternoon. We hiked around Jenny Lake, enjoying the views of the Tetons towering above us. By the time the hike was complete, the sun was setting and we were pushing our limit to find a camping spot that was still available. On the road to the camp area we were stopped for a good while by a herd of bison in the road. Can you believe I was annoyed at the beautiful bison because we were in a hurry and I was stressed? Well, I was. I look back now and enjoy the memory but at the time I was not impressed. We maneuvered around the herd and arrived at the camp area, it was packed to the brim. People were already double camped in the spots. It’s nearly 9pm at this time, we hadn’t eaten dinner, and we were getting desperate.

After some bickering about where we should go and what we should do and if we should even stay in the park we settled into our spot for the evening. The ‘spot’ being a muddy median of a dirt road that had about 47 signs that said NO PARKING around it. I’m a rule follower, but after realizing we would be up before the sun anyways, we took the risk. Shortly after we parked a sweet gal in her tiny pull behind camper followed our lead by parking in the forbidden median. As she leveled her camper we made a pact to not tattle on each other the next morning. She promptly hopped out of the drivers seat, said goodnight, and nestled into her home on wheels for the evening. Now, remember that detail.

Brian and I began to cook dinner on the tailgate of the truck. There’s only room for our mattress in the back so no nestling in to our truck until it’s time for bed. We opted for ramen because it was so late on top of being tired and cold. I started boiling the water and as I did the strangest melody arose from the distance.

Beneath the Tetons and a blanket of shimmering stars a herd of elk started bugling. At nearly the same moment a pack of wolves started howling a bit further away. If you have never heard an elk bugle, do a quick internet search, it’s beautiful but also a bit eerie, especially in the darkness of night. I’m certain you know what wolves sound like.. but close your eyes and take a moment to imagine it. I turned off the stove so we could listen uninterrupted, dinner would have to wait, this was too special. Brian and I clicked our headlamps off too and we sat hand in hand, soaking up the bone chilling tune. The elks high pitched call cut through the darkness while the classic wolf howl made me feel like I was on the set of some werewolf movie. We eventually laid on our backs and watched the stars twinkle above to the perfect soundtrack.

Remember that detail about the woman nestled in her warm camper? She missed the song. She was too busy with the blue glow of her computer shining through the window. I thought about knocking on her door, but by the time I headed towards her, the song had been ended, just as quickly as it began. I guess Brian and I were just in the right place at the right time.. for once, being late to our campsite served us well.