Christmas in July

Day 13 – Grand Teton National Forest, Wyoming

Taking the boat across Jenny Lake.

Today was our first unplanned, ad lib day of the trip.  As we said previously, today was originally supposed to be a biking day.  But after we met Mark on our hike in Yellowstone and he told us about the Cascade Creek Canyon hike here, we decided that need to be part of our itinerary.  So we did our biking Wednesday (I think that was Wednesday) so the whole day would be open today.  Then yesterday Ben, our guide on the scenic rafting trip, told us that if we went just a few miles further on this trail, we would get to a really nice lake.  So despite not researching this at all, we decided to improvise and go for it.  It turns out our decision to switch our plans worked out perfectly, as the day unfolded like a beautiful Christmas present that we unwrapped a little at a time (that was intentionally over-the-top cheesy.  The real reason for the “Christmas” reference will make more sense later).

At hidden Falls at the beginning of our hike.

In order to get to the trailhead, we first had to cross Jenny Lake (which is just south of Jackson Lake).  So we got up early and made the hour drive to Jenny Lake in time for the first boat across.  Immediately across the lake are two very popular sightseeing spots, so we hit those first.  The first is Hidden Falls, which, while obscured from sight for awhile, is not hidden due to the loud roaring it creates.  We stopped, took our pictures, and headed to the next spot – Inspiration Point.  This was our second Inspiration Point of the trip (the first being at Yellowstone Canyon) and while nice, was not as impressive as the first.  It was about 1000 feet above the trailhead and looked out over Jenny Lake.  From there, we headed due West and made our way into Cascade Creek Canyon.

Another boat crossing Jenny Lake - the view from Inspiration Point.

The trail up Cascade Creek Canyon with Grand Teton looming above. 

Cascade Creek Canyon trail is very aptly named as it is a trail through a canyon that follows a creek with numerous cascades.  The first part of our hike went straight back into the mountains for 4.5 miles.  After the initial climb to Inspiration Point, the rest of this first portion only sloped gently uphill, so it was a nice, relaxing hike.  It was a beautiful hike, passing through forests and mountain meadows with the creek on our side at all times.  On our left was the Teton Range and on our right was the St. John’s range.  As impressive as these looked from across the lake, they were even more so towering immediately over us.  We again saw deer on our hike and added marmots, which look like a big gopher, to our list of wildlife seen.

Hiking through the snow!

The rock slide covering a stream which we could
still running underneath.

After the first 4.5 miles, the trail forks.  We took the North Fork, which led up to our destination of Lake Solitude.  After the fork, the climb became much steeper and these 2.7 miles took almost as long as the first 4.5.  Although this part of the hike also included forest, it was primarily through alpine meadows.  The terrain  was covered with large boulders, scrub brush, and more mountain flowers of all different colors.  We passed through and over many small streams that flowed down from cascades in the peaks high above us.  At one point we crossed over a stream that had been covered by a rock slide.  Below the giant rocks we were going across we could still hear the stream flowing.  Eventually we got to a point where small patches of snow lined the trail.  We continued to climb until, reaching an area where snow had completely covered the trail.  We made our way across, slipping and sliding, while the group in front of us threw snowballs and made snow angels.  I have never  before in my life been in shorts and a t-shirt, sweating profously, and walking on two feet of packed snow.  This was our Christmas in July (I know, still cheesy).

The view of The teton range from Lake Solitude at over 9,000 feet.

The last half mile before reaching the lake was the steepest part.  Coupled with the high altitude, this made the hike pretty difficult.  But we made it and it was definitely worth the effort.  The “lake”, which was probably more of a big pond, was nestled between two peaks and a large ridge.  It had crystal clear water and amazing views of the Teton Range.  We found a rock, took off our boots and pack, and enjoyed a peaceful lunch of granola bars and water.  Amy even ventured down and dipped her feet in the water, which she described as painfully cold.  The group with the snowballs and snow angels took it even further by jumping completely in.  By their shouts and screams, I am guessing it was not a very pleasant experience.

Amy sitting at our lunch spot.

  While we were sitting up there, we noticed clouds developing above the peaks.  After our Hermitage Point experience, getting stuck in another storm was not something we wanted to endure.  So we began the 7.5 mile trek back down.  We realized that we really liked the whole climb up first, down second method of hiking.  It was nice to know the hard part was out of the way.  The views on the way down were even more stunning than on the way up, as the Tetons were now in front of us as we maneuvered down the rocky trail. 

We stopped again at the fork for a quick water break and met a fellow Sconie and his family.  We were very jealous to find out that they had seen two moose and a bear already on their hike.  As they were only going to the fork and were now also on their way down, we decided to hike with them so they could show us where they saw the moose and bear.  We passed all three points without any luck.  But shortly after this on a water/looking for moose break, Amy spotted an adolescent black bear running on the ridge across the creek from us.  While we only saw him for about a minute and at a distance of about 100 yards, it was still a very cool experience.  Much better than, say, meeting a grizzly on your trail.

As we continued down, the skies continued to darken.  We started to feel drops just as we boarded the boat for the trip back across Jenny Lake.  The radar showed that rain was on the way and it wouldn’t be stopping any time soon.  It was only 4 pm at this time and we were not interested in sitting in our tent for a long rainy night only to then wake up and pack everything up in the rain tomorrow morning before heading to Salt Lake City.  So we decided to head back to camp, quickly pack everything, take one last shower in the disgusting bathrooms (also a motivating factor), and make the trip to Salt Lake City tonight. 

Civilization!  The Peery Hotel in Salt Lake City.

We got everything done and ready to go just as the rain was hitting.  The majority of our trip was through Idaho, although with darkness and rain, we were not able to take in much of the scenery.  We did have a fantastic dinner at a Carl Jr. in Idaho Falls.  We got to our hotel about 11 and were so excited to have a huge comfortable bed, a clean bathroom, and fast, reliable internet.  Now tomorrow we can relax, sleep in, and gear up for the second half of our trip.  Time to fall asleep watching Sportscenter!