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| Hiking | 38.83 Miles |
7,074 AEG |
| | Hiking | 38.83 Miles | 16 Hrs 47 Mns | | 2.31 mph |
| 7,074 ft AEG | | 45 LBS Pack | | |
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| partners | | Epic hike across the TCT.
Day 1: Started at Teton Village, took the gondola partway up the mountain, then hiked the rest of the way to the edge of Rendezvous Summit, following South Fork over to Marion Lake. This hike took much longer than expected, as 3 hours into the hike we hit a major thunderstorm, that dumped 1-2" of rain for 16 straight hours. We were literally toward the end taking a step up the mountain trails and sliding back in the mud before we could take another step up. Even with ponchos and backpack shields, everyone's stuff was completely soaked. I wore a heavy duty trash bag and ziploc-bagged all my clothes, so I at least had dry clothes to put on, but others in the group did not and one person became borderline hypothermic. Thankful for my Wilderness First Aid training, knowing how to deal with it to restore his core temp, as rescue would have totally been out of the question during this severe storm. Thunderstorm continued into the night, with the rain turning to sleet and snow during the early morning hours, and two people's tents flooded. Just brutal.
Day 2: Storm cleared at 6am, and we had sunlight breaking through clouds by 9am. Spent the morning using sunlight to dry out clothes and gear on rocks and in trees. Made good time that afternoon, getting to Fox Creek Pass and hiking across Death Canyon Shelf to just outside the park boundary for our next camp. That area not ideal for camping, but we found a mesa that was relatively flat to camp on, and during the night another storm came. This one had some rain, but a LOT of wind. We estimated 60-65mph winds for about a half hour. I was literally spread eagle in my tent at 4:30am, with one and and one foot in each corner, trying to help the tent pegs hold!
Day 3: Hiked into Alaska Basin, then to Sunset Lake and over Hurricane Pass. Visited Schoolroom Glacier and the lake that the glacier made below it, as we hiked down South Fork Cascade to our campsite. While setting up camp we had a visit by a black bear, who didn't seem particularly interested in us, he was too busy flipping over boulders looking for insects to eat. Views from camp of Grand Teton were breathtaking! Hike partly on the Avalanche trail, but didn't go all the way due to ominous-looking weather that thankfully was just a threat this time.
Day 4: Hiked to North Fork Cascade and all the way to Lake Solitude, then back down to the lowest campsite along North Fork for the night. A couple of our crew jumped into the lake, which up until a few days prior still had blocks of ice floating in it. I was either too smart or too old to follow behind them.
Day 5: Hiked out Cascade Canyon to Jenny Lake, stopping off at Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls on the way out. Took the boat ride across the lake, and to the store to buy a peach slushie (yum!). Then made it to Dornan's Chuckwagon in neighboring Moose for a bison burger, and then to Colter Bay Campground for a desperately needed shower, the first in 6 days. 
RECOMMENDATION: I used Peak freeze-dried meals on this hike instead of Mountain House. Way more protein, and more tasty by a mile! The Mountain Housers in our group were totally jealous, wishing they had spent the extra couple of bucks per meal! |
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| "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." — Henry David Thoreau |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Five HAZopellis for sure! 
Of course, it started with a 1000 foot climb to Hurricane Pass, but with fresh morning legs it went fairly quickly. Hurricane Pass brings you up close and personal with the majestic peaks of the Tetons, and drops to the base of Schoolroom Glacier. From here, the trail descends through the very scenic South Fork Cascade Canyon. It seemed a little strange here because we suddenly encountered a moderate number of touristy day hikers, which is unusual for the middle of a backpacking trip. But this canyon is a popular day hike from the valley below and at just 6 miles from the canyon forks to the trailhead, day hikers willing to put 12-15+ miles on a hike can get pretty far up here.
(not sure we told him that, but it didn't matter since that never happened 
). And we all supported each other through the new challenge of descending a snowy pass. 
