Spud Harvest 2012
We were SO excited to head to the mountains again!
We had read articles on several different blogs that despite having been done by few people and marked by no trail, it was a doable thing to be able to hike (climb, scramble and crawl) from Table Mountain over to Hurricane Pass.
HOWEVER,
while our adventure didn't get us on top of Hurricane Pass,
it did teach us valuable lessons,
was full of the most vibrant fall colors in the low country
and steep, rugged terrain in the high country
and most of all there was NO shortage of adventure
and adrenaline pumping through our veins
AND we gained a love for each other,
that we have never experienced
and memories that will last a life time!
If you think hiking in the summer is amazing,
FALL hiking is even MORE stunning,
because the colorful leaves and foliage, give you a different show around every corner!
FALL, is definitely my favorite time of the year to hike
(and that says A LOT because I am a lover of the wildflowers that are abundant in the high country in the summer time).
WOW!
The bright yellow and orange leaves were stunning!
I am in love with Quaking Aspen Trees...
they make the most gorgeous backdrop for a hike!
Cool mossy rock with
watering streaming down...
Leaves all over the trail!
The bright blue sky with the vibrant yellow leaves
and the steep mountain cliffs
truly make for a wonderful view!
Good Morning Sunshine!!
Loved these plants...
Orange Foliage...
VIBRANT Red...
Stopping to fill up water containers...
Cool Reflection...
One adorable 10 year-old
One giant rock
Gorgeous red bushes!
I SPY...
my three favorite people!
And the colors just keep getting
more spectacular!
My foot is VERY happy
to be amongst the bright red bushes!
Through a tiny little hole in a log,
I SPY...
the cutest boy!
Nothing like being up in the middle of nowhere
and seeing planes fly overhead!
It kind of seems out of place.
Last steep climb before making
it to our lunch spot
WE MADE IT!!
Happy with our lunch spot...
The Grand Teton is right in front of us,
and Table Mountain is to the right.
Getting all of our sandwiches ready!
Relaxing and taking in the view!
Textures...
Me with Battleship Mountain
in the background...
my very favorite mountain!
Heading down the trail again...
I LOVE the various Cairns you see
along the backpacking trails.
We can do this!!
Tracy
with Green Mountain in the background.
Steep Terrain!
Look at those backpacks
we left on the trail...
Summit of Table Mountain...
We Made it!
I love looking back where we have come...
it is quite the hike up to the top!
Love this Cairn at the top
with the Grand Teton in the background!
(oh and I spy my cute Ethan Kip on the right hand side of the photo sitting and enjoying a quick rest at the top)
My three favorite people,
with the most amazing view I've ever enjoyed!
Our Feet + amazing view
= my favorite photo opp!
Heading back down to grab our backpacks...
VERY steep terrain...
This photo says a lot....
Over by the three farthest fields of snow you see in the background, is Hurricane Pass. It looks like it really won't be that big of a deal to hike down and hike up to it. WELL, I'm here to tell you, it's not too easy...
in the next series of photos you will see why.
Tracy's leading the way down...
...followed by Ethan, Jade and Kimmie
STEEP...
Ethan is so remarkable...
he is like a mountain goat!
This may not look like much,
but all of this is LOOSE rocks, boulders, and scree...
We found out real quick we were in a precarious situation,
where
with each step we took, many times rocks
would fall out from underneath us.
Right after I took this photo, Jade had rocks come out from under him and he slid and Tracy did everything he could to keep him from falling over the cliff that was below us!
Thank goodness for awesome dads
to rescue and help us out!
Tracy is the best!
Somber moment as we realize there is no way we are going to be able to hike across or down the mountain from the route we had chosen.
The only way we can get out of this situation is to head UP!
We had come a very long way down into the canyon
across nasty terrain we didn't want to go back over.
We kept hoping we could keep forging on.
It was hard to concede the fact we needed to go up.
It took a moment of pondering and the solace of a prayer
to realize what we needed to do and it wasn't going to be easy.
Solid ground was nowhere to be seen.
This photo was taken by Tracy...it is one of those photos that says 1000 words.
You can see the tree line in the background that we were hoping to follow down to the bottom of the mountain, but it turned into a cliff, so we headed across. We should have tried the steep, precarious, ridge directly below Table Mountain but we incorrectly thought we had chosen a safer route.
Jade's look on his face breaks my heart.
He just went through the scariest experience he has ever had and probably wondering if he was going to make it off the mountain or not but he kept a "stiff-upper-lip" and never panicked. What a man!
Ethan hiked over to dad...
Stress and all this amazing kid Jade
still had a smile to offer!!
SLOW and steep climb up...
making each move count...
strategically placing each hand and foot
to make sure it was stable before moving again.
On a side note:
Tracy put this photo on Facebook
and these were the sweet words he typed with it:
"This
wonderful lady just keeps going and going... seldom a complaint, never
one to panic and always there for an encouraging word! I love her! "
Pretty spectacular
to be this close to the Grand Teton!
The view to the East as I was climbing up...
The view to the West as I was climbing up...
I SPY...
2 amazing kids, who are feeling grateful that they are in a spot where there is NO loose terrain.
This photo is my favorite...it is going to be printed and framed to hang on my fridge!
(here are Tracy's feelings about this photo)
As it turns out, Jade isn't to old for a kiss
from his dad. Although it has been many years since I've kissed his
forehead, he got one a few seconds before I snapped this photo. I was so
proud of him & his unbelievable courage. I was so thankful for the
way he had "dug-down deep" & given his all to climb for two hours
with his full pack up out of a very treacherous situation.
Amazed with the view!
Extremely steep incline!
It is as steep as loose rock will stack.
Talk about serious scrambling, crawling and climbing!
KIDS...
so excited that mom
has almost made her way up to them!
YES, my boys are leaning in this photo because the wind was blowing SO hard, it felt like it was going to blow us off the mountain!
I was one happy mom that was so excited to hug and kiss her boys after two strenuous hours on the mountain!
You see that flat mountain at the top of the photo...
well, that my friends is Table Mountain. It was such a happy sight to see that land marker because it meant, we were close to being back on an actual trail again!
My three favorite people...
safe and happy!
YOU ARE
AWESOME JADE!
With being this close to the Grand Teton,
I noticed that it has a little cut out
that I have never noticed before.
Hallelujah!!
We Made It!
My three boys...
heading out with a gorgeous view of the valley!
One last view of Battleship Mountain... we had hoped to be on the other side of it, well on our way into Alaska Basin but at least we were safe. Maybe we'll try again another day (a different approach of course).
Made it back to our lunch spot,
just before the sun started to set.
I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow!
(after the sun went down, we put on head lamps and hiked for another 1-1/2 hours before we decided to pitch our tent and bed down for the night)
Good Morning!
We saw a family of Moose on our hike out...
Tracy was able to get close enough
to get a fairly good photo of them
All bundled up on a chilly morning
hiking the last few miles out.
Colors were amazing!
The colors on the trees were as bright yellow
as Tracy's sleeping pad strapped to the back of his backpack.
The sun is lighting up the mountains so beautifully!
As you can see we had the mountain to ourselves.
We were the only car in the parking lot when we got back.
I was so excited
to be able to have time to stop and take a photo of this old building
that I have noticed every time we drive through Tetonia.
"I go to nature to be soothed and healed and to have my senses put in order."
Longing to be back in the the mountains...
looking forward with great anticipation
and excitement for our next adventure!
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