West Fork Cabin Adventure Weekend

This weekend, we had the incredible opportunity to take seven students on an unforgettable trip to the West Fork Cabin on the Teton River. With skis strapped to our feet and packs full of snacks, we set off on a cross-country adventure through breathtaking mountain valleys, soaking in the crisp winter air and endless snowy vistas. Saturday gifted us with bluebird skies and perfect conditions—the kind of weather that makes you forget your frozen toes and just stand in awe of the scenery.

After arriving at the cozy cabin, we got straight to work, stoking the wood stove and brewing up some much-needed hot chocolate. As the warmth filled the space, we took on what might have been the most challenging puzzle known to mankind—a test of patience, willpower, and perhaps a little bit of luck. (Spoiler: We didn’t finish, so we left it behind for the next brave souls to conquer. May the odds be ever in their favor.)

Once we accepted our puzzling defeat, we set out on a sunset ski, gliding through the soft evening light as the mountains turned shades of gold and pink. Back at the cabin, we feasted on an impressive spread of snacky dinner essentials (because why settle for one meal when you can have all the best bites at once?).To cap off the night, we dove headfirst into a high-stakes game of Trivial Pursuit, where competitive spirits ran high and obscure knowledge reigned supreme. With laughter echoing through the cabin, we eventually called it a night, snuggling into our sleeping bags, warm and content in our winter retreat.

After falling asleep to the cozy warm cabin from the heat of the wood-fired stove, waking up Sunday to a chilly morning made it hard to roll out of our sleeping bags. But we had work to do, so after Maddi graciously lit a new fire in the stove to bring a little heat into the cabin for the morning and a quick breakfast of soul-gratifying oatmeal, we got to work. We really wanted to give a deep clean to the cabin, and with all the hands we had available, it made for a great cleaning crew. After sweeping out all the old dust, cleaning out the ashes from the stove, chopping more wood for the next crew to visit, and even more organizing to ensure the cabin was in tip-top shape, we could finally be satisfied with the morning’s work.

Having already packed up all of our gear in the process of cleaning, the transition to the adventures of the day was nice and smooth. We strapped on our skis and started making quick progress back up the slope. About a quarter a mile in, Maddi had the good insight to realize we had left the key behind (whoops). So while she hustled back to grab it, the rest of us fought back against the cold by getting some extra practice in on the skis (for us newbies, at least) or had a good time making snow angels or even just finishing off the snacks we had left in our packs. Being the pro she is, Maddi made quick time and rejoined the group, successfully extending her mileage beyond the rest of us for the day. But after that little trip up the rest of the ski out was as beautiful as it was unproblematic. A few enjoyable hours later, we made it back to the cars and went on to eat a well-deserved diner lunch before heading back to campus.