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| Flaming Gorge |
After leaving Rocky Mountain National Park I headed north
towards Wyoming. Then I proceeded to
drive across almost the entire southern part of the state. It was a beautiful drive! The landscape was a combination of the Rocky
Mountains, the rolling plains of Oklahoma, and the beautiful dessert rock
formations of Utah. I decided that it
was about time for a shower, so I check into a hotel with plans to go explore
Flaming Gorge after procuring a room.
However, I was struck by the splendid comfort and of being inside with
so many modern conveniences, so I skipped adventuring for the evening and
savored the luxuries for the evening.
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| The path into the mountains! |
The next morning, I drove around Flaming Gorge. . .it’s quite
ruggedly beautiful! Then I proceeded to
weave my way through Wyoming, Utah, and the very edge of Idaho as I made my way
towards Grand Teton National Park. After
driving through a little corner of the park, I found my way to the visitor
center. I am pleased to report that the
atmosphere of Grand Teton Nation Park is similar to that of the Needles section
of Canyonlands National Park. The rangers are more than happy to give you tips as to where to explore and
recommend hikes, and then, they turn you loose to go adventures on your own and
at your own risk. Then, you get to go
explore the fabulously beautiful wilderness teaming with wild animals at your
own pace!
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| Holly Lake (site of my campsite in the back country) |
My first adventure was a two day, one night, backpacking
loop. The first day, I hiked a little
over eight miles up to a serene mountain lake.
The lake was totally still and calm except for a few ripples when the
wind stirred, this amazing stillness allowed the water to reflect the rugged
and strikingly tall mountains all around it! Now, I’m sure you’re thinking, “Of
course they’re tall. . .they’re mountains!”
But, unless you’ve seen them you don’t understand. The Rockies are amazingly tall too, but you
don’t really get a chance to see or comprehend just how tall they are because
they are totally surrounded by other mountains (after all, even the foot hills
are really foot mountains). At the Grand
Teton, however, the mountains and the foot hills are spread out, and the space
between them is fairly low and flat. As
a result, you get a chance to see mountains shooting straight up from the
ground! This allows you to see and
attempt to understand just how huge and impressive a mountain really is!
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| My very large friend! |
After setting up in a
spot with an incredible view of the mountains and securing the rest of my gear
in the bear locker, I headed for a large rock situated on shore of the
lake. I sprawled out on said rock and
proceeded to alternate between gazing at the incomprehensible beauty all around
me and dozing. After dinner, I got into
my tent to read for a while when I heard an unusual noise. It kind of sounded like a cross between
moaning and grunting. I decided to check
it out. As soon as I rounded the corner,
I saw a moose! A huge, male, moose with
gigantic antlers (and well, to be honest, gigantic everything!). I stood there for a while and checked him out
while he checked me out. After he lost
interest in me, he walked down to the lake and had a good drink. He even scampered (almost running) along one
side of the lake. I don’t know how he
pulled off that scampering. . .I’m not even sure how he pulled off the walking
or staying upright and balanced for that matter! Moose are tremendously top heavy creatures
and when you throw those antlers into the mix, I don’t know how any of them can
move at all on those long, skinny legs without tipping over!
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| View of the mountains just over Indian Paintbrush Divide |
The next morning I thought I heard my moose friend
again. After briefly surveying the scene
and not seeing him, I continued to pack up my stuff. I went back to my rock by the lake for
breakfast. As I was munching away, I
looked out across the lake and saw the moose!
We enjoyed each other’s company for the remainder of breakfast, then we
parted ways.
The next three miles of the journey were straight up! I made slow but steady progress. I was a little wary of crossing the first
snowfield I got to. The snow was very
solid and rather slippery. I was very
careful to make sure I didn’t slip and slide down the steep snow bank, partly
because it was rather dangerous would most likely have resulted in an injury of
some kind, and partly because I had worked quite hard to climb up the mountain
and didn’t relish the idea of having to do it again. After making it safely across the snow and
finding the path, I continued up and over the mountain. That’s right. . .I climbed up and OVER and mountain range
through Indian Paintbrush Divide! When I
got over the ridge, I was greeted by the most beautiful canyon carpeted in an
array of the most spectacular wildflowers I have ever seen! They were brilliant blue, purple, yellow,
white, and orange! After zigzagging my
way down the side of the mountain, I got to Lake Solitude, my favorite mountain
lake so far. It was another amazingly
calm lake situated at the foot of the mountains. It was totally surrounded by a meadow of wildflowers
and had an especially magnificent view of the mountains at the other end of the
canyon. I found the perfect spot with a
view of it all and had the most spectacularly perfect lunch hour of my
life! This was all complimented by the
fact it was the most beautiful, sunny, 75 degree day ever with the bluest sky I
have ever witnessed!
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| Lake Solitude (a small preview of heaven) |
After lunch, I continued hiking in the canyon for several
hours. There were wildflowers and
bubbling streams and waterfalls along the entire length of the path! Eventually, I got into the woods, then slowly
worked my way out of the canyon and around to the other side of the
mountains. The other side of the
mountains was awash in brilliant fall foliage.
There were bright orange, red, and yellow leaves everywhere! It was as if they were showing off for the
first full day of fall! The tail end of
the hike worked its way along the edge of Jenny Lake. I must say, this was the most difficult and
most enjoyable solo backpacking trip to date!
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| Amphitheater Lake |
The next day was my last day as a twenty-seven year old, so
I decided to send twenty-seven out with style.
I hiked a slow five miles up the side of a mountain to Surprise Lake and
Amphitheater Lake. I was able to have
another perfectly peaceful lunch hour by the banks of Surprise Lake. It was another beautifully sunny day and I
found a lovely rock with a backrest to lounge on while munching and marveling
at my surroundings. For dessert, I
continued a short distance to Amphitheater Lake. It was amazingly clear and still! I found the world’s most perfect rock; it was
shaped like a beanbag chair with indents that seemed as if they were designed
exactly for my body! I settled into a
lovely reclined position and basked in the sun and the beauty for quite a
while! After a most enjoyable and
gorgeous retreat down the mountain, I went to the campground near Jenny Lake
and procured a spot for the evening. Then,
it was time for dinner. I was due for a
warm meal that someone else cooked, so I headed to Snake River Brewing
Company. Shortly after sitting down, a
lady came and sat next to me. We started chatting immediately. It was quite wonderful to have someone to
chat with! The only part of my trip that
I don’t really love is eating alone. For
me, sharing a meal with someone makes it so much more enjoyable! So, it was lovely to have a lovely human to
interact and drink beer with until my food came! After enjoying a totally delicious stout and
pizza, I moved on with my life.
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| Surprise Lake |
While walking to my car, I realized that it would not be
prudent of me to start driving anytime soon!
So, I chatted with two of my dear friends and watched the sun start to
sink down over the mountains. It’s so
lovely to be able to hang out with my favorite people even when we’re several
states and time zones away!
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| View of the larger, lower lakes on my way down the mountain |
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