On the Yellowstone, Learning to Enjoy the Journey

By Henry Weil

Henry Weil hikes through the Absaroka Range. (Henry Cordeal)

I think we can all agree that some of the best moments on trips are also the hardest. These are the moments that lead to lasting memories. My counselors have always talked about “Type 1 Fun” and “Type 2 Fun.” Type 1 is fun in the moment, while Type 2 fun is hard in the moment, but fun afterward.

This past summer’s Senior Big Trip was a 23-day journey down the Yellowstone River in Montana. We spent six days backpacking in the Absaroka Range before hiking out and down into the Yellowstone River.

The third day of the trip was a long one. We got an early start on the trail and didn’t stop much. By lunchtime, we were all drenched in sweat. Toward the end of the day, we were still very far from where we had planned to camp. We decided to push ahead to a crossroads and then decide where to camp. That stretch, as described by my trip assistant, Harry Shook, was “1.2 miles, up 1,000 feet of elevation.”

Even now, I’m not sure how I made it up there. Every single one of us reached the point of mental breakdown—and then some. But when we finally made it to the top of the last hill, we looked out over a bright green meadow with a small pond in the middle. That night, we made ramen, and nothing has ever tasted better.

Henry Weil and Harry Shook paddle a section of whitewater on the Yellowstone River. (Henry Cordeal)

When we came down from the mountains and got our first look at the river, we were overjoyed. On the river, we had so much fun, and did so many things I could write about, but I’ll never forget the night we arrived at a place called Pompeys Pillar. Besides the name, we didn’t know anything about the spot except that it was a national monument.

That day ended up being one of our longest on the river—53 miles. The stretches toward the end seemed endless, and we were starting to feel like we couldn’t paddle any longer. As we passed under a bridge, we realized we had made it, and pulled up to a massive rock beach. We visited the monument, which included a beautiful view of the river and the Montana landscape.

There were times on the trip when I hated it, and I admit that I sometimes counted down the days until we would be back at camp. When we reached the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers on Day 21, I threw my paddle in the air and cried out. We had made it.

Since being home from camp, however, I’ve started to miss the trip. I would do almost anything to go back to that river and the countless memories I made on it. My trip head, Henry Cordeal, said “It’s about the journey, not the destination,” and this trip showed me how true that was. So please don’t get wrapped up in getting to your destination, because you’ll miss the beauty of the journey, which is kind of the whole point.

This article was originally published in the Fall 2021 issue of the Kooch-i-ching Tumpline.