Wilderness Experience in Jackson Hole July 25, 2009

Guy and I have an annual trip that we have taken since the first year we were married. He has a client that we go work for in Jackson Hole, WY every July. Work is usually slow at home so it falls at a good time. They always have us stay in their home (a 22,000 sq. ft. cabin) and the accommodations are first class. It is like a paid vacation. We work a few days and play a few days. Last year they were out of the country and we didn't go. They didn't have us back this year and we decided that we would take our trip anyway since work is slow. We did it "El Cheapo" style.

Day One

First of all, we drove over Logan canyon through Bear Lake. We usually go through Evanston. We stopped in Montpelier, ID to get gas. I went into the store and as I walked out I noticed a truck and boat behind us waiting to get gas. I thought I heard someone call my name as I climbed into the truck but I looked around and saw no one. Then I saw Guy talking to someone. It was my Aunt Joyce. Then I saw my two cousins. What a crazy coincidence. I haven't seen any of them for years. They were just going home from a camping trip at Bear Lake. It's a very small world!

Guy and I got into Jackson around 4p and wanted to get camp set up quick so we could go for a nice ride before it got dark. It was a very long day in the car. We looked for a campsite with shade along the river before we got to Hoback Junction. They were all full or in the full sun with no shade. We checked in at the KOA and they were booked full until the next night. They said we could camp that night in the overflow which was the picnic area but we couldnt have a fire. They wanted $25 just to put our tent up right next to everyone else. There was absolutely NO PRIVACY anywhere. All the trailers were within four feet of each other. YUCK. They said they could reserve a campsite for the next night that had a fire pit and it would be $45. NO WAY. That is absolutely ridiculous. I don't need a public flushing toilet that I have to walk 1/2 a mile to use anyway. And it is so crowded that you have to walk to the bathroom because you can't hide behind a bush. We decided to explore and to our delight we found a very nice, secluded dispersed camping area for FREE! There was a five day limit, it was next to great mountain biking, river running, and a stream ran next to our tent. We set up our tent and headed into Jackson to ride.
Our favorite place to ride is just next to Snow King, it is the Cache Creek trail system. We got there around 6pm and the clouds were coming in but Guy insisted it wouldn't hit us. WRONG! The funny thing is the last time we were there, two years ago, we got rained on every ride! I hoped this trip would be different. Anyway, we rode in the rain. I started slipping on roots and wet rocks towards the end of my ride so I took a bail out and got on the dirt road to ride to the truck. After I got to the truck I was trying to figure out how I was going to change without making a huge mess in the truck. I had mud all over me, see below.
I decided to wipe off my legs with wet wipes. We cleaned up as good as we could and changed out of our wet clothes. We packed all of our food with us so we found a laundromat to wash our muddy clothes while we ate a salad for dinner. There was a big wash basin with hot water so we took a washcloth and washed all the mud off our faces, arms and legs. We washed our shoes by hand and we dried them with my blow dryer in the bathroom. I think we were very resourceful! After we had dinner and cleaned up we went back to our camp to a soggy tent. I slept so good.

Day Two

We found a riding area that we had never been to before. Munger Mountain is lush singletrack with tons of flowers, very steep climbing with exceptional views all around of the various mountain ranges.



The weather was very humid and hot after all the rain. I ran out of energy quick in the heat. The humidity was accelerated by all the thick vegetation. There were cows grazing in the thick grass and the singletrack was covered with cow poop but you couldn't see it under all the plants. It splashed on my legs, yucky.
This is a view of the Tetons from the top of Munger Mtn. You could see Wilson and Teton Village.
We drove to Wilson to have a picnic lunch on the creek. It was relaxing and peaceful.
A Turkey sandwich and ice cold Diet Coke was a treat after a steep ride on a hot day.
This is Granite Falls. There is a natural hot spring up the river a ways that they use to fill a pool with each night. They pull the plug at night and refill 500 gallons of hot water by the next morning. They charge to sit in the pool and it is crowded. We heard about another "locals hot spring" so we thought we would avoid the crowd and not have to pay.
We walked along the river above the falls all the way to the pool. We couldn't find the spring. We finally found it below the falls ACROSS the river. The river is only one to two feet deep in some places but it is swift, slippery and EXTREMELY ICE COLD. My feet were numb and throbbing within seconds. I was looking forward to the hot spring to warm up in.
After we found it, Guy climbed up to the top. The water coming out was so hot you could barely touch it. As it gets to the river it is barely warm because the river is SOOO cold. Some locals tried to damn an area off to create a pool area but the current is too strong. It washes the rocks away and the cold water rushes in. Needless to say, I was still cold and had to go back across the freezing river. I changed my clothes when we got to the car to warm up. It started raining on our way home. I was not looking forward to another soggy night. I was looking forward to a nice dinner over a warm campfire. Fortunately, the rain cloud did not hit our campsite and we had a fabulous dinner of grilled pork loin and herb pasta. The campfire was warm and relaxing.

Day Three

We went to the Grant Teton National Park Visitors Center (see below) to get a permit and bear box to do an overnight backpacking trip. (We didn't end up hiking though, we would much rather ride our bikes in awesome singletrack than be stuck in a rain/snowstorm at 10,000ft). This is a view of the Tetons from the parking lot. The sky was cloudy and visibility was low. I think the Grand Teton was behind a cloud.This new visitors center is new, it opened last year.

Next we headed to the put in for the whitewater section of the Snake River.
Guy and I take our own solo duckies to run the river in. We have been doing this for a few years now. Since we didn't go last year it has been two years since we were here. The river was running 6750 csf. That is the biggest I have ever run it. It is usually around 3,000 or 4,000 csf. The water was definately running faster but a lot of the rapids were buried and others were created.
There are a lot of very quiet slow spots on the river too! We just relaxed and played around taking pictures.
I was nervous for the Big Kahuna rapid. It looked big but it wasn't actually as hard because the hole wasn't as deep due to the higher water. Guy went right through the middle like he always does and came out dandy. I went around to the right of it and realized that was much easier than I thought it would be. We decided to get out and walk our boats back and do it again. Guy went through it just fine again. I started through, very focused. I got over the first hole and on my way out of it I was so excited that I started to hold my paddle up and cheer myself on. Not a good idea. Just as I was going to crest the wave I quit leaning forward and I quit paddling. The wave quickly sucked me back down. I immediately realized I screwed up big time. It sucked me back and under. I tried to stay calm knowing I was going down. I know to keep my paddle in my hand and stay close to my boat. I did all of this for about fifteen seconds. I felt like I was being flushed down a freezing cold toilet. The water current was strong and I wasted a lot of energy fighting it. I panicked. I lost my paddle and my boat. Guy quit taking photos of me and tried to get in his boat quickly to rescue me and my boat. I tried swimming after my boat but I started to hyperventilate. Now I was really panicked. I gave up and started swimming to the shore. I managed to get my paddle on my way and as I got to the shore my favorite Chaco sandal slipped off of my foot. I had it strapped on tight over my neoprene socks, but it came loose and I didn't have the energy or quickness to grab it before it was gone. Guy came to the rock and told me to deflate his backrest and get on the back of his boat. I was so out of breath and energy I just wanted to quit. We had to get my boat. I knew this was urgent and obeyed his lead. His boat was even a little bit under inflated but somehow we made it through all the rapids and the Lunch Counter with me on the back end of his boat. My boat was washed up in an eddy just past the Lunch Counter rapids. Another group was waiting around to hold it in case we didn't get to it. That was quite an experience and not a fun swim. I was dumped out two years ago at the same spot but I didn't panic like that. I was able to recover quickly, got my boat and got back in it quick. This scared me. I didn't want to go back right away. I am really bummed about my shoe too. I am grateful that was my only loss. It would have sucked to loose my paddle or boat. I know what I did wrong and I deserved it. It was quite a show for the group of scouts that was watching off at the side! Guy teases me about the "River Gods" he says I celebrated too early so they took my Chaco to teach me a lesson.

Day Four

This stream was right along our camp. It was a beautiful sound right next to our tent that would lull me to sleep each night.
Last time Guy and I tried to ride this trail (Dog Creek to Cabin Creek) we were rained on and couldn't finish. We only made it as far as this river crossing. This year I brought my river crossing crocs and a towel to dry my feet. There is no need to ride with wet shoes and wet feet when you can prevent it. Guy carried both of our bikes across the creek and we went along our way. The singletrack was fun all the way to this crossing.


Then it turned into a wilderness experience! The trail was steep climbing and it was very bumpy. The horses have ridden it and not enough bikes have packed it in.
It is very tight and narrow. The area is beautiful and looks like it could go on forever before you were out of the forest.
Guy decending from the top. When we stopped at the top Guy saw Bear poop. There is definately a lot of wildlife out there. I am just glad we didn't SEE any!
Coming down Cabin Creek was long and fun. The downhill was about 4 miles and it was very scenic.
These are some pretty wild flowers that were in our campsite.

Day Five

Guy always rides his bike up Snow King via the Ferrin's Trail. He challenged me to do it this year. So, I took it on. It is a beautiful ride to the top but it is a lot of steep climbing. I had to stop a lot along the way. It was 1,100 ft. of vertical climbing in only three miles. That's STEEP, and I rode my singlespeed! This was the view at the saddle before I decended down Game Creek.
The wildflowers are undescribable!
I wish the air was more clear for this photo of the Grand Teton Range. The clouds were over the Tetons.
More awesome singletrack. I can't get enough of this stuff. I will miss it when I get back to the desert. The Virgin Rim Trail is awesome and has beautiful flowers but it is like High Desert compared to this stuff.
The vegetation was over my head and was slapping my arms and face as I was riding through it.
This was my last ride of the trip. It was awesome. I was pooped when I got back to the truck. It was only 15ish miles but there was a lot of climbing. The downhill from West Game Creek was out of this world. It was fun but not fast. It was too thick to go fast so you just cruised and enjoyed the view.

Sadie went on a Mexican Riviera Cruise with Annie while we were out of town and will be back after we get home. Taylor is playing in a soccer tournament in Park City as we are driving home. It will be nice to get everyone home and relax for a few days before we have another adventure!

work hard, play hard, rider harder.