the woodsy wife – by adriana vanderzanden

I think my love for the outdoors stems from a few different places. My mom went camping in Yosemite when she was growing up and would tell me stories about how epic it was. We went to family camp in Upper Michigan every summer – and it was my favorite week of the whole year. I played soccer up through college, so I felt like I grew up on the field, the location always changing but the game staying the same. I went to sleep away camp on my own for a few years, and when I was old enough I spent my summers working there, and interned after college.

I went to school in Arizona, where I got to venture up to the Grand Canyon a few times. I fell in love with the history of the exploration of the canyon, the danger of it, and the beauty. I went as much as I could, and even now I wish that I had more adventures on the canyon floor or the Colorado River.

After Jake and I got married, we moved to Idaho. We were about an hour and a half from the Tetons and Yellowstone – and it was epic. We took so many weekend trips to explore, but we did spend the majority of our time in the Tetons. There’s something so magical about the mountains, the valley, Jackson Hole, and the endless adventure opportunity. Grand Teton National Park is definitely my favorite park, and I really want to climb to the summit of one of the mountains someday!

We didn’t fall in love with Yellowstone quite as quickly, probably because of the crowds. It’s really beautiful – the geysers, the wildlife, and the waters… but the amount of people is awful. I went by myself a few times in the fall, and really enjoyed the park like that. Unfortunately the East and West entrances get closed for most of the winter, so the only way to visit is through the North entrance, which was about three hours from us. I think Yellowstone is one of those places that you could visit once for a week and never feel the need to go back. It’s incredible, but it feels a little more squished and chaotic than the Grand Canyon or the Grand Tetons.

We have plans to visit Acadia National Park for the first time next weekend – and I am so excited! I’ve been telling everyone that we’re going, and I’m excited to explore.

Aaaand I’ll be sure to write a blog post about it. 🙂

Until next time,

Adriana