Teton Crest Trail - Day 1 : Tram to Death Canyon Shelf
One of the reasons we chose the Best Western Plus (now the Lodge at Jackson Hole) is because there is a public START bus stop right outside the door. Public transportation in Jackson is the bomb - you can ride for free anywhere in town, The hotel is just outside Jackson proper, so it's not right downtown - but a 5 minute free ride on the START bus will get you there in no time. You're within spitting distance of the Gun Barrel steakhouse for dinner (Mark recommends the Elk Medallions) and Sidewinders Tavern for pub food and local brews. But I digress.
Back to the START bus. On Day 1 of our hike, we checked out of our room, left our luggage locked up in the storage room so we could claim it when we got back in four days, and hopped on the 7 am bus to Teton Village to catch the tram to the top of Rendezvous Peak. I mean, why hike an extra 4,000 feet of elevation when you can totally take a tram - amirite?
Back to the START bus. On Day 1 of our hike, we checked out of our room, left our luggage locked up in the storage room so we could claim it when we got back in four days, and hopped on the 7 am bus to Teton Village to catch the tram to the top of Rendezvous Peak. I mean, why hike an extra 4,000 feet of elevation when you can totally take a tram - amirite?
ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE ARE WAFFLES AT THE TOP
DID I MENTION WAFFLES
I'm always amused by the "rules" for a bear attack.
As if you'll have the presence of mind to casually consult your five point checklist while a bear is gnawing on your leg.
As if you'll have the presence of mind to casually consult your five point checklist while a bear is gnawing on your leg.
And off we went. We didn't have to go too far - only about 8 miles. But 10,000 feet is a bit of a wind suck for us
flat-landers living at 2 feet above sea level. So we took our time - our only goal for the day was to make it to
Death Canyon Shelf before dark.
flat-landers living at 2 feet above sea level. So we took our time - our only goal for the day was to make it to
Death Canyon Shelf before dark.
Day 1 did not disappoint - in any way whatsoever. We happened on this big fella not even an hour into our hike.
We seemed to have wildlife all around us - and it wasn't lost on us how much wildlife we weren't seeing, even though we knew it was there, and were quite certain it could all see us.
We seemed to have wildlife all around us - and it wasn't lost on us how much wildlife we weren't seeing, even though we knew it was there, and were quite certain it could all see us.
Not too long after our moose encounter, we were gifted this remarkable encounter with a wolf in the wild. I can't even express how phenomenal this was. We saw it skirting the valley at the edge of the trees, and stopped to watch it - and it slowly wandered out into the open, and stood up on the rock to get a better view of us.
We never felt like we were in danger - though we were definitely on guard. It felt more like curiosity than anything, and we just stood in each others' presence for awhile, until the wolf decided to carry on with its wolf business and trotted off up the valley. This was an incredibly special moment that Mark and I will never forget - probably my favorite moment of the entire trip.
We never felt like we were in danger - though we were definitely on guard. It felt more like curiosity than anything, and we just stood in each others' presence for awhile, until the wolf decided to carry on with its wolf business and trotted off up the valley. This was an incredibly special moment that Mark and I will never forget - probably my favorite moment of the entire trip.
We got nailed with an early afternoon thunderstorm which we could see (and hear) coming - so we made a beeline for Marion Lake, where we took refuge from the hail under our tent fly in that small clump of trees near the water's edge. We watched birds dive for fish for about an hour while we waited for the storm to pass. Then it was a long, MUDDY slog up out of the basin.
And suddenly the world opened up and we were standing at Fox Creek Pass.
And holy shitballs, would you look at that view.
And holy shitballs, would you look at that view.
We knew the shelf was up there just beyond that giant hunk of rock - but we ended up having to really hoof it, because we could hear another storm coming. We had to pitch the tent in a hurry and wait out another hail storm before being able to cook dinner, so the campsite selection became very much not about finding a pretty one and 100% about finding one that was handy when the hail started. We caught enough of a break to get water boiled for dinner, and spent the rest of the night in the tent listening to the thunder and the wind and the wolves* take turns howling in the darkness.
*Mark told me they were coyotes because he didn't want to scare me. As if the thought of a grizzly ripping me out of my tent was a pleasant one. :)
*Mark told me they were coyotes because he didn't want to scare me. As if the thought of a grizzly ripping me out of my tent was a pleasant one. :)
All photos are © Sugarjets Studio - all rights reserved. Please don't steal them. Stealing is shitty.
Don't be shitty. And please don't make me be mean.
Don't be shitty. And please don't make me be mean.