These are a few of my favorite things...

I had a random (and rare) day off in the middle of the week so I called up my friend Alex to do some hiking. We decided on the famed Garnet Canyon up in Grand Teton National Park. I'd been wanting to visit what is called "The Meadows" for a long time. It's the place where people climbing the cathedral peaks (aka the gnarly Tetons) camp before or after they make their summits. It's a 5-ish mile hike up to this spot, all uphill of course. What else would you expect out here? There is a little bit of scrambling in the end to make the final pitch up to the meadows, but nothing that a semi-athletic person can't handle. There is a huge forest fire burning in the Gros Ventres right now so the smoke settles in the valley in the mornings. It was a pretty weird day with near storm-like conditions early on and then bright blue skies in the afternoon. Here are a few shots from the trip:

Smoke in the valley.

The trail up into Garnet.

The Meadows.

Spalding Falls on the right, looking up at the Lower Saddle.

This one's for you, Middle Teton.

After a great day of hiking we picked up David and headed up to Shadow Mountain for a night of camping. The view was spectacular and it was amazing to sit up there and watch the sun set behind the Tetons. Aahhh....I love this place.

A Trip to Jackson Peak

Wow, finally our first backpacking trip of the year! Between mosquitoes, lingering snow, and ever-changing weather patterns, it's been a pretty difficult year to get out into the backcountry. For this first one I chose Jackson Peak, a triangle shaped mountain that I constantly admire from the road to my house. There is a ski cabin there that people visit in the winter and I guess it's pretty fun to rip down its endless bowls when the snow is good. As far as summer activities go, there is a little lake behind it called Goodwin Lake that provides great camping, fishing, and even swimming. Standing not too much further above the lake is the summit of Jackson Peak. Located in the Gros Ventre Wilderness, this peak is pretty easily accessed. The round trip hike to and from your car is just over ten miles, making it a nice day trip or a relaxing overnight trip. We drove up the rugged road into Curtis Canyon and were soon at the trailhead. A nice hike through the forest takes you to the little gem of a lake. There are lots of campsites, so it was pretty easy to get settled in. Once we had our tent pitched, we took a nice little jaunt up the ridge to the summit of Jackson Peak. It took less than an hour to get to the top, and the views were stunning. From the daunting ridges of Cache Peak to the vastness of the valley floor below, we were in awe. We added some rocks to the giant cairn at the top, did some yoga, took some photos, and sauntered back down to our campsite. It was a great night in the backcountry sleeping under the nearly full moon. I was so happy to get out of town and spend some quality time outside. I finished off the weekend with some solid pool time, a twelve mile run, and Teton Thai. Life isn't so bad, eh?

Here are a few favorites from the trip:

The trail to Goodwin Lake.

Pond along the way.

Wildflowers.

David and the last push up Jackson Peak.

Sleeping Indian.

Giant cairn on top of Jackson Peak.

David and the Tetons.

Goodwin Lake from above.

David looking out at the view.

My heart melts for the Tetons.

Cache Peak.

Little yellow flower.

Indian paintbrush.

Dinner...mmmmm...

Looking up.

Cozy camp.

Moonrise.

Hanging Canyon

Yesterday a couple of lady friends and I headed out for a hike up Hanging Canyon. This hidden hike starts off of the Jenny Lake trail and heads, well...up. We quickly found the unmarked trail that spurred up the flanks of Mount St. John and our journey began. It wasn't long before we realized how much elevation we were gaining, and quickly. It was like walking up a steep set of stairs for about three hours. Yikes! Along the way, stunning views and overlooks enticed us to stop and enjoy the view. A few hours into our trek we found Arrowhead Lake, the first of three little mountain gems on this particular trail. It stood still beneath Cube Point, surrounded by melting snow and ice. We had to cross some snowfields to get there but it was all worth it to sit up in the mountains and enjoy the view. We considered visiting Ramshead Lake and Lake of the Crags but some sketchy scrambling and thin snow bridges made us turn around at that point. I will definitely be returning to this beautiful place later in the summer.

Sunrise on my drive into the park.

Jess bushwhacking up the trail.

The Cathedral Group watches over us.

Hanging Canyon Creek.

First snowfield of many.

Lunch Break.

The views were amazing.

Arrowhead Lake and Cube Point.

Next step to Ramshead Lake.

Yoga in the Tetons.

Playing in the Park...Grand Teton, that is...

This week I've tried to get up into Grand Teton National Park as much as possible. On Thursday I went searching for grizzlies and didn't see anything but got some great scenics up at Jenny Lake and Coulter Bay. I'm sure I'll see one of those impressive animals one of these days. Today we spent the afternoon up at Phelps Lake at the sweet jumping rock. With the amount of snow this year I was too scared to jump into that frigid water but I definitely documented the debauchery! Oh and on a side note, I ran 12 miles on Friday. I decided I'm going to train for the first ever Jackson Hole Marathon that takes place on September 24th this year. I did a half marathon three years ago so I know it will be tough but the training is going fantastic so far. And besides, what better scenery could you find for a marathon than our beautiful town of Jackson??

Coulter Bay.

Beautiful whispy clouds.

More Coulter Bay. I mean seriously...am I on Lake Washington??

It's so beautiful here!

Oxbow Bend.

Jackson Lake Dam.

Mount Moran and those pretty yellow flowers that are so abundant right now.

Jenny Lake.

David hucking meat at Phelps Lake today.

Our new friend Jeb swan diving into the icy waters of Phelps Lake.

Happy Summer!

I don't want to jump the gun or anything, but I think summer has officially arrived in the Tetons! Locals celebrated with a sunset party on Summer Solstice up in Curtis Canyon. Our first massive thunderstorm raged last night and the clouds parted to reveal our much awaited sunshine. Time to get out there and hike, bike, climb, float, and sightsee. Hooray for summer!!

The view while driving up Curtis Canyon.