lakes

Day 3 – Thousand Island Lake to North of Donahue Pass

/ Andy, Laurie, Miles & Ani / Leave a comment
Miles: 7.2

Our alarm clock this morning was a 15 minute howling from distant coyotes.

The girls were up early as Laurie wanted to get a time lapse of the sunrise.

They stayed dry in their tent last night even though it was very humid.

As for me, I did not sleep as well. I cowboy camped on a rock and woke up every few hours with water dripping into my sleeping bag.

We had another lazy morning.

As we ate breakfast, I dried my sleeping bag and pad. At 9:15 we set off down the trail.

But we didn’t hike long as Laurie wanted to take a soak. On trips like these (low mileage days) we take opportunities to soak and lounge. Why not?

By 10:30am, we were hiking up toward Island Pass. The views of Thousand Island Lake were spectacular from the switchbacks.

As we climbed, we knew it would be a warm day. The first half of canyon between Island Pass and Donahue Pass is really pretty. Lush plants and trees, and active rivers. The second half of the canyon is exposed, dry and hot.

I decided to hike faster and try to get to Donahue Pass before 2:45pm. The heat, endless steps and views behind me made for slow going.

I arrived at the Pass at exactly 2:49pm. Didi mention it was hot?

Around 3:10 the girls arrived looking worn from the heat and the never-ending climb. I know Laurie can handle long climbes – after all, her nickname (one of many) is The Grinder. But I am so proud and happy that Erin made it too. Go Erin!!

After an hour break at the Pass eatin and chattin with other hikers, we packed up, laced up our shoes and headed down the trail. The view of Lyell Canyon from Donahue Pass is spectacular.

As we slowly descended, we talked about how far to go and where to camp. We decided to call it a day when we reached a beautiful flat section of trail still exposed and out of the trees, only a mile from the pass.

We set up our tents, one tent actually – I chose to cowboy camp again – stretched and ate dinner.

The temperature dropped soon after the sun sank below the mountains. Looks like it will be another cold night. But I was prepared. I set up my sleeping bag to prevent a crosswind. And I wore my down jacket on top of my silk and midweight wool long johns.

Another lovely but difficult day of hiking in The Range Of Light. Time to spot a few shooting stars and drift off.

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Day 2 – Bushcamp South of Parker Pass to Thousand Island Lake

/ Andy, Laurie, Miles & Ani / Leave a comment
Date: October 8, 2015

Miles: 15

I woke up with a very stiff neck. My pillow had unraveled during the chili night. But no matter, we’re in the backcountry. And there’s no one else here. We saw only two people (day hikers) yesterday and probably won’t see many people today either.

Sunrise was absolutely spectacular. The few clouds that lingered turning orange and pink before the sun greeted us.

We lounged about in our tents until 8am, finally deciding to brave the cold and take care of business.

Around 9 am we were finally hiking. We predicted to be up and over Koip Pass by 11. Boy were we wrong.

There was so much more snow on Koip mountain than we expected. It was slow going as we kicked steps into snow to make progress. We must have been the first group to hike this trail after the last snow fell.

As the sun made its way over Koip mountain, it softened the snow enough to make kicking steps easier.

We decided to skip the switchbacks and go straight up the mountain. It was slow going and hard work, but we kept at it. I’m not very comfortable on snow and this was Erin’s first time traversing snow.

We both did very well. The dropoffs were massive and there were a few stretchy, rocky sections to manouver around, but we did it – following our fearless, sure footed leader Laurie most of the way.

By noon, we had finally made it across the pass.

We were beat.

We dropped our packs and devoured most of the food in our sacks. After consuming too much guyere cheese, an entire tray of smoked salmon, gorp, powerberries, and ginger chews, we were ready to set off once again. Except we didn’t want to put on our wet socks and shoes.

Nature always has a way of getting you moving though. In this case, the wind began howling and we were moving in no time.

On the long downhill to Alger Lakes, we took off most of our layers and couldn’t believe how different the landscape was on the south side of Koip Peak.

At 5pm we made our way down to Gem Lake, where we made the decision to hike to Thousand Island Lake.

We climbed up to Gem Pass, then gradually down to the Waugh Lake/Agnew Pass junction. After a refill of water and snacks, we hiked the 2 miles to Agnew Pass.

It was 6:30pm and the light was fading, but we kept walking. No turning back now.

At 8pm we finally made it to Thousand Island Lake with our headlamps lighting the way.

We ate dinner and went to bed. Erin and Laurie again shared the Tarptent while I chose to sleep under the stars.

I don’t like critters, and I saw a few spiders and mice, but the night sky won me over.

Grand Tetons Part 2: Cascade Canyon – Paintbrush Canyon Loop

/ Andy, Laurie, Miles & Ani / Leave a comment
Trip dates: Thursday, July 30 – Friday, July 31, 2015
Trip Details: 
Cascade Canyon – Paintbrush Canyon Loop: 2 days 18.1 miles
Laurie and I couldn’t secure permits for this loop when we arrived at the Grand Teton National Park visitor center 3 days ago. But the way the permit system works, we were able to add this loop to our existing itinerary. Having completed a three day, two night loop from of Death Canyon via Alaska Basin and Death Canyon shelf, we set out to hike through Cascade Canyon from the String Lake Parking lot. 
We chose String Lake for two reasons: Jenny Lake trailhead was full by the time we got there, and it meant a shorter hike the following day. It also meant a longer hike today. But no matter. Having already hiked 5 miles, we were warmed up and ready to go! 
The day was hot. We started hiking around 11:30am and found ourselves overwhelmed by the crowds. Day hiking from Jenny Lake to Inspiration Point is a popular day hike. It’s not easy as the trail goes uphill from the first step. The steep trail, coupled with the heat and amount of people on the trail caused many bottlenecks. 

We constantly reminded ourselves to breathe and enjoy being in the mountains. We couldn’t do anything about the number of people on the trail. We were in the Tetons during the busiest week of the season – after the snow has melted and before kids go back to school. 
Deep down we knew we could hike the 12.6 miles (with roughly 4,000ft of elevation gain) to camp, we simply needed to remind ourselves of this from time to time. 
We had no intention of going to Inspiration Point, but we received word from other hikers of a black mama bear and her two cubs very close to the trail, so we followed the masses hoping to catch a glimpse. 

We vaguely saw the cubs in the distance as they climbed trees and foraged. But as the sow came closer and closer to the trail, Laurie and I turned around. 
Once on the Cascade Canyon trail, the crowds thinned tremendously. The trail was exposed and hot, but the views opened up with every step. 

Shortly after we were back under the shade of trees until the South Fork Cascade Junction. We veered right and kept climbing. Soon after we were out of the trees once more. As we climbed higher, the canyon opened up and the views were breathtaking. The Tetons towered behind us as we gradually gained elevation. We couldn’t help but stop many, many times for photos.

The reward for the long climb through Cascade Canyon is Lake Solitude – a wonderful treat situated in a glacial basin. Camping is not allowed here but it is a great place for a rest and a soak before the long climb to Paintbrush Divide.  
While Laurie went for a swim, I made her mac n cheese – her favorite backpacking meal. For added nutrition, we added dehydrated veggies. We also spread our Tarptent and ground sheet out to dry under the hot sun. 

After an hour or so, we packed up and were ready to go. But we weren’t getting far because we kept stopping and taking photos of the majestic Tetons. 

We continued climbing and noticed a lake above Lake Solitude. It was stunning. The water was bright green and it sat in a bowl surrounded by glaciers. 
Simply. Beautiful. 
We couldn’t help but smile as we huffed and puffed up the trail. We were loving this hike. The pikas were calling out, there was a slight breeze in the air and the sky remained a perfect blue. And the views were intoxicating.
After a few long switchbacks we made it to Paintbrush Divide at 10,700 feet. Or so we thought. 
It was a false summit. There was more climbing to be had but we still had plenty of daylight and were fueled by outrageously beautiful scenery. 
We saw only two hikers heading in the opposite direction as we climbed. It was late in the afternoon and most people had probably made camp at the designated Upper Paintbrush or Holly Lake camping areas. Secretly I was worried that Holly Lake – our destination for the night – would be filled with hikers, but I didn’t voice this to Laurie. 
We had to concentrate to get down from the Divide first. The descent was sketchy due to parts of the trail being washed out by rock slides. It was a very steep and exposed downhill back into the trees and meandering streams. As we passed backpackers scattered all over the Upper Paintbrush camping zone, my fears of Holly Lake being full worsened. 
Much to my surprise however, once we reached Holly Lake, there were no people to be found. We had the place to ourselves! 
We chose a campsite with great views of the alpenglow, ate dinner, and went to bed. Another magnificent day in the Tetons. 

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The next morning, we were up early once again to tackle the 6 mile downhill stretch of trail from Holly Lake to the String Lake parking lot. The views are less spectacular in this section. Oh how spoiled we’ve become by great views. 
Near String Lake, we saw a doe with her two fawns on the trail. One of the fawns was very jumpy and nervous. It would get close to us, then scurry off down the trail. As we approached, it would investigate, then take off in the opposite direction once more. I was worried that her behavior would lead the doe to protect it from us, but it couldn’t be bothered. 
Other hikers also told us of a black bear and her cub down the trail but we did not see them. Once back at the car, we changed into our cotton clothes and played tourists in the Park before leaving for Colorado. Goodbye Tetons. Thanks for the memories.

Tips for hiking the Cascade Canyon – Paintbrush Canyon Loop
Laurie and I agree that while the climb is a lot steeper out of Paintbrush Canyon, we would prefer to do this loop counterclockwise to enjoy the views of the Tetons on the descent from Paintbrush Divide and through Cascade Canyon. Camping at North Fork Cascade Canyon would be a spectacular place to watch the alpenglow on the Tetons as well.