How I lost my appendix in the Tetons & why it’s still my favorite park

I’m so excited to be back on here sharing my experiences with y’all. It’s been a whirlwind the past couple of weeks, but I’m looking forward to putting out more content in the coming days. If you have any suggestions on what you want to see, leave me a comment in the Contact section at the bottom of the page. Without further ado - here’s how I lost my appendix.

I had seen the Tetons once before on a road trip to Idaho. Needless to say, one glimpse even 100 miles away had me hooked. Once I saw the Teton mountain range, I knew without a doubt it was the most beautiful set of mountains I had ever laid my eyes on. I decided I would go back one day and see them up close and personal.

Last summer, at the height of the Denver heat - yes it even gets miserably hot in Denver - I decided to venture out of the office and go camp in the Tetons. I asked my best friend from graduate school, Matt Meengs, if he was up for an adventure. Matt lived a measly three hours from the Tetons just over the Idaho boarder while I had to trek a grueling eight hours from Denver. After finding a last minute campground - I do not recommend this - and driving the eight hour road alone, I met Matt at our campsite. This is where our story begins.

We got to the Lizard Creek campsite just before sunset at the far north end of the Teton Range. For background, the Teton Range runs north to south, and at the northern entrance you can access Yellowstone. After pitching our tents and getting situated, we were greeted with a beautiful sunset on our first night. Pink and orange skies exploded against the profile of the towering mountains before fading into a peaceful purple evening. The next morning, we decided to hike Cascade Canyon - a very popular hike that snakes around Jenny Lake. We took our lunch for a picnic during our hike. We hiked ~8 miles round trip that day with beautiful views of ever changing landscape surrounding us.

At the beginning of our hike, we took a short detour to Moose Pond and were graced with the presence of three moose (I personally call multiple moose meese, but I digress) slowly making their way through the ponds below. We ate lunch later in the hike among curious chipmunks under a shady tree overlooking Jenny Lake below. We made our way up to a gentle lake at the top of the canyon and turned around after soaking in the views. We trekked back to the car and planned the rest of the evening.

After a nice drive and mountain viewing, a quick trip to the visitor’s center, and many snacks, we headed for dinner in Jackson Hole. Later that evening after stuffing our faces with Mexican food, we sat around the fire and enjoyed the solitude of the mountains. I began to feel a bit nauseous and had cramps in my stomach. I figured it was bad Mexican and turned in early.

After a night of restless tossing and turning accompanied by continued stomach pain, I rolled out of my tent still convinced I had consumed some gnarly food the prior evening. As the great adventurer I am, I was NOT about to let that get in the way of my carefully crafted itinerary of the lower loop of Yellowstone slated for the day. Matt and I ventured into the next park which was only a 30 minute drive from our campsite. I drove the whole way making sure to see all of the stops indicated on my map along the way and Matt was my guide. We saw the beautiful formations that are dotted all along the southern loop of Yellowstone including: the Grand Prismatic, Morning Glory Pool, & Fountain Paint Pots to name a few. Matt and I even sprinted just in time to see Old Faithful faithfully explode just a few minutes after our arrival. I was in pain but enjoying every minute of the colorful views Yellowstone had to offer.

Towards the end of the drive, I began to notice that I was feeling worse and had barely eaten anything during our day. I told Matt we would head back, and I would lay down and try to nap to see if that would ease the pain. While laying at camp, I decided to google my symptoms. It appeared that I was either bloated, had appendicitis, or was going to die within the hour according to WebMD. Spoiler alert, I had appendicitis and was not dying. At this point, I was feeling even worse and the pain was most definitely concentrated in my lower right side. Since it was a Saturday evening, no urgent care clinics were open. I decided it was time to go to the only hospital nearby in Jackson Hole.

I chose to drive myself so that Matt wouldn’t have to go if it turned out to be just gas. I packed up my tent just in case all the while feeling worse by the minute. I drove quickly down the winding roads in front of my favorite mountain range in a fury of pain for over an hour - I just had to pick the farthest campsite from medical access. Eventually, I made it to the hospital and was whisked back by nurses and immediately attended to. Turns out, I had appendicitis and it was a good thing I came to the ER. The surgeon took my appendix out that night and told me I had about 10 hours before it would have burst. See mom, I could have made it back to Denver in time. Speaking of, my sweet, dear mother boarded a plane and came to pick me up at Jackson Regional Hospital the next day after no sleep. I finally felt better - no more abdomen pain for me! The next day, we began our long road trip back to Denver, and I had never been more thankful for my people and especially my mother.

I learned a lot that trip: trust your gut, don’t give up on adventure, thank your momma, & never pick the farthest campsite from medical access (kidding).

It was an interesting trip to say the least, but I didn’t blame the mountains. Their beauty had restored my soul. I was thankful for the opportunity to see such majestic beauty up close. I am looking forward to our summer trip back to the Tetons and to more hiking and no hospital stays. It truly is a magical place and I wouldn’t have wanted to lose my appendix anywhere else - except maybe near a closer hospital. Thanks for reading!

See ya on the trail!

-M