This was our warm-up hike which we needed after hours of sitting in the truck driving. It was flat and smooth. Started raining in the last 15 minutes of the hike but it remained warm. The trail followed Aspen Creek.
Leaving our lunch spot on the top of the Teton Shelf; gateway to all the high mt. meadows and cirque lakes. This was a brutal hike called the Devil's Staircase. It started out teasingly easy with only a gradual elevation through fields of flowers and a creek and towering cliffs. I stopped counting flower varieties after i got to 20. But then the trail switched 'moods' and in full blazing sun without a breeze (the black flies were horridly pesty) we climbed 1000 feet in 0.9 miles. It was worth it though once we got to the top.
Both these pictures were taken from the Bannock Trail which is one of the many hiking trails that start at the Grand Targhee Ski resort. It goes to the Dreamcatcher ski lift so most people we met were coming down as they rode the ski lift up. We hiked up as i was not real comfortable with my skills in getting on and off this moving seat that swingingly goes up 2000 feet.
The trail goes along the ridge after traversing fields of flowers and through groves of aspen trees. This area is known for its abundance of mountain biking trails so it was fun to look down and see the lines criss-crossing far below. No bikes were allowed on the Bannock Trail.
The views were incredible including all the mountains in the area including the Tetons. It was once again a hot day and the hike was in unrelenting sun and both Bill and I had a spell of not feeling well from too much sun; nauseated, headache, weak, mentally unfocused and I had a lot of GI upset. By later that night, however, we were feeling pretty normal. The absolutely delicious burger and hand-cut fries we had for dinner helped a lot. The place was called Basin Burger and was in an Exxon gas station. Ya never know where gourmet food lurks.!
No comments:
Post a Comment