Dinosaurs never die, they just do reunion tours.

I go to Dinosaur National Monument and was disappointed to find that the visitor center had been closed to the structural instability. there was a temporary facility open, however the main draw for the other one was the partially excavated dinosaur fossil embedded into the ground. There were a few displays around the temp buildings, but it wasn't the same. I did do a driving and a little hiking at the park to see some of the many neat petroglyphs that scatter the area.

Next stop was Colorado National Monument for a few hours of some grand views. My next destination was Arches National Park. When leaving Colorado I was a little under a quarter tank and figured there would be plenty of places to fill up on the interstate, so I waited. When I called up gas stations on the GPS I was surprised to not really see any, but figured it was an old listing or maybe I just hadn't downloaded the map set into it. I kept going and going and started getting nervous when one exit after another, even when they came up, had no services. I got to the point where I was keeping the speedometer just at 50 mph with the windows up and AC off to save gas. I made it to the welcome station and learned that there was a station at the next exit two miles away and was able to make it. Being stranded in 100 degree heat in the desert would not have been a good thing, but it all ended well. I wanted to do one of the trails to Landscape Arch, but just didn't have enough time so instead I did a short hike around Balanced Rock and then went to Delicate Arch to get in a few pictures. I ended up meeting and talking to a couple of girls, Amy being one of them, for a while about traveling. They were also car camping and traveling to a bunch of parks along the way. They apparently were doing some sneak camping near Arches instead of going back to the car, so it was already getting dark when I departed. I hadn't carried a flashlight, so I made sure to leave just before the the last folks to walk out in case I couldn't find the trail so I could just follow them. I ended up just following the GPS track back and was remarkably able to stay on trail. I stayed near near the campgrounds but slept in the car so I wouldn't take up a tent space.

When you're really in a hurry.

Many dead animals in the past changed to fossils, while others preferred to be oil.

After leaving the Grand Tetons, I first hit Fossil Butte National Monument. I hit the visitor's center soon after they opened to get my park stamp and learn more about the area. I did the Fossil Lake Quarry Trail as a nice little hike to check out the area and saw a few deer and peasants before exploring the rest of this area via car along the scenic drive. On the way out I passed another section of the park and decided to turn back and check it out. Though it was getting hot, I decided to do the Historic Quarry Trail. This was the path way used by one of the locals, Lee Craig, in the decades he spent find, cleaning, and selling fossils. He would spend the winters digging for fossils and the summers cleaning them at his gas station. This was just about a desert kind of hike with some steep trails and complete lack of shade, but the interpretative areas at the quarry area itself was interested with a lot of examples of the different layers and even visible fossils. There was even an old A-frame hut the size of a large closet used by the old timer when he mined for fossils. After leaving the Fossil area, I headed out of Wyoming towards Colorado with a stop at the Flaming Gorge Dam just before they closed for a few pictures before continuing on towards the stop for tomorrow.

A church guard must mind his keys and pews.

Wow, I was so sore this morning and found it hard to get started this morning as my shoulder was really sore. The campsite was pretty nice and had water nearby, so I was able to cook breakfast, fill up, and get rehydrate since I didn't even feel like cleaning much water last night. I had considered doing another night out and looping through Lake Solitude and the Paintbrush Divide instead of just going straight down the Cascade Creek Trail, however after the previous day I just wanted to take it easy. The best realization was that the rest of the trail would pretty much be downhill all the way back to the car, even though it would still be 9.5 miles of trail! There were several nice creek crossings as the trail paralleled the creek. The temperatures remained comfortably cool and it was a couple of hours before I even saw another soul.

Most of the trail was about the same with towering canyon walls and forested trails. There were several things I really hoping to see on my trip and even one of the minor things was able to get checked off my list. I was alerted by a couple of hikes about a moose up ahead and once I found a group of people standing around I was able to locate a lone female barely visible across the creek in the high grass. I wasn't extremely disappointed, however when one thinks of this species most often it is the male antlers that come to mind. I decided to hang out for a while and hope the female would eventually move so I could get a better picture. I sat on a high rock for about an hour and was rewarded with something unexpected. Just across the river I was one of the first to spot some rustling that ended up being two males start to move around and was able to get some great shots of them drink and move around. There were so many great unexpected moments on this trip with this of course being another. I continued on a bit more to get over to Inspiration Point above Lake Jenny. I'm glad to have done the trail in this direction as it is a good feeling to be able to look out upon the final destination and what lies ahead. After relaxing for a while I headed down to the lake with a stop at Hidden Falls. When I got down to the lake I decided to take the passenger ferry back so I could enjoy a clear view of the Teton range and reflect upon the trip, though nearly fell asleep a few times before getting back to the ranger station.


After getting back to the car and getting some of the trail dirt washed off, I was once again on the road. Before leaving the park I grabbed a couple of NPs stamps for the Memorial Parkway and Grand Teton National Park and the stopped by the Chapel of Transconfiguration for a picture-perfect view that conveyed a sense of there nature and the simple life can cohabitate. Though I cannot place it, this place seemed familiar as I'm sure I had seen this kind of shot before, even if long ago, as I figure that it is pretty popular for photographers. I hit a geocache along the way to Jackson and stopped by a Dairy Queen for a chocolate dipped ice cream cone to celebrate my first week of the trip; since of course every adventure has ice cream. I parked downtown Jackson for a while and walked around checking out the shops and grabbing a local brew at some watering hole. One of the most known features of Jackson, besides the skiing, is Antler Park in the middle of town, which really doesn't consist of much more than several arches made of elk antlers. I drove quite a while south and took a well needed shoring at a truck stop and recharged batteries and downloaded pictures and GPS tracks while my clothes were in the wash. What a lovely day it was.

Early to bed and early to rise makes it a very long day.

When I had to sleep a couple of miles before even getting to the campsite I was suppose to be at last night, I knew this was going to be a long day, but I had no idea by how much! I packed up and got an early start and was able to enjoy breakfast a couple of hours later when I finally got to where I had intended to be the evening before. the Teton Crest Trail wasn't too tough if I had followed my intended path, but it was definitely scenic. I had already anticipated it would be my longest hiking day ever, but I didn't really realize how long it would be. Typically I'd consider a full day of mountain hiking to be about 12 miles and maybe 15 over relatively flat stuff. Apparently around Basin Lakes, I misread a sign and instead of taking a left, I took a right. I did this same kind of think last year in Sequoia National Park when I took the wrong fork and added about 4 miles of up and down. Had I taken the intended path, it would have only been .7 miles to the next trailhead, however my detour ended up adding another 4 miles and 2:45 more time hiking.

Overall, I ended up hiking over 18 miles that day for over 12 hours and finally got to the campsite just a little bit before dark. I was being chased up the mountain by the sun and was completely exhausted when I got in. At least there was a bear box on site so I didn't have to hang my stuff in a tree. I had wanted to stay up and watch the stars, but sleep came very quickly. This Google Earth Overlay will show my track that day. You can see where I made the wrong turn and how much of a mistake that was. Ouch, not one of my best navigational moments in life. http://mblitch.googlepages.com/tetoncrestjuly112007.kml

I was definitely glad to have my UV water purifier since I could quickly refill and clean the water while still moving. This probably helped me stay quite hydrated since in the past I'd have to break out the water pump, unsling bottles, fill, repack, and reload before continuing which would end up putting things off until I was really thirsty. I really didn't see much in the way of wildlife on this trip, but the vistas and panoramic views more than made up for it.

Veni, Vidi, Venice...I came, I saw, I took a gondola ride.

This morning I started pretty early (~6:30AM) as I knew I had a lot of ground to cover to keep with my schedule. When I got up I grabbed my camera and headed over to the Old Faithful platform to check out the next eruption. It was early enough that there were few people out so I was able to enjoy the display without the crowds. With the golden hour of sunlight, few people walking around, and crisp morning air, it was a wondrous sight. After it was finished, I called Angie to hopefully catch her before leaving for work since she was 3 hours ahead. Under the auspices of getting her to check the eruption schedule for me, I had her log on to the website for Yellowstone National Park and click on the webcam link since they have the schedule posted there. She was surprised to be able to see me and saved a couple of pictures, so at least now I could prove to my friends that I was there and not just sitting at the casino in Vegas gambling all month!

After packing up I headed to the West Thumb Geyser area along the western shore of Lake Yellowstone. This area can be best described as a thermal garden that thrives on the delicate balance of heat and moisture. Many of the geysers were constantly being lapped by the lake water. One, obviously called fishing cone, was a tourist attraction in the early years as it was one of the few places in the world where a person could catch a fish from the lake and then cook it by placing it in the boiling waters without taking it off the line. It might have been worth mentioning the high sulfur, lead, and even mercury, but who cares when something is that cool? There were of course dozens of unique features there that individually would be the pride of nearly any state and worth of gazing for hours, however when literally surrounded by such things, how can one choose? I liked the 'Black Pool' the most as it just looked so clear and tempting as if one could just ease in to clear the pores as if in a sauna, though the boiling water would do more than just open them I suppose.

I sat at the edge of the 'Abyss Pool' for a while and watched the elk walk around the area looking for a vegetarian breakfast. Though somewhat cautious, they really didn't seem to take much notice of anyone walking by. I walked the outer and inner loop of the boardwalks and got to the ranger station just as it was opening so I could grab my stamp for this section of the park. From my research, I understood there to be another thermal garden called the Potts Hot Spring Basin just north of West Thumb that was not on any map or trail. Apparently the only way to access it was to park a distance away along the road and bushwack a bit through the forest area. It was very much off the beaten path and though there were no signs tell one to stay out, I was a bit nervous to poke around for a while. When I got to the clearing I found a pretty heavy and sturdy limb to use a ground tester and would make slow cautious steps everywhere I went to test for solid ground. I did not want to fall through some light moss or a weak spot and slip into anything that could pretty quickly kill me. I checked out several of the mudpots and small pools. The best part wasn't some particular feature, it was the chance to really see what the natural view would be sans any wooden boardwalks marring the view or trash sitting on the ground.

After leaving West Thumb I quickly hit Grant village to grab a park stamp at the visitor center followed by a stop at the Snake River Ranger Station at the park's southern entrance. After leaving the park I was heading south along the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway. After a quick stop near Flagg Ranch for one of the three stamps for the Memorial Parkway, I headed off towards Grand Teton National Park. I had to stop at several of the vista to marvel at the classic postcard views and Colter Bay Ranger Station for another stamp and view. As soon as I got to the Jenny Lake Ranger Station for the park I had to keep busy. I had to get my hiking permit, pack all of my supplies in the now unorganized car, and somehow find a way to get to the trailhead. This would be one of my most ambitious hikes yet since the key was just getting to where I wanted to start. I wanted to do a loop hike, so I planned to start at Teton village that was more then 45 miles away. I got my gear together, made a short hike to the road, and with my pre-made sign, stuck out my thumb for about 10-15 minutes when a couple coming out of the Jenny Lake visitor center offered me a ride to at least the next ranger station, about 30 minutes down the road. They were teachers at Golden Gate High School in Naples, Fl where I think one of my hash friends teaches as well. As we drove I told them a bit about myadventures so far and my future travel plans. As contrast to the long wait for a ride I had in the Smokey Mountainswhan I was waiting for nearly 2 hours. The park headquarters and visitor center was right at the intersection of a small side road that would go right to Teton Village and it was conveniently the couple's next stop anyway. It was a bit of a gamble to wait here since I figured this road wasn't often used, but I also figured my best bet would be to chose a path likely used by fellow hikers on their way to various trail heads. Not long after waiting a young lady named Katrina on her way home picked me up to take me as far as her own path would go. I found out that she had been coming to the area every summer for years during her break as a teacher to volunteer to be a part of the Death Canyon trail crew. After she had dropped me off to take her side road home, only a few cars passed until my final ride arrived. This was an older lady on her way to a music festival at Teton Village, so she was willing and able to drop me off right at the spot I needed. Without the support of these kind strangers, I would not have been able to have the grand experiences that lay ahead.


In order to spend more time enjoying the hike rather than just attempting to gain altitude and distance arduously, I planned to cheat a little by taking the gondola up Bridger Mountain. The longer, higher gondala that I wanted to take to Rendezvous Mountain was closed for rebuilding. Although it cost me about $16 bucks, with internet coupon, it was a nice ride and provided a much needed vertical boost of at least 2800 feet that I really needed as I was already going to be chased by the sun on the way to my first campsite. As it was I had to descend a bit along the maintenance road and then head back up along the Rendezvous Mountain road. I passed several of the avalanche guns used during the ski season and finally got to the trailhead after an hour and a half of some tough. I had to hoof it a good bit and since this is some decently dense bear country and I was solo hiking I was doing a good bit of singing and whistling along the trail as I covered the 4 miles towards the first site. Unfortunately I just could not make it to the campsite and had to throw up the tent in a meadow. After a decent rehydrated meal, I hauled my back up a hang line out of animal reach and walked back to the tent 100 yards away [never cook at your tent in bear country] and promptly crashed.