Okay, story time. Wyoming is no joke. Seriously. There are wolves and bears and things that go bump in the night like everywhere. There are so many things out there that can eat you up it’s insane. The other thing about this magical state is that it is home to two national parks. And let me tell you… the Grand Teton night sky is no joke either.

I had been wanting to go back to Wyoming to try and get a starry sky picture ever since we went To Yellowstone in 2014. But, of course, I again forgot my triggers and tripod so I didn’t get to do a few hour exposure like I had in mind. I did however, one-up the original idea to get this EPIC shot, and can’t thank Scott and Andrew enough for the team effort it took to get. Andrew had a headlamp with him and Scott insisted we try to light up the barn with it. I was really cold, and unsure of how well it would work, but thank goodness I listened to them because THIS is what the result was. Check out all those stars!

Incase you missed the first part of our trip, click here to recap our first day and my solo adventures!

 

As we were packing up our things, getting ready to leave, we heard a howl in the distance. We didn’t really think anything of it until a few seconds later when a chorus of howls answered it back, and these were just maybe 100 yds away from where we stood dead in our tracks.

“Start talking, and DON’T run”, Andrew exclaimed, just as Scott tripped into a waist deep hole of snow. “GET UP! Stay on your feet!”

Okay guys, this was no joke. We were definitely getting stalked by a pack of WOLVES. We started loudly talking, clapping, making as much noise as we could without panicking (or at least I was trying to not panic) and we walked as quickly as we could down the pitch black 1.25-mile road back to our car. Yup, that’s right. Our car was a 30-minute walk away down a road with no lights, in the middle of nowhere. We were in their territory, not the other way around. I walked as quick as humanly possible without running and Andrew even joked that it was the quickest he’s ever seen me move. We got back to the car in a brisk 14 minutes, and finally took a deep sign of relief once the doors were shut and we kept all our limbs on. Cause they’re super cute and all, but I would not want to come face to face with a pack of wolves with nothing to protect me except my camera bag. And I was for sure the weakest link of the three of us (obviously).

So, we finally arrived back at our car, kicked back and sat on the roof for a while longer to just soak in the night sky before heading back to Jackson for dinner. It was definitely a story I will remember for the rest of my life, and while it was exhilirating, and exciting, I hope the next time I meet up with some wolves my car is a little bit closer. =) It was, however, completely worth it to get this epic shot!

Have any crazy stories while you were on epic adventures?! I’d love to hear them!