The Teton Crest Trail - Wyoming - Part 16 - Day 5 - Epilogue

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NOTE: Click any picture to enlarge. 

 

Holly Lake to String Lake - our trip down and out of the wilderness

 
It was a quiet night -  still half expecting a bear to visit and sniff around.  After all, by this stage of the trip I was smelling like a salt cured ham.  Since I did not fit into my bear canister - nor did I want to lock myself into the bear vault available at Holly Lake, I laid out in my tent like a fine piece of deli meat - now serving number 4.  The mosquitoes however did find all of us; there were lots around this camp site.  There had been mosquitoes at the other camps, but it was this camp that was the most memorable; we had to wear long sleeves, gloves and fly nets just to keep them away.  We were what seemed to be a mosquito smorgasbord as they never left the all-you-could-drink buffet line - night and morning.

Complaints about the bugs aside - it was a glorious camp site.  I explored the perimeter of the lake and found it remarkably sterile - elevation, cold, and perhaps the lack of birds leaving fish eggs behind produced a lake as calm as I have ever seen.  I was able to capture some iconic pictures that show the lake reflecting perfectly the heavens above.  Occasionally a rock would tumble down the side of the mountain and crash down by the perimeter; adding to the border around the lake.  Maybe it was an ape up on the cliffs warning us to leave.  Where is Nova when I need her?

A very still dawn - hard to tell what is up or down

The sunrise was spectacular as usual.  The camp had a sense of energy to it - we were heading down today.  Back to civilization, cell phones, cars, noise, fat tourists, and the annoying taste of cold beer and hot pizza.  Well, some things aren't so bad.

Whitey was breaking down his kit in the morning light wearing an ensemble from his mosquito deterrence summer fashion line - available at Target as part of the Whitey Collection.  His collaboration with the top marketing experts there will inspire the masses to embrace his life-style goods - Orange Crocs, Fly-netting, and, the very unique wide mouth reservoir bear pot - to attend to your night time animal urges.

Note the totally unrecognizable new image you can create - a life-style brand - The Whitey Collection

We headed out of camp taking the Holly Lake spur trail back to the TCT/Paintbrush Canyon trail.  The view before us for most of the trip down was the spectacular Jackson Lake and Leigh Lake.  They seemed artificially painted onto a Hollywood set - they were so perfectly placed in the valley below.   Some high clouds moved in and cast some shadows over the mountains - perhaps symbolic of our changing moods.  I was kind of sad to be leaving the mountains - I had gotten into a rhythm each day of suffocating and suffering.  The spirit grows under these conditions.

Looks like the tree ate something

We posed for some pictures from a rock that jutted out from the trail.  We still has smiles so that is all that matters.

Sugar and Whitey - heading down

Return of the green and flowers.

Paintbrush Canyon makes us look so small.

As we neared the bottom of the trail - we ran into another ranger.  She said that there was a bear down below us a quarter mile  - she was heading up to the divide - so be careful.  We never did see it, but I guess that is for the best.  I had never seen a bear in the wild before so I was anxious to see one - that would have to wait another year - I saw a black bear running across a trail in VA in the Shenandoah National Park (SNP) - so cool.

What we did see however was a beautiful three mule pack train heading up the trail with supplies for a work camp - so awesome.  The cowboy at the front guided the three mules up the trail behind him with the greatest of ease.  That can't really be a job out here - it just can't.   But let me give a shout out to our sponsors because these trails don't survive on their own for long without some maintenance.  Thank you NPS for taking such good care of this place for all of us.  We left nothing behind and took only our memories.

We met up with Flyrod at the String Lake trail head parking lot - so the gang was back together again.  The lot was packed with tourists - the kind that rarely go 100 yards from their cars, bathrooms, and food vendors; pitiful.  Not my idea of a vacation. 

Flyrod camped out last night like us in the back of the rental car; once a camper always a camper.  He brought with him some essential must haves for us that he knew we would want.  We were going to spoil ourselves and stay at a nice hotel that night in the Teton Village - the Alpenhof.  We were going to drink cold beers and eat a nice meal.  Most important - we were going to take some showers!!

I hope you enjoyed this journey as much as I did telling the tale.  Please leave comments - I would love to hear from you and how you found my adventure on the internet.   Be sure to read the Lost Coast Trail story too.  Another fun adventure.

Let me know if you have any good places you would recommend for our next journey - we are due for one soon.

Cheers,
Jagman, Whitey, Flyrod and Sugar


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