Acclimating to life at 6,237'

After a week of living here it's still hard to comprehend that we are just a short ride from massive mountains. In fact, here's a shot from over 1,500 feet up Snow King Mountain, the ski "hill" just behind our house, with a view of downtown Jackson, the Tetons in the far left, and the National Elk Refuge on the right. Not bad for a 45 minute hike within a short walk from our home.

Here's a shot of our house which isn't actually visible due to the foliage. In the middle of the picture, the yellow house with the second floor deck is just to our right on No Name Alley. Our set up here is awesome; we are close to everything (that's the hospital in the background).

Having lived in Concord, Ma. basically my whole life, going for a hike, trail run, or mountain bike ride up and down anything challenging has required at least an hour and a half drive north out of the Boston area (Lynn Woods being an exception). Living in what many people refer to as an adult's playground here in Jackson, it's proving to be quite the adjustment. My first day here my roommate Kyle and I went mountain biking 20 minutes away up near the Teton Pass heading towards Idaho. I found myself gasping for air every couple minutes of riding due to not only the altitude but also the Nature Valley views I was seeing knowing this was my new home for the next several months. Here's a video of Kyle doing what he does on a MTB. It was nice to ride with someone more aggressive than me for once.

On day 2, Ryan and I decided to go for a less aggressive but equally enjoyable bike ride just behind our house. This time we didn't need pick-ups to shuttle us up to the top but that meant we actually had to pedal our way up to enjoy the bobsled run down and out. After 2 days of biking, my rewards were trail rash on my left arm and shoulder, another ding in my right shin to add to the collection, a broken bike pedal, and no scrapes on my face thanks to the full-face helmet I was wearing that did a great job of slowing me down once I fell. All in all, an awesome two days of biking without really having to travel to get there. Seeing the leaves turning color reminded me of back home, and how much better it is in the northeast than anywhere else.

The Town of Jackson is pretty cool and being that we are exiting the summer phase and nearing the winter phase, the next month and a half should be rather quiet around here, which is fine by me. There is plenty to do to keep me busy and get me in shape for the winter in any of the mountains or hillsides just minutes from my queen sized bed.