Day 0

After having arrived at Grant Teton National Park the previous evening the primary goal of today was to secure our permits for our campsites for the next three days. Ivan and I woke up at 5AM to a crisp mountain morning and made our way to the Jenny Lake Ranger station. We were the first party at the hut where we would eventually secure the three permits that we were looking for. As the hours passed until the rangers opened up the booking window at 8AM we chatted up some climbers looking to do the same. Coming from Boston, Canada and the local area climbers were looking to camp at Lower Saddle where they would eventually attempt to climb the Grand Teton Mountain. Our plan was to spend 4 days and hike 36.14 miles along the Teton Crest trail.

At 7:58 AM a rugged ranger with deep blue eyes gave the group a spiel about proper backcountry behavior. C. Hollard the ranger with the deep blue eyes was the one who helped us secure the permits that we were there for. After that all we had to do was kill time until our departure the following day. We wandered around the wealthy mountain town of Jackson where we picked up some last minute supplies and made our way back to the Grand Teton Climbers Ranch where we were staying.

Back at camp we hung out around the communal eating and cooking table and struck up a conversation with Spencer Baker. Spencer was on a road trip with his wife and two kids and was spending a few days at the park. I snuck into the conversation that we needed a ride to the trailhead the next morning and Spencer kindly offered to drive us there if our schedules happened to align. We headed to bed excited about what the next 4 days will be like.

Day 1

Distance: 7.4 mi | Accent: 2,700 ft | Descent: 860 ft

Today was the day. After speaking about this trip for years, and planning it for the past 6 months Ivan and I were finally ready to hit the trail. We found Spencer at the dining tables at the Ranch and it turns out we were in luck. He followed our car to the String Lake Trailhead where we dropped off the car with the hope that we would return to it in 4 days time. We hopped into Spencer’s car and we chatted about his youth as a climber working at National Parks around the country until we finally arrived at the Death Canyon Trailhead. After he drove off it finally hit me, the most ambitious outdoor adventure I will ever go on had just started.

As we started down the trail I was met with a gentle trail that was canopied by trees and plants that I have never seen before on the east coast. The sound of flowing water that we would hear for the majority of the trip was comforting sound. The path eventually led to a series of switchbacks and on a bend with an overlook we caught our first breathtaking scene. Ivan and I peered over Lake Phelps and we both knew immediately that this hike/trip would not be like the ones that we were used to. We continued to gain elevation as we snaked through giant granite mountains which seemed enormous at the time but would pale in comparison to the ones that we would see later on our trip.

We continued down the trail until we finally reached the floor of the valley where we were greeted with a vast openness that we hand’t previously experienced on the trail. For the next few miles, we continued through the valley with a dense coniferous forest to our left and a granite slope to our right. We kept on an eye on the crest on our right knowing that our journey tomorrow would take us back along the crest into Alaska Basin. As we filtered through the campsites looking for the best option we eventually found the one that we would spend our first night. We set up camp and I filled my belly with a rice and bean burrito and fell asleep as the sun set that night.

I thought that I would wake up the next morning and our adventure would continue but at 11PM I heard a unidentified animal gnawing at the buckle of my bag that was sticking out of my tent. When I finally realized what was happening my heart started to beat at a rapid pace not knowing the size and the potential danger that I may be in. Once I was able to finally turn on the flashlight on my phone I was quick to identify the only animal that could have hundreds of quills coming out of it’s back. I quickly made animal noises to scare away my intruder and bring all of my gear inside my tent. For the next 30 minutes the porcupine was still interested in my tent and circled it, stoking my anxieties on what other creatures may be visiting my tent that night. Eventually I was able to fall asleep finally putting an end to my exciting first night on the trail.

Day 2

Distance: 12.13 mi | Accent: 3,638 ft | Descent: 2,444 ft

After having been awakened by my porcupine friend last night I was excited to see the first sun and get started with my day. Looking at the miles that we had to cover today I knew that we were going to start the day with a steep incline, spend most of the walking along the crest and end the day with a descent over Hurricane Pass. As we trudged up the mountain to the top of Death Canyon we saw a few storm clouds developing behind us. This was my first experience with a mountain storm and Ivan and I decided to play it safe at the top of the canyon and take cover under some trees. This was the first time on our trip that we had to bust out our rain gear but it was certainly not the last. The storm had died down by the time it got to us and packed up our stuff and resumed our hike for the day. The crest was flat but it was filled with incredible views of the valley and the mountains around us. As we went through meadows of wildflowers and trails full of large granite, morale was high and we were making great progress.

We eventually made it to Alaska Basin which is a part of the national forest system and is actually outside the boundaries of the National Park. Alaska Basin was vast and open, it contained snow crossings that we were hesitant to cross at first but eventually became second nature. Planting a trekking pole down and moving slowly was the only way that we wouldn’t slide down the steep snowy hills. We trekked through snowy grassy basin until we started to descend rocky switchbacks to another lush valley. After having to take our shoes off to cross a particularly powerful river crossing we decided to stop at a lake for lunch.

Once we finished lunch we were faced with our last ascent of the day. We trudged through rocky switchbacks where we were able to look over the lush landscape that we had hiked though all day. As luck would have it just as we were getting to the top of the pass we saw a storm system developing directly behind us. We had a decision to make, we could either wait out the storm at a lower elevation or speed up and try to beat the storm over the pass. We chose to do the latter. I don’t remember much of the scenery during this part of the hike because we were hauling ass to try and get over Hurricane Pass. Just as we crested over the pass and started to descend the rain started to come. The rain was light and even though it was a bit windy we decided to trek along, it was only when we started to hear the echo of thunder behind us did we think to re-evaluate our plans. A patch of tall pine trees seemed like the perfect place to wait out the storm. As soon as we settled into our makeshift shelter the temperature dropped 25 degrees and the rain started to pick up. The thunder started to get closer and closer and echo throughout the basin that we were in. The storm only lasted about a half an hour but I could sense the energy in the storm as it passed over us.

Finally we started on our final descent of the day to our campsite for the night. Quickly, we realized that the mosquitos at this site were ferocious, so we set up our tents and hide in them for a brief rest before we had to face them again to make dinner. We made rice and beans burritos and ate them in our tents. That night the plan was to wake up at 2AM to see the stars but when I peered out of my tent that night there were too many clouds to see the stars, I gladly drifted back to sleep.

Day 3

Distance: 13.33 mi | Accent: 3,210 ft | Descent: 5,723 ft

As we passed by the hikers on our trip and made conversation the through line between them all was that Paintbrush Divide was a must see at Grand Teton National Park. We weren’t sure if it was the view that made it unmissable or the fact that it was tainted with a bit of danger. When I was researching the route I had read that an ice axe or crampons were recommend while crossing over Paintbrush divide. We also heard this while were discussing our plans with the ranger who gave us our permits. The way that the ranger phrased the warning was such that it was the official stance of the park that they recommend these tools but it was definitely passable without them. This was evident by the hikers coming back from the pass with only trekking poles in hand. With this being said it definitely added a bit of anticipation to our hike that day.

We descended all the way to the valley floor that was more green and wet than any part of the hike to this point. From there the path started on a gentle incline to the infamous Paintbrush Divide. Eventually we arrived at Lake Solitude, ironic because it was probably the most crowded area on our hike to this point. We enjoyed an extended lunch break, that was capped off by a coffee. As we started to hike again we could feel the soreness from the day so far, despite this we trekked along the steep rocky incline to Paintbrush Divide. Once we finally arrived we stopped to make sure we had enough oxygen in our brain and to watch some other hikers pass over the slushy ledge. Both hikers that we saw lost footing and had to stop themselves from falling down the 100ft of loose gravel. With this in mind I took a deep breath and slowly started my attempt. I made sure to compact the snow under every step I took so I would have proper footing. I used my pole as an extension of my arm to support my weight and held on the snow to my left (as if that was going to support me). Concentrating on my steps I eventually made it pass the ledge that had haunted my thoughts all day. Now it was Ivan’s turn, he did the same as me but the 6 inch ledge was not enough to support his size 14 boot. About halfway across he slipped on of the ledge and before I could even blink he had fallen down the muddy and rocky cliff to a patch of stable rock about 10 feet below the ledge.

Our worst nightmare came true. Luckily he was in a safe spot with no injuries but we still had to figure out how to get him back up. Luckily a lone hike was watching us from our starting point and noted that he had some rope that he could use to help us. He crossed using the ice axe and crampons that he brought and met me on the other side. We used the rope to pull up Ivan’s pack. With the 30lb weight lifted off his shoulders Ivan was able to climb up the loose rock to the ledge back onto the trail.

Crossing over Paintbrush Divide felt like the most difficult and strenuous parts of the trip was behind us and it was finally time to close out our adventure. It was soon clear to us that the noise around Paintbrush Divide was the potential danger of the pass and not the views that followed. Although beautiful it was nothing that hadn’t seen before. We hastily hiked the next few miles downhill to find our next campsite. Knowing that we wanted to minimize the number of miles we wanted to do the next day we opted to try and camp at the furthest campsite in our designated camping zone. The downhill miles were easy but I could feel the soreness in my knees and I was glad to finally settle in to camp that night.

We had a long drive the next day and we wanted to get back to Denver as early as possible. The plan was to wake up the next morning at 3:30AM and hike the last 4 miles to our car where we could finish our adventure with our heads high as the sun rises that day.

Day 4

Distance: 3.28 mi | Accent: 97 ft | Descent: 823 ft

The alarm was set for 3:30AM but when I heard Ivan rustling in his tent at 3:15AM I whispered “You up?” and Ivan meekly responded “Yup”. We had both had the worst night of sleep of the entire trip. Using our headlights for the first time the trip we packed up our bags and started the last 4 miles of our trip. Ivan led us through the dark forest lit only by our headlamps and the slight glow of the moon through the moving clouds. Making sure to only look at the trail directly in front of my feet, I didn’t dare look up into the dark forest afraid of the nasty intrusive thoughts that entered my head anytime I did. The downhill miles were easy and before I knew it we were wandering through the parking lot looking for our rental car. We dropped off the bear can and look a much needed warm shower at the Climbers Ranch. Then just like that our 4 day adventure had come to an end. We drove home that day knowing that we had just finished an adventure that neither of us would forget.