We continued on and passed Marion Lake which is spectacular. Our big concern was post holing but didn’t have any issues. It was patchy as we walked over and around it. About a mile up the trail we encountered our first snow. We hit the trail and started the solid climb to Marion Lake. Our day two started slowly as we took our time in camp and packed everything up. All of us turned in by 10pm and that was the end of day one.ĭay 2 – Friday, July 21st.
Sunset was around 9pm so we had lots of daylight. Fires are not allowed so we put on our jackets to keep warm. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing around camp. It wasn’t too bad and lasted less than an hour. Rain & hail fell as thunder crackled around us. We all climbed into our tents as the skies opened. We selecting a campsite about a half mile above the group campsite and set up camp right before the rain started falling. We were hoping to beat them to camp before rain started falling. We took some short breaks and only saw a handful of people.Īs we got farther back we noticed storm clouds moving in. We continued on as the trail parallels a creek heading up canyon. It was a warm and humid day and all of us were sweating in no time. The going is fairly easy with a steady gain.
#GRAND TETONS PAINTBRUSH DIVIDE LOOP DRIVER#
We met our shuttle driver at the Leigh Lake Trailhead around 9am and were shuttled to the Granite Canyon Trailhead to the south. All the months of planning were over and it was time to hit the trail!ĭay 1 – Thursday, July 20th. The rest of the evening involved packing and final preparations. After that we checked into our hotel, bought groceries, ate dinner and arranged our shuttle. So from there we drove into town and stopped by the Teton Backcountry Rental where we both rented an Ice Axe for twenty five bucks. Kyle and Chumley already had one but FOTG and myself needed one. We went over current conditions and they strongly recommended an ice axe.
From there we drove to the Tetons Visitor Center and acquired our permit. We arrived in Jackson Hole around mid-afternoon and met FOTG at the airport. The days and weeks ticked by and we flew out on Wednesday, July 19th. The first four days will be backpacking the Teton Crest followed by two days in Yellowstone and one final day back in Jackson Hole where we would catch a flight home in the late afternoon. Airfare was a bit pricey so we decided to spend a week in Wyoming. Once we had the permit the rest of the details were planned.
#GRAND TETONS PAINTBRUSH DIVIDE LOOP PC#
I did some research and was at my PC ready to go the morning the permits went on sale back in early January on. From there the planning began and FOTG & Kyle were both down. I talked to Chumley and he was just as excited as me. The idea for this trip started over a year ago when I saw triplogs from and Their pics looked amazing and I knew this was a hike for us. The once in a lifetime scenery, memories and experiences along the way only further reaffirm this assessment. In the end, we finished to no issues, no equipment lost and all person's present, so a good trip in my book. I even partook in this thing called sleeping in and to be honest after three weeks of binge hiking and backpacking in Glacier, it was lovely. We kept our days very manageable in terms of mileage and there was plenty of time for resting and relaxation at our generally pristine campsites. As one would expect with our delinquent crew, there was plenty of comic relief and the mood was light. The passes will get anyone's heart bumping, however, none of them broke any of us off and they were generally pretty manageable, in terms of lingering winter conditions. The hiking was also generally perfect and even with some snow, one could see the immense amount of work that has gone into the Crest Trail. After all, scenery like this, should require some grit to be expelled for the privilege to enjoy. We dealt with hail, lightning and snow, but it all seemed appropriate and fitting for a forty mile trek across the Continental Divide and I embraced it. There were sections that rivaled the Sierra Nevada and basins and lakes that could compete with anything in Glacier. This was undoubtedly some of the most scenic country I have ever traveled through. Although I can't give him too much credit, as once this backpack started, the mountains did all the work. His meticulous planning kept our backpack and the logistics surrounding it pretty headache free. This was just a great backpack with good friends and the perfect way to end my summer on the road in the northern Rockies.įirst of all, a big thanks to for putting this all together. In fact, I really do not have anything to add in that area. Chumley and John covered this little trek very well in their triplogs and I would suggest reading theirs for planning purposes, or other pertinent information.
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