take away the scenery and the friends and you've got nothin'
Thursday, March 4 
Harriman State Park offers a variety of cabins, yurts and a dorm. We rented the dorm, which came out to $28/night per couple. The downside: you can hear everyone snore, fart and get up to go potty. (And you-know-what is not an option. Just sayin.')
I’m like the kid who didn’t get their homework done. I usually write my blog posts on the weekend, then revise and gather images during the week when I post them. But last weekend we went away, and even though I took my computer, I never got it out of the car. Sometimes you just need to unplug.
So, dear readers, what I have are images (mostly taken by Shawn) of a very cool place. I’ve driven by Harriman State Park, two hours south of my home in Bozeman, oh, I don’t know, maybe a hundred times while driving to Salt Lake City to visit family. From the road in winter this place just over the Idaho border looks like a vast, flat snowfield that backs up to some hills. Oh, and I guess you can see the Teton Mountains in the distance. Those are nice. But I imagine I’m not the first person to dismiss the signs to this hidden gem, especially since it’s so close to Yellowstone National Park.
Miles of groomed Nordic ski trails wind near the Henry's Fork of the Snake river. On a clear day you can see the Teton mountains. In the summer this place is a fly-fishing and hiking mecca.
Anyway, we were invited to jump in with 30 other people (about half of whom we knew) to rent a dorm for the weekend, hang out and eat good food and ski at Harriman. That’s it: ski, visit, eat, imbibe, sleep. Simplicity rocks.
My epiphany from the weekend? I need community. Most of us come into relationships/marriage with other friends and some sort of community. It’s part of survival as a single person. But then as you grow as a couple, sometimes those friendships inadvertently get put on the back burner. Then you wake up one day thinking, “Dude, where’d everyone go?” Which is to say, I’ve been craving community lately. So even though Shawn and I were busy Friday night and had to stay up late packing to hit the road early Saturday morning, we jumped at the chance.
By Sunday afternoon, after insanely good potluck meals, miles of group skiing on groomed trails —which included a full-moon riverside ski on Saturday night — and a few alcohol-fueled rounds of charades, we were all huggy and declaring the outing would henceforth become an annual trip. Really, we stopped just short of holding hands in a circle and singing Kumbaya.
Oh, and there was also a ski race here on Saturday morning, so I decided to jump in.
The elderly racer behind me in jeans and the fancy hat? I beat him.
Reader Comments (7)
That is awesome! Sounds like a great time! :)
The pics are awesome ! Makes me want to go and I dont even ski. You should make it a yearly trip. But for sleeping I would pay extra for a yurt.
Looks like a gorgeous place and a lot of fun (minus the whole racing thing).
I skied here a couple winters ago--it's great. So is the nearby Buffalo-Brimstone trail system. The yurt at Harriman is nice if you need less community and more solace.
Glad you had such a fun weekend.
You are so right how your community evolves - and ever so right about needing one. It's sad that we all get so busy and overlook the very simple, and important, things in life that are so nourishing. Good for you for making it happen.
BTW- the picture with the Tetons in the background gave me goosebumps! (I grew very fond of the Tetons while living in Wyoming. . .)
Amen sister - I've learned that same lesson myself lately. Sounds like a dreamy weekend to me - and love the photos.
I love your tights !