Earlier this summer, our Daughter Jen joined us for a hike to Taggert Lake. The next hike on our list, and the most strenuous, was our yearly hike to Grand View Point. It’s listed as an easy hike but at seventy-three, there really isn’t any such thing.
Arriving at the parking lot we put on our hiking boots. Starting up, I asked Renita where we headed and she promptly answered, “To the Top”, (thanks to Steve Gardiner for telling the story in one of his books of hiking with his daughter up Snow king).
The first part of the trail had mud puddles, and we realized it had rained shortly before our arrival. We didn’t see any bear prints, always a good sign. Some years we have seen grizzly prints on the trail, so we were carrying bear spray.
As we entered the forest canopy the trail was covered with debris from the rain and the rocks were slippery. Stepping carefully, we avoided any slips and falls, perhaps due to our trek poles. The trek poles give us extra balance as at our age balance is a problem…At one point Renita spotted a flock of Dusky Grouse.
Stopping frequently to catch our breath, we didn’t notice dead trees form beetle kill. Most of the trees looked to have survived the year. The only berries we noticed were snow berries, a white berry that humans can’t eat but one of the foods for hungry bears.
About two thirds of the way up we were passed by a younger retired couple from Pennsylvania as we visited another retired couple stopped on their way down. They were from Virginia. It was like a mini happy hour on the mountain.
We wished everyone safe travels and headed for the top.
The forest opened as we approached the top and we stopped for views of Two Ocean and Emma Matilda Lakes. At one of the openings there is an excellent view of the Tetons, almost as good as the false summit.
On the summit we met a family with five kids who ranged from ages ten to two years old. They must have carried the two-year-old girl. The parents had their hands full! They were also on a yearly hike to Grand View Point and like us from Wyoming. On top, three young women from Texas were taking pictures.
The real summit has a sign on it and after some pictures we headed down to the best view of the Tetons and our favorite lunch spot. Some clouds were forming, and I became concerned about the possibility of lighting.
It has happened to me before and it’s not fun to huddle in an exposed position as lighting flashes and thunder booms all around you. (I have been caught three times on mountain tops, twice on Devils Tower and once while on the summit of Darton Peak in the Bighorns.
Hurrying our lunch we headed down. The pace going down was so much easier but we had to stop and rest. It was taking more effort than usual as the rocks under the canopy were still wet.
My legs were feeling like jelly, so we found a tree stump and took a brief respite. The storms moved away from us, and we continued to the car. We had reached the top!
Clear skies
No comments:
Post a Comment