Photography: Paintbrush Canyon

I took this picture in 2012 in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park. Please visit my store page to purchase prints of my photos. Thank you everyone who has ordered photos, your purchase helps support this blog!

THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO

“So you just drove all that way here without any kind of plan?” the ranger at the Grand Teton National Park backcountry registration desk said. The park limits the number of people allowed in the backcountry.

“Well I didn't really know I was coming here when I left home. And I figured if it was full, I’d just go somewhere else and wait.” I said. “I don’t really have anywhere else to be.”

She finally found a route that I could start that afternoon. A route that I had no preconceptions about. How could I?

That's the great thing about under-planning, when you find yourself climbing a ridge to overlook Paintbrush Canyon from 10,000 feet, no expectations can diminish the feeling as you're approaching the mountain pass. There's an excitement in those seconds between not knowing and knowing what you will find on the other side. A feeling radiates from your chest to the tips of your fingers and toes, as though something apart from you stirs inside, an animal that sleeps through routine and lives on surprise. Feed them well.
  

A Backpacker's Life List by Ryan Grayson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.