Watch Out - We May Tickle You
Before I share a brief recap of Kauai and how special that family trip was, I have to share some exciting news. On February 1st, Tanner Wenzel, Tim Westmark, and I officially received our permit for Denali. Project “DeGnarly” is happening! We confirmed our orientation and start dates.
We have 25 days allotted to live on the mountain. We don’t expect to need all of those to summit, however weather systems could trap us in tents for a week or more so best to have time. Plus, we are attempting to summit twice from the 14,000 ft camp in order to ski multiple lines.
Below are shots of the three of us summiting Mt. Ranier this past summer. We work as a solid team and are stoked for the test that Denali will offer. Hopefully we still like each other after it.
We deliberated awhile when asked by the Talkeetna office for a team name. In the end it came down to two choices. The decision was made on a coin toss.
The three of us are officially the “Teton Ticklers”! Haha who says you can’t laugh and joke around when doing stressful things? So watch out Denali, the Teton Ticklers are coming for you.
Sad to see the other option go as “I Though This Was a Day Hike” was a strong contender. Too long maybe but it made us laugh. That will still be our motto as we climb - seeing other groups and saying “Damn this long. Thought this was a day hike.” Or “Woah, wait, you guys brought tents? We could have sworn this was a day trip.”
Needless to say this will be a hell of an adventure. Receiving the permit cemented the reality of the trip and brought endless feelings of excitement and stoke to the group.
As I fly back to the states looking out over the endless abyss of the Pacific, I feel weird writing about this recent vacation. Kauai was everything my family and I hoped for and more. But I feel spoiled sharing it with the public. I am privileged and the opportunities my parents have offered me in life are countless. I cannot thank them enough for experiences like this one.
Kauai had it all. I got my adrenaline fix surfing double over-head swells at Hanalei Bay with my brother. Nature gifted us with an incredible swell and waves I thought I’d only see on TV. My bro surfed and I bodyboarded so I sat a little inside in order to catch waves later once they walled up.
Sure some rides were amazing but the highlight came unexpected. Per usual the biggest set of the day broke farther out leaving me little chance to paddle over. Taking the day’s largest set on the head and the proceeding hold down offered the interaction with nature’s power I love.
I filled my relaxation needs with 80 degree days, endless sun, time to sleep, and time to chill. My addiction to free diving was re-established with multiple reef dives between 15-20 meters and hangs on the sand below. There are few places more beautiful on the planet than a pure white sand dune underneath several stories of turquoise water above. Blue and white is all you see, the occasional fish swims by you, and particulates in the water bob with the ebb and flow of the currents. Your chest contracts in an almost rhythmic state as CO2 builds in your system and your brain asks for oxygen.
You listen to it but don’t panic knowing the oxygen left in your lungs should be enough to get you to the surface. You let your mind relax and take in the expanse around you and the otherworldly feeling of this environment.
Then your ears perk. You suddenly hear a beautiful low humming sound. It rises and falls reaching pitches you figure are only possible with an instrument. It’s a whale. And she is singing. Before dashing to the surface to take the fresh breath of air your body desperately needs, you take one final moment to ask “HOLY FU*KING SH*T, IS THIS PLACE EVEN REAL?!”
*Most underwater cameras can’t function at these depths due to the immense pressure exerted by the water above. Our bodies magically can thanks to mammalian dive reflexes ingrained in our species. I apologize but I have zero photos from this magical location on earth. I kind of prefer it that way. It’s an otherworldly place reserved for those who push themselves to get there - momentary highs!
That brings me to another fantastic part of Kauai in winter - the wildlife. Countless Humpback whales migrate there from Alaska summer feeding grounds. Spinner dolphins frolic in the air as they torpedo themselves through waves and spin in a magical dance above the ocean. I even wetted my snake addiction somewhat with five moray eel sightings. Not a snake, sure, but pretty rad nonetheless.
Two moments in particular stand out and luckily both were shared by the entire family. While on a zodiac boat exploring the Napali coastline, a mother humpback and her calf surfaced near us. We sat with this beautiful family for over 30 minutes as the mother taught the calf how to swim and be a whale before their long journey north. We could see them clearly from the deck and the GoPro was able to record both underneath the surface.
The second moment also included a whale, however this one from shore. On our final evening we walked to the nearby beach for sunset. As we watched the rays of our final night’s sun dip below the horizon, we sipped cocktails and basked in the memories from the trip.
Then, as if on cue, a massive humpback breached almost completely out of the water right outside the reef. Seemingly defying the laws of physics, several tons of an animal skyrocketed above the ocean. All four of us watched in awe and couldn’t help but burst into laughter and communal yelling of “did that just happen!!?” And I was stuck thinking “damn, we don’t get critters like that in Wyoming”.
It was a farewell from the island we could have never expected. Thanks Kauai and thanks mom and dad for a crazy adventure.
80 degrees colder I landed back in Wyoming. Less than three hours after the flight I grabbed my car and bombed through Idaho to reconnect with Montana friends I missed. The last three days I’ve searched for mountain lions with good friends, many laughs, and awesome hikes in my old college hunting grounds - all stories for the next post. After a red-eye drive 6 hours home, a day of work, plus drinks and stories with my Jackson family, I’m destroyed. Time to sleep. I get to look for critters tomorrow in 1 degree temps as I daydream of more 80 degree water, whales, and sunburns.