![]() This is where we gained almost all of the 4,000-foot elevation. This was by far the most difficult part of the hike. The next morning, we packed up and hiked up the Paintbrush Divide. ![]() It took a while to fall asleep after that nearly near-death experience, but eventually I slept. I jumped up and down and waved my arms, plotting to keep the tent in between the bear and us. I bellowed at the top of my lungs some indistinguishable combination of sounds. Without my weapons, all I had was my voice. Somehow my brain remembered what I’ve always heard to do in case of a bear encounter. We hadn’t quite made our goal, but we knew we were close.Īs we drove the stakes into the earth, we heard a rustling right ahead of us. We stopped to set up the tent once we found a good spot. Tonight, maybe I’d sleep with a handful of rocks. Amanda rolled her eyes at my primitive weapons but didn’t tease me too much about it. All the horror stories my mom makes sure I know before I go into the wilderness sloshed around in the back of my mind.Īs it got darker, I took to carrying two rocks, ready to launch them at any unseen predator. We talked loudly and made plenty of noise when the sun went down, as the trail is prime bear country. The hike had served up only some moderate elevation gain, but we traveled slower than we could have, stopping to admire the towering trees and small waterfalls along the way. ![]() We hiked for another mile or so before we stopped to set up our tent. It was dark by the time we made it to the Lower Paintbrush Camping Zone, about six miles from the trailhead. I want to have time to linger in the beautiful moments. I don’t like to rush when I’m exploring a new place. I admit there were times I was jealous of their tiny packs as I struggled under the weight of my gear, but we chose to take our time and I’m glad. I saw folks who opted for speed and traveled light. If you’re ambitious, you can do the hike in a single day. Thankfully, it stayed light outside until almost 10 p.m. We hoped to hike about eight miles to the Upper Paintbrush Camping Zone. We hit the trail in the evening a half-hour after I arrived. We had to work within the confines of our weekends, so I met up with Amanda at about 6 p.m. Amanda learned from locals the trail had some of the most gorgeous views in the park. We decided to hike the Paintbrush Canyon to Cascade Canyon Loop Trail, an 19.2-mile trek. I went for a weekend trip July 9-10 with my best friend, Amanda, who’s working in Colter Bay at the base of the Tetons for the season. I left Greeley and headed for Wyoming – not the flat cattle land, but the Grand Tetons, more than seven hours away. However, each time I manage to pull myself out of bed, reach for a big mug of coffee and hit the road in the wee hours of the morning, I find I run out of excuses. I sometimes catch myself thinking I don’t have time to take a trip, especially if I’m saving precious vacation hours for even bigger trips.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |