Greetings Witt Nation! This is Ashley Petersen, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and former 'roadie.' I am just meeting up with crew here in Jackson, WY., and it has been an amazing time already. We arrived in Jackson on Monday and have been soaking up every bit of the lifestyle that we can. Due to the limited alumni base in the area we stayed with a friend of mine from high school, Alex, and his roommate, Jedd. When we arrived Alex took us floating down a creek on inner tubes. The mini rapids combined with the view made floating just the right mix of exciting and relaxing (even if the water was freezing!). That night we took a dip in Alex’s hot tub, grabbed pizza and headed to bed.  Yesterday we woke up and headed to our event at Betty Rock Café. We had the pleasure of meeting Lynda Ochs ’66, her husband Don, and Andy Tyson ’91. We quickly realized that Lynda was a Chi Omega just like Ashley and me. It was great talking to her about how different campus was back in the 60’s. Andy gave us some interesting info about Wyoming telling us a little about his company, Creative Energies, and the use of alternative energy sources. There is a big push among students and faculty at Wittenberg to become more environmentally aware. It was great to hear that Andy was so knowledgeable and willing to help out with efforts on campus. When we got back to Alex’s from lunch, he was packed and ready to take us on a hike in Grand Teton National Park. While we were a little nervous about hiking in “Death Canyon” and carrying bear repellent, we trusted our guide. Within five minutes of hiking, a moose and her calf were 30 feet from us on the trail (apparently this situation can be more dangerous than seeing a bear). We had to wait a while for the moose to get away from the path before we could pass and took a few pictures in the meantime. The view on the hike was like nothing I have ever seen. We hiked down to Phelps Lake and spent a few hours hanging out on “the rock,” listening to music and jumping off the 30-foot drop into the water. It was also freezing but the view made it totally worth it. Ben compared the scenery to something out of a Bob Ross painting, and we all agreed. After returning from the hike we took a tour of the Four Seasons Resort where Alex and Jedd work. It was incredibly impressive and definitely worth checking out if you are looking to vacation out West! As we drive out of Jackson through Yellowstone (or as Manson likes to call it, Jellystone) National Park, I can’t help but wonder how it gets much better than this.  

Click this link to see the pictures from The Badlands to Jackson!