Have you ever planned an experience for a long time, weaving together a dream full of possibility and when you finally arrive, you can’t remember why you’re there?

I arrived in Pinedale after driving and camping my way through beautiful riverside forests and rolling farmland in the shadow of the Grand Tetons. I drove into a small dusty western town full of vans, RV’s, and dirty hikers. The streets are unusually wide, there is public parking on every block, and every street off of the main drag is signed with brown recreation signs telling of trailheads, lakes, and campgrounds found out long rough dirt roads just outside of town.

I pulled into the parking lot of Dave’s Last Stand, a burger joint at the end of town and sat in Apricity, watching 5 backpackers explode their packs on the pavement of a grocery store parking lot.

“Well, we’re finally here”, I told the pups. But what am I doing here? And what’s next?

I had spent so much time getting ready and getting to this destination I chosen on a map after asking a bunch of CDT hikers where they’d go if they could go back to any section of the trail and they unanimously said The Winds! But now I was here and I didn’t know where to go.

I turned the van around and headed to a pretty city park a few blocks away that I had just driven by. It’s on Pine Creek, and I figured the dogs could play in the water while I looked at a map and planned my next move.

I was a little frustrated, and a lot homesick, and we walked through the park in the blistering sun when I caught movement in the creek. A MOOSE! And TWO BABY MOOSE! I had heard that mama moose can be mean and protective so I was being super cautious but children were suddenly splashing through the creek and a couple with a yappy dachshund were walking by, and the moose were just standing there munching away. I felt better. Moose were on my list of things to see this summer, and here they were, in Pinedale. Maybe coming here was the right thing to do after all?