Sunday, July 31, 2011

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
Sunrise on my drive into the park.

Bushwhacking up Hanging Canyon
Jess bushwhacking up the trail.

The Cathedral Group
The Cathedral Group watches over us.

Hanging Canyon Creek
Hanging Canyon Creek.

Snowfield Hiking
First snowfield of many.

Lunch Break
Lunch Break.

Views
The views were amazing.

Arrowhead Pond
Arrowhead Lake and Cube Point.

Hanging Canyon
Next step to Ramshead Lake.

Yoga in the Tetons
Yoga in the Tetons.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

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.