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| Backpack | 42.14 Miles |
9,514 AEG |
| | Backpack | 42.14 Miles | 4 Days | | |
| 9,514 ft AEG | | | | |
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 Five HAZopellis for sure!
Day 1: Granite Canyon Trail
9.07 miles / 2,684 aeg / 4:34
We parked our car at Leigh Lake trailhead and shuttled via a cab to the Granite Trailhead. The trail climbed steadily through forested terrain along a fast flowing creek. There are a couple of camping zones along the trail with numerous marked campsites. Very few of them are suitable for four tents, but the couple of group sites have more space. Permits assign you to a zone, not a specific site, so you may not be able to camp where you want. We didn't have that problem since we were the only people we saw who were heading up canyon that day. We set up camp near the top of the Upper Granite camp zone just a few minutes before a thunderstorm sent us into our tents. An hour or two later it cleared up and we had a pleasant night at camp.
Day 2: Upper Granite to Alaska Basin
11.15 miles / 2,614 aeg / 7:25
The day started with a short but healthy climb to Marion Lake before ascending farther to the crest and entering the National Forest and Jedediah Smith Wilderness. The next two miles to Fox Creek Pass featured expansive views across the Teton high country. From Fox Creek Pass, it was about 3 miles on the Death Canyon Shelf, with the stunningly beautiful Death Canyon dropping toward the valley below us. Next we climbed the gentle ascent to Mount Meek Pass before descending the Sheep Steps into Alaska Basin. We were all absolutely exhausted at this point, but opted to push another 1.5 miles to Sunset Lake for to camp. To get there, the trail climbs about 400 feet, but it felt like 1000! We camped in some trees northwest of the lake because the prime spot on the cliff above the lake was still snowed in.
Day 3: Alaska Basin to North Fork Cascade
10.14 miles / 2,034 aeg / 5:22
After an exhausting day 2, we were all excited for an easy day 3.  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.
Instead of heading down canyon toward the trailhead however, we turned left and headed up North Fork Cascade Canyon toward Lake Solitude. A roaring stream runs in the middle of the valley, and the down-valley views back to the rugged peaks were some of the best of the trip.
We settled in to a campsite that was smaller than we would have preferred. Like Granite Canyon, the permit is for the zone, not a specific site. Due to it's proximity to the valley (7-8 miles) via the Cascade Canyon Trail, the best sites here go early.
Day 4: North Fork Cascade to Leigh Lake
11.78 miles / 2,189 aeg / 6:21
This was always going to be the most difficult day. We knew that Paintbrush Divide was still snow covered and crossing it would require mountaineering gear. We were all equipped with ice axes and opted for microspikes over full crampons. The initial climb brought us past the still-icy Lake Solitude before climbing an amazing trail cut that climbs a single traverse for over a mile before making two long switchbacks to the divide. The quality of trail and the views on this climb are in my top 5.
Once reaching the divide we were happy that there was evidence of somebody having descended the snowfield before us, but not very happy with how challenging and dangerous it looked. Kudos to Lee for not letting us think about it too long or introduce second thoughts ... 
The descent was slow and deliberate. None of us desired to test our amateur self-arrest skills on this slope so the goal was prevention. The snow was getting a slushy, and the sun was unrelentingly hot. I've never been so warm hiking downhill. In the snow. Half an hour later, we had made it to dry ground again, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. From here down there was plenty of snow cover, but nothing nearly as harrowing as the divide had been, and I even managed a fun little glissade on one slope. 
We took a break at Holly Lake before dropping down out of the snow and following the trail back the final 7 miles down Paintbrush Canyon to the truck at Leigh Lake.
Final Thoughts
Channeling my inner Jerry Springer!
This was an amazing trip with good team effort. Thank you to 9L for doing the permit legwork and planning. FOTG saved us a few $ in rental cars and shuttles by making this a stop on his drive home from Montana. And tough_boots was the sacrificial hiker who would fall back in case of a grizzly attack  (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.
We were probably two weeks early due to the heavy snow pack from last winter. But despite the challenges of traveling in snow, the scenery of rugged mountain peaks and valleys dotted with snow combined with fields of wildflowers is unparalleled. I would love to return to the Tetons and explore more of this majestic range! |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
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| I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies. |
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