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One Journey Through
A World of Stories
"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
- Joseph Campbell
I moved to Lander almost 3 weeks ago!
Despite being (mostly) unemployed and without a permanent residence, time has flown!
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I have been getting in hours here and there at Elemental Fitness, where I originally thought I would be a full-time employee immediately. I had also planned to substitute teach if necessary, but my transcript has somehow not made it across the country to land at my friend's apartment...so I really could have been twiddling my thumbs, but I haven't!
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The last 3 weeks have been spent exploring. Exploring the town, exploring the local community, and of course, exploring the local wilderness and climbing areas.
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Lander has as thriving art scene which you can see displayed all over the walls of most local businesses and the cozy coffee shops that I frequent when in need of wifi. The Lander Bar is also a great place to hangout and get reasonably priced local brews and burgers (you can really taste the local beef).
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Lander is a climber's paradise. There are multiple, world-class climbing destinations, within an hour. And even year-round climbing in Sinks Canyon, just 20 minutes from town!
Sinks is truly a magical place. One of my first days in town I met with a few NOLS characters to go climbing. It was -10 in town when we met...I was dubious, but they assured me you could never tell if it would be warm enough until you got to the crag. We drove up into the canyon, where it had already risen to 10 degrees! Then we hiked 15 minutes up to the cliffs and it was magically 30 degrees!! As the sun baked the south facing canyon walls, the temperature rose to a balmy 45 degrees!!! And so went my first day of winter rock climbing in Lander.
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My first night in Lander, I slept in my van and it was cold. The next night, a friendly Catholic College student invited me to sleep on his couch. He is now one of my better friends in town. The next week I spent in the spare room of a Colgate Alum, who works for the National Outdoor Leadership Society, which is based here in Lander.
Most recently I have resided in the spare room of a nice fellow named JC. I met a cool artist woman at an art exhibit, my first Friday in town. She invited me to visit her studio in the future, which I did. There I met and spent a fair amount of time talking to her and JC, another artist who sat at his easel in the studio. Eventually JC exclaimed, "have you not found a place to live yet?!...I guess you're staying with me".
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And so it was that I moved out of one kind soul's house, into the next! That first night, JC came back from town around 830pm and we talked until 11. JC told me that if anyone asked, I was his dead sister's kid, JC's nephew. He told me about fighting in the Vietnam War. About being wounded in the head. About returning with an insatiable thirst for alcohol that only resolved itself after a near death experience and counseling.
All in all, my exploration into the social circles and interpersonal culture of lander has been I think my favorite adventure. The people are an eclectic mix of ranchers, outdoor folk, climbers, religious college students, elderly, and young families. The common thread seems to be an appreciation for the wide open wilds of Wyoming and the tight-knit community of a small town; the type of community that will always be there when your car inevitably gets stuck in a snow bank.
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I think I have spent most of my life, jumping from one thing to the next: sports, communities, interests and pastimes. But I think for the first time I am starting to feel like I have done enough roaming for the moment. I think instead of continuing to widen the web, I am ready to deepen my ties to the community here in Lander. I don't know if it was me or the place that changed this, but either way, Lander, I think I am here to stay!
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