I always wanted to go to college out of Florida. I was born and raised in south Florida and I was born with an adventurous and independent spirit, so after living with my parents for 18 years in Boca Raton (a suburb of Fort Lauderdale) I was ready to go far away from home for college. A lot of teenagers have this dream and a lot of teenagers have this dream crushed. I was one of them. When I finally came to terms with reality, that I would be attending Florida State University after high school (this is the furthest Florida college from my house), I decided that I would NOT be spending my last summer before attending Florida State in Boca Raton doing what I usually do with my summers, lifeguarding and going to the beach with friends. I decided that I would do something adventurous and independent with my last summer before I commit to four more years in Florida. And so, the search began. My initial idea was to backpack across Europe with my friends, somehow my parents agreed but, as my friends began to share the idea with their parents, the number of travel buddies that initially committed began to dwindle. Now that Europe was out of the picture, I was onto my next idea, and that’s when my mom suggested Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I had been to Jackson Hole once before on a family trip to Yellow Stone National Park. It is a small western town wedged between the Grand Tetons National Park and Yellow Stone National Park. Everyone in Jackson Hole is a “granola” and super outdoorsy, participating in adventurous activities like skiing and snowboarding in the winter and hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, white water rafting, kayaking, and the list goes on in the summer time. At first, I was a little reluctant because Jackson Hole is a far jump from my initial idea of backpacking in Europe but, the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. So, graduation came along, high school was over, and it was now time for my big move to Jackson Hole. I had lined up a job working at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort working as a guide on the ropes course they open up in the summer time and I had found an apartment to rent with three other random roommates. Everything was sorted out and I was super excited to have a summer of fun away from south Florida but also nervous because I was moving to a town over 2,000 miles away from home where I did not know a single person. At the time, I had no idea that this little ski town would have such a big impact on my life.
On my first day of work, June 1, 2017, I arrived at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort around 8 AM, this is where the mountain is that everyone skis in winter and in the summer time it is turned into basically a huge recreation facility, that has hiking trails, rock climbing, paragliding, and the ropes course that I would be a guide on. I walked into the room where our classroom style guide training would take place. It was silent and everyone (mostly college kids and a few recent graduates) that had already arrived was sitting at the tables awkwardly. I walked up behind one of the kids sitting down who had an empty chair next to him and said “Hey, is it okay if I sit here?” he said yes, so I sat down, and it was silent between us for the next minute or two. Then, the boy turned toward me, stuck out his hand and said, “Hey, I’m Alex.”, I shook his hand and said in a high pitched, nervous voice, “Oh, hi, I’m Sophie.” I was thinking to myself “Wow this is so awkward!”. Alex is my boyfriend now and we’ve been dating for almost 9 months. Once everyone arrived we did some ice breakers to get to know the other guides we would be working with for the summer and the managers gave us the run down on what the week of training would look like. Finally, the managers took us out to the ropes course where we would be working and told us to go explore to get a feel for the job. So, we awkwardly, helped harness each other up, by this time I had made my first friend, besides Alex, her name is Ashley and she is today still one of my close friends, someone I know I will be friends with for a life. As Ashley and I were navigating the ropes course together and getting to know one another, I told her I was from Florida, her reaction was priceless, “What! You’re from Florida! That is SO FAR! Aren’t you 18?” And it was in that moment that it hit me, I was a recent high school graduate, 18 years old, living by myself across the country in Wyoming. I know that way more ambitious things have been done by 18-year-olds, but the majority of the other guides were from Jackson Hole, Idaho, or Colorado and they were a couple years older than me so, yeah, I felt a little out of place but, I didn’t mind. Over the course of the summer, I went to that ropes course nearly every single day, while the course is challenging and fun, the people that I met there is what makes that place so special to me. The ropes course is where I met Alex and we teased and laughed at each other all summer long. Its where I balled when Alex left for the summer and Ashley consoled and laughed at me. The ropes course is where I met people from across the world, from families from Boca Raton visited to a couple on their honeymoon from Australia. The ropes course is in so many of my favorite memories that I literally think about every single day.
Although the majority of the vast beauty of Jackson Hole can only be seen during the day, the beauty carries on into the night. When I say I have never seen so many stars in my life, I mean it, the entire sky is filled with them, it is hard to point out the constellations because there are hundreds of stars surrounding them. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The first time Alex and I ever hung out alone was at nighttime, under thousands of stars. One night we spontaneously decided to go for a walk with his dog, Bentley (she is perfect) and while we were walking we were both left breathless at the view. These are the kinds of stars you can take pictures of and they actually show. That night we walked, talked about our home towns, friends, families, shared funny stories, had a couple moments of awkward silence because I was still nervous around him, and saw 7 shooting stars. 7! I hadn’t even seen one in my life before that night. Now, on any given night if I look up at the stars, I think about that night, the stars that consumed the sky, the beginnings of my relationship with Alex, not having to be home at a certain time because my parents were in Florida. I think about Jackson Hole. Alex visited me for spring break and one night we went for a walk on the beach as soon as we looked at the stars we asked each other “Remember that night in Jackson?” and of course we both do.
Because Jackson Hole is a small town, there is not that much to do at night time, unless you’re looking at the stars so, Alex and I bowled sometimes. There was a small bowling alley in town and Alex and I went a couple of times and it was fun. On one occasion, I was going with some other friends and Alex wasn’t there because summer was almost over, and Alex had already gone home. With Alex gone, I was a complete wreck, it sounds cheesy to say but my heart was broken, we spent nearly every single day together over the summer and now he was gone. We decided to give long distance a try, but I had never been in a relationship before and even though I knew I loved Alex at the time I wasn’t sure if it was going to work out. I was distracting myself as much as possible, and after a day of mountain biking and hiking with friends we decided to go bowling. Alex and I had been texting so when he asked what I was doing, I told him, about to go bowling with friends. Once I got to the bowling alley, Alex called me. I answered, and he said “Hey, where are you?” and I replied, “Bowling with Ashley, Haddi, and Jake.” Alex told me to come outside and I laughed and then changed the conversation. Alex asked again for me to come outside to which I said back, “Alex, this isn’t funny, I am going to get all excited just to be let down, stop, it isn’t funny anymore.” And guess what he said? “Sophie, just come outside.” So, I reluctantly walked outside, already upset at the fact that this was a cruel joke, and there he was waiting for me. I ran over to him and gave him a huge bear huge with tears in my eyes and he picked me up and swung me around. Alex came back for me. He missed me as much as I missed him. Alex and I went back to Jackson Hole over winter break to ski and we went back to the bowling alley and walked right outside where he surprised me and we both said, “Remember that night?” and of course we both do.
My summer in Jackson Hole changed my life forever. I reminisce about that place and all the little places within it every single day. Almost anything can remind me of Jackson Hole. If I am driving down the street in Tallahassee passing Lucky’s Market, I think of Jackson Hole because there is a Lucky’s there. If I eat eggs I think of Jackson Hole because I hated them until Alex started to make them for me and suddenly they tasted good. Jackson Hole is my favorite place in the world, my favorite memories take place there, I met my favorite person there, and I cannot wait to go back there this summer.