Trail report: Mailbox Peak

A few months ago I posted about being in a new place and having new chances to explore.  Well, since that time I haven't spent any time on any trails in my new location of North Western Idaho.  All my hikes have been best West of the Cascades closer to my hometown of Renton, WA.

This zoomed in picture of my brother, climbing a snow covered
rock field, does not do justice to the steep grade.

This hike near North Bend, WA. has been on the bucket list of day hikes for a while.  It is often talked about by family and friends, but no one had seemed to have tackled it yet.  When I told my brother I was coming home for the weekend and wanted to hit up a trail we chose this one.  Not sure if I was up for a hike, that I heard was the killer of killer hikes, I got onto the Washington Trails Association website to really see what I was getting myself into.  The reviews all made comment of the fast elevation gain, from 820 feet to 4,841 feet in 2.5 miles.  Some resent posts warned of ice and snow on the trail that could cause a dangerous situation.  Others praised the novelty of the mailbox at the summit and the great view that makes the strenuous climb well worth it.

At the summit.

All expectations were met.  It was a hard climb to the top.  An even rougher climb down (imagine leg muscles burning while climbing, well leg joints were crashing for the reverse route).  The mailbox was present.  Snow and ice near the top made for a slow going and slippery ascent and and even more dangerous descent.  However, all that was almost forgotten while sitting at the summit.  The views were amazing.  The clouds hung out just above the peaks of the central cascades.  The 360 degree views were inspiring.  This is probably the most western peak in the Snoqualmie area that allows for such great views in all directions.  From Seattle and beyond to the peaks surrounding Snoqualmie Pass (and Rainier on a clear day), you can pick out land marks from all over the Puget Sound region.

I highly recommend this hike.  There is a new "easier" trail being put in that will be 5 miles to the summit.  So if you don't feel up to the challenge of this classic Seattle area route, then just wait a couple months for the new trail to open.

Difficulty: Extreme
Fees:  Discovery Pass required
Directions:  See the Washington Trails Association website for more details on the trail and directions.

Trail Report: Mt. Si

Way back in May of 2012, I went on a hike on Mt. Si.  My father and brother had invited me to come along.  This was a great early season hike of one of the most popular climbs in the area.  Only about 20 minutes from downtown Seattle, this trail gets a lot of traffic.  Even on a wet Spring day like the one we experienced there were dozens of people, some with children or dogs, on the trail.
The trick to skipping, or at least avoiding, the crowds is to use the "Old Si" trail.  The old way of climbing the  3100 feet is no longer maintained, and therefore used much less.  This route is also a much more direct route to the top, there are fewer switchbacks, and therefore a steeper grade.  Still, it is clear by the wide berth of the trail that there is still plenty of foot traffic.  You can even see the trail on Google Maps, displayed in "terrain" view.

Dad taking in the view.  To get to the tippy top you have to climb
"The Haystack".  It was too icy this day to attempt.

The trail is so much more extreme that my brother, almost from the get go, decided he wasn't going to be able to complete the four mile trip to the top.  Fortunately the trail head for the old route is also the starting point for Little Si, a 2.5 mile trip to the top of an out cropped part of the mountain that tops out at 1,200 feet.  So, my brother took on that challenge while we continued on.  Once at the top we contacted my brother and informed him we were going to descend by the "new" trail.  He had to bring the car over to the other lot to pick us up.  However it did make the way down a little less monotonous and easier on the knees.
Mt. Si is so popular because it gives a great challenge with little distance from home.  It is also used for mountaineers as a training hill for climbs up Mt. Rainier and other Cascade peaks.  Anyone in the area should limb Mt. Si at least once, if for no other reason than to say you have done it (try to get up on a clear day to see to Seattle and beyond).  Be cautious though, there will be many other people accompanying you.

View Mt. Si in a larger map
Please excuse the GPS lines, they got a little off track in the trees.

Rainier's Grand Park

Glacier Lillies hiding in the shaded areas
 just as you open up into Grand Park.

Did you know that inside this national park there are multiple smaller parks?  There are.  Next time you look at the park's map look out for areas like"Spray Park" and "Grand Park", among others.  These areas of the park are usually flat or rolling hills with few trees.  This time of year these fields are blanketed with wild flowers.  They allow for great views of the mountain itself, while giving you the feeling of being out away from it all.  Most of the areas require some hiking, but it is worth it.  You will skip the hordes of tourists at Paradise and at the same time enjoy the magic one feels in the back country of a national park.

360 degrees atop Grand Park

I started my trip late in the morning just outside the national park.  Forest Service Road 7300, off of Highway 410, takes you just North, about 100 yards, of the park's boarder.  There is a trail at Eleanor Creek that leads into the park and to Lake Eleanor.  This is a great location to swim on hot summer days.  The lake looked very clean and cool, especially for being relatively low in elevation.  If you continue on, as you should, to Grand park you will first come to a small meadow that gives you a small taste of what you are in for.  Then the only really challenging part of the hike climes up to the park.  All of a sudden you turn a corner out of the thinning trees and BAM, the most beautiful view of any mountain you have ever laid eyes on.  Grand Park is unique in that it is a large flat plateau, sitting at 5,600 ft.  There are drop offs on all sides leaving straight through shots to the mountain, almost directly south.  Other areas of the park have dips with little hiding places for snow.  Up on Grand I had the impression I was in a high dessert.  It's openness flat terrain doesn't allow for much vegetation.  There are only two stagnant pools of water on the butte.  So, besides the flowers and pine trees you really aren't going to find much up there.  However, I would built my house here if I could.  Hiking in supplies would be worth having a porch with this view.

270 degrees from newly discovered viewpoint

After spending some time taking pictures and looking around at some other landmarks in view we (my father in law was with me) were about to turn back for the car.  Luckily there were a couple of men that told us of a viewpoint not far down the Wonderland Trail.  After continuing to the southern end of Grand Park we turned right (West) and hiked another quarter of a mile.  the view here was even better than the one from above.  With the Winthrop Glacier right in front of us we could see the entire mountain as we stopped for lunch.  As we made our hike back to the car we informed others of the view, and they were excited to know about it.
This was my third hike in the North of the Mt. Rainier National Park.  All three have been my favorites.  

Trail Report: Rattlesnake Mountain

Rattlesnake Mountain is and has been a very popular trail for years.  I had never heard of it before moving back to Washington a few months ago.  Even learning of a new trail that was close by I wasn't too excited about hiking on it.  My in-laws used to hike to the ledge quite a bit, they are actually how I first heard of the trail.  Then my father wanted to hike the last of the Issaquah Alps and this was it.  He had gone a couple of weeks earlier, with my brother, and hiked to the first ledge.  They started at Rattlesnake Lake on the South end of the trail.  This is where most people hike, including my in-laws.   It is no surprise why, the three ledges that protrude out of the side of the mountain offer great views of the upper Snoqualmie Valley.  On a clear day you can see all the way to Mt. Baker to the North.
So, I got excited about this trail and headed out on a Saturday morning with my dad.  We decided it would be more worth while to through hike the trail.  Starting at one end, leaving a car, then driving to the other end to start the hike.  We would have to drive back to the second car at the end of the trip, however keeps the trail fresh all the way through.  It can be pretty rare to hike a through trail on a day hike.  There are many routes on Tiger Mountain and Cougar that allow for through hikes, those mountains have a spider web of trails on them though.  Rattlesnake has one trail, so you can hike to a point and then hike back or you can through hike.  We decided to start at the North end of the trail.  There is a very nice trail head parking lot and rest room right off of the freeway.  My car was left at Rattlesnake Lake for the return.
We started on the trail and were making pretty good progress.  It was at about a mile in that I realized I had left my car keys in my dads vehicle.  If I hadn't checked my pocket for my keys before getting to my car we would have had to hike back, call for more keys, or hitch hike to the car at the other end of the trail.  So, we turned around and went back to the starting point.  It added 2 extra miles to our 10 mile trail.  Surprisingly though didn't add much time to the planned duration of the hike.
The trail itself is pretty.  Starting at the northern trail head you walk in and out of some logged out sections of forest.  Then under some power lines, and back into the dense forest.  Being a winter hike (February) we hit some snow at around 2,100 ft.  It was this time we came to a look out that sees over the towns of North Bend and Snoqualmie.  The snow was crusted over on the top layers, making for a slick route.  We practically post holed our way to the 2,100 ft. mark on the decent.  Also, at about this elevation the clouds rolled in and things started to get very cold.  We moved fast to stay warm, but had to put on hats, gloves, and rain jackets to stay warm and dry.  While under the conifer umbrella above us we kept good pace in the snow. At the summit we didn't get the view we wanted.  Because the snow was so deep (and so few people had been on the trail in the snow) we didn't find our way to the true summit.  However the radio towers at the top were close enough for us.
The trek down is continues through the trees, I thought thicker on the south eastern face.  This is the side of the mountain that gets the most foot traffic.  The views are better and quicker.  We did come across a few people as we descended, in contrast to being alone on out ascent.
I would recommend this trail for families that want to spend a day on the trail, but expect a lot of traffic in the spring to summer months.

View Rattlesnake Mountain in a larger map

View Rattlesnake Mountain in a larger map

Difficulty: Moderate

Fees:  None if you park at the Southeast trail head at Rattlesnake Lake.  Discovery Pass at the Northern trail head.

Trail Report: Pinnacle Peak

Monday I didn't have any work and the weather in Western Washington was amazing.  60+ degrees for a week in February doesn't happen very often.  I had one day to use the good fortune, that was spread through out the region, on a trail.  I was looking for something fairly short and simple.  Nothing too taxing or very secluded (my wife doesn't like me hiking alone).  So to make my decision easier I jumped onto the King County Natural Resources and Parks site and started looking for trails.  I had done the Cougar Mountain trail and have done other trails on that hill, it didn't really interest me.  I found one in Enumclaw.  It promised views of Mt. Rainier on the site so I decided it would be worth the drive to get there.  The location was a bit farther than I wanted but the trail seemed to intrigue me.  It is a short trail, only about a mile, but it is strenuous.  

From the pull off at the side of the road, were a dozen or more cars were parked, you start up on switch backs.  The climb is 1,000ft. in a mile.  I didn't drink enough water that morning, and started cramping, but was glad to have the work out.  Being the day after the Super Bowl I was also blaming all the junk food I had eaten the day before.  However, the weather was perfect, and the trail is almost completely covered by the canopy of old Fir and Cedar trees, meaning shade.  While the work out was worth it, the view was not.  If there ever was a view it is now obstructed by too many trees growing too tall.  You get glimpses of the valley floor as you climb but the summit has no view at all.

Though it made for a safe location to 'solo hike' (I use the term loosely), I don't see any reason for me to return.  If I lived within 5 miles of the hill that sticks up out of the valley like a thumb I would hike it all the time.  I don't, and therefore I won't.

 

View Pinnacle Peak, Enumclaw Wa in a larger map

Directions:  Use the map for directions, However there are two trail heads.  The second is on the south side of the hill that starts up a private road.

Fees: None, this one is a county park.

Difficulty Moderate-Difficult (however short)

Two Summits One Day: Cougar and Squak Mountains

Thursday I went out with my father, Dale, and my brother, Gregg.  We wanted to tackle two of the smaller peaks near our homes.  Growing up less than five minutes from these hills and never took the time to summit on either one.  There are many trails on both mountains, and one could spent all day exploring.  Gregg even improved sections of trail on Squak for his Eagle Project.

The two peaks are only separated by the narrow May Creek Valley, that has State Route 900 running through it, connecting Renton and Issaquah.  Since the hills are very close together (there is actually a connector trail you can take to hike on both mountains with out getting back in the car if you want, we didn't take the connector) it is very easy to summit both in just a long morning.  We started at the trailhead of Cougar Mountain at 8:30 and finished around 11:30 back at the car after summiting Squak.

Cougar Mountain
We chose to start at the Wilderness Creek Trailhead.  It is located on SR 900.  The trail allows two great options for a summit.  You can see from my GPS recorded tracks that we took one trail up and the second down.  This is actually Wilderness Peak in fact.  The true Cougar Mountain is just to the North.  However for locals all the peaks in the park are considered Cougar Mountain, this is why we chose to summit Wilderness Peak as it is the highest.

The summit has no view, making the trip a little anti climatic.  However there is a nice bench to sit on and a home made registrar to sign.  There was a small glimpse of Mt. Rainier on the way down.  Nothing that makes the trip a "must do" however.
I am glad I did this relatively short hike.  It is a great one to tackle in the winter when the rain isn't falling.  These hills almost never get snow and can be tackled any time of year.

View Cougar Mountain in a larger map

Getting There:  See map for best directions

Difficulty:  Easy-Moderate

Fees:  None 

Squak Mountain
With only the short few minutes in the car for rest we, all three, headed over to the trail head to summit Squak Mountain.  Like Cougar Mountain there are many ways to get the the top of Squak.  I would say the most popular is from the State Park parking lot off of SE May Valley Road.  Most of Squak Mountain is a State Park.  There are horse trails and hiking trails.  One service road to the top is a popular route but is closed to public vehicles, it does however make for a smooth, easy going, trail.  We chose to cheat a little bit.  By this time Gregg was having some semi serious pains in his knew, but wanted to finish with the hikes we had planned.  Therefore we drove up to a trailhead on the North side of the mountain that starts at 740 ft.  This saved us from climbing an extra 400 ft.
We took the Bullitt Access Trail to the Central Peak Trail to the summit. Unlike Cougar, with its rolling terrain, this trail was pretty much climbing the entire time.  One interesting part of Squak Mt. is the human history.  The Bullitt family settled on the hill in the early 1900's and there are still remains.  We past by these as well, heading straight to the top for the sake of Gregg's knee.

View Squak Mountain in a larger map

One awesome part of hiking with Gregg was that he informed me of a free program from Microsoft.  It is called PhotoSynth and allows anyone to make great panoramas and synths from multiple photos.  The panorama below is of the veiwless peak on Squak.  I can't wait to get out to other, more impressive places to use this program with.

Getting There:  See map for best directions

Difficulty:  Easy-Moderate

Fees:  Discovery Pass or $10 day pass if parking at the State Park, No fee if park at the trail head on Mountainside Drive SW (location we used)

Trail Report: Twin Falls

Since moving back to the Seattle area I have been overwhelmed with all the options I have for getting out and on the trail.  Most of the Christmas break I spent with family.  Luckily I married into a family that enjoys the outdoors.  On New Years Eve a few of us went on a leisurely hike to Twin Falls, inside Twin Falls State Park.

The trail to the falls is fairly easy, and not very long.  This makes it a very popular trail for families and people with dogs.  There were a few dozen people on the trail during the time we were there.  Even with all the crowds (the day we went wasn't really that busy) this trail is very fun.  There are old growth trees, a raging river (in Summer months when the water is low it is perfect for letting the kids play in the water), multiple water falls with multiple view points, large boulders the size of cars to climb on, and tons of plant life to admire.

One great thing about this hike is it connects to other trails.  It can be used as a trail head to climb Mt. Catherine and also connects to the Iron Horse Trail.

Getting There: From Seattle head East on I-90, take exit 34, turn right onto 468th Ave SE, turn left on SE 159 Street, drive to the end of the rod to trail head parking.

Difficulty: Easy

Fees: Discovery Pass or $10 one day pass (purchased at drop box at trail head)

Trail Report: Tiger Mountain East

Well, I had already written up a post about this hike and somehow it got deleted as I was trying to publish it.  I really don't want to write about it in full so I'll give a quick review, and post some pictures.

This is a local mountain with dozens of trails on it.  My father and I chose to summit on the direct route from the highway 18 trailhead to the summit of Tiger Mountain East.  There are three summit peaks on the hill.  The map below shows the route that follows the service road to the top.  Because the hike is on a service road it makes for easy terrain while climbing.  There are a lot of mountain bikers on the road, so you will want to watch your back, especially on the hike down.  There are views from the top if you are lucky enough to have a clear day.  When weather does allow you will be able to have great views of the Puget Sound, Mt. Rainier, and even as far south at Tacoma.

 

View Tiger Mountain East in a larger map

The only summit marker

Mount Rainier blanketed by clouds

Towers at the summit

Getting There:  From Seattle take I-90 East, take exit 25, turn right onto Highway 18, turn off to trail head at the highway 18 summit of Tiger Mountain.  (use map above for the best route for you)

Difficulty:  Moderate

Fees: Discovery Pass or $10 day pass

Table Mountain - Revisited

Last September my father and I attempted a multi-day trip on the west side of the Tetons.  It didn't go as planned, and we actually turned home the first day.

An attempt to show steepness. 

One year later, to the weekend, we decided to scale things back a little.  Instead of a multi-day hike we would only try to summit Table Mountain.  This time our packs were lighter and our trail shorter.  The ground wasn't covered in a foot of snow, and we packed the minimum amount of gear.  Instead of taking the longer looping trail we went up the "Face Trail" (named for the fact that it climbs straight up the face of the mountain form the valley floor).  It is a much shorter trail at only 3.5 miles, however it is very steep.  The elevation gain takes you from the valley floor at 7,000 ft. to the summit, just over 11, 100 ft.
We thought we had stated early, but the trail head parking lot was virtually full.  We started confident and at a good pace, but it very quickly hit us that this was going to be the kind of trail that demanded we stop every few hundred yards.  The higher we went the harder it got.  My dad was in Seattle at sea level the day before.  He could feel the lack of oxygen in his legs.  There wasn't much he could do to improve his state, but being burned by the mountain before he was determined to summit.  It wasn't long before I could feel my lungs burning and legs failing me as well.
We pushed on and cleared the trees.  We could see at least 30 people on Table Mountain.  They all came down before we approached the last, and longest, mile.  Above the tree line we hit the scree, loose dirt, and gravel.  This was especially hard to walk on with drained legs.  At this point we were stopping every 20-50 ft. trying to hit a small landmark as a goal.

At the top!

View from valley floor.  You can spot the
trail near the top.

No matter how hard a trail the summit is always rewarding, and this hike has one of the best rewards of them all (for a day hike).  Only a mile to the East are the Grand Tetons, the Cathedral Group looks like you could reach out and grab it.  The view to the North and South are not too shabby either, each has many jagged peaks and evidence of trails that temp your open calendar slots.  The West, behind you, is picturesque in its own right.  The Teton Valley and Snake River range open up to view the higher you get.  On a really clear day you can see over to central Idaho and the mountain ranges that form the skyline there.
After a snack we started down.  The rest made the trail go much quicker.  Like most we chose to take the same trail down.  "It was quicker getting up face why wouldn't it be quicker to get down?"  Problem was the steepness of the the trail cause a very methodical pace.  We had to be careful not to trip on a rock or root and tumble down the mountain.  Both of us did slip or trip at least a couple time.  Dad slipped into a large rock jamming his big toe (by the time we got to the bottom his entire toe nail was purple underneath).  We both had blisters and sore toes at the bottom.  It was the perfect time to stick your feet in the ice cold water of Teton Creek.
Even though the trail was hard and punishing, this is after all in no way a leisurely day hike, it was a lot of fun.  I had this idea of revenge in my head.  I was going to conquer the mountain.  It had let me get to the summit before, but I felt like that was on favors.  This time around was much more rewarding and enjoyable.  I can honestly say I have no desire to return to Table Mountain. 
Trail Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

NOT RECOMMENDED

Getting there:  From Highway 33 in Driggs, Id. head east on Ski Hill Rd.  After crossing the state line into Wyoming turn right onto Teton Canyon Rd. The trail head is at the end of the road, past the campground.  For the 'Face' trail head continue past the first parking lot to the right, there is another parking lot.  The actual trail head is to the North of the pit toilets (not very well marked).

Yellowstone National Park Backcountry DAY 3

Day 1 and Day 2 found here.
The third and final day of the trip started earlier then the day before.  Zach had to get home to Utah and I wanted to see my family.  It was to be the shortest day as we headed to the trail head at Lewis Lake. 

The moose

Dropping back to Shoshone Lake

We woke up to a brisk morning.  The cold air had settled in the valley.  Preparations were being made and we were eating breakfast to fuel up.  As we ate breakfast the reason for naming Moose Creek became very evident.  All of a sudden Jordan looked up and motioned to the right of both Zach and I.  We thought he was joking around but looked anyways.  Right there in the middle of our camp with out making a sound was a moose.  Probably about 2 years old, the male moose just stood there looking at us, as if to say "hey guys what's going on", then he started towards the creek.  We scrambled to find out cameras, trying not to make too much noise so we would startle the moose into either running away or charging.  We snapped a couple of shots before the moose disappeared into the bushes.  We followed cautiously.  This was the only animal we had seen after two whole days in the backcountry.  

Jordan and Zach crossing the Shoshone Lake outlet

After all that excitement we packed up and headed out.  The trail was steep straight away. It plateaued around 8,000 feet and then dropped back to the lake.  As we dropped back down we came across a group of volunteers improving the trail.  These were pretty much the only people we had any interaction with up to this point.  We had hardly seen anyone else out on the trail.  We had to ford the crossing at the Shoshone Lake outlet, the start of the Lewis River.  The water provided a good break for our hot feet.  We spend some time enjoying the scenery as we let our feet dry before putting our boots back on.

That way...

Once across the river we headed along the shore to the ranger's station at Shoshone Lake.  I should have snapped some pictures.  The cabin was nothing to shake a stick at, in fact it made me want to be a backcountry ranger.  It had a solar panel, outdoor cooking area, plenty of chopped wood, and all the tools you would need to live in the back country.  From what I could see from the outside there was indoor cooking area, a living area, and a loft of some sort.  There was a chimney as well, not sure if for a fireplace or simply a cooking vent.
This is were we had a decision to make.  We could stay along the river and eventually along Lewis Lake shore, or take the high route off the water and see nothing.  We chose the low route even though it was longer in miles we figured it would be a little more enjoyable.  It probably did take a little longer the way we went.  The trail was up and down 50 feet or so, normally not a big deal, but do that 10-15 times and it gets annoying.  I was driven to get finished though.  I don't know why but the last day of a hike I always just push harder.  It isn't that I want to get out of the woods or even get the pack off my back.  I just feel like I can improve my time, like a runner that catches a 2nd wind.  Something that is hard to explain.  I'm sure it annoys Zach a little bit, he is the one always putting up with it.

Next time we are jumping in.

One spot I wish we could have spent more time at was an out crop of rocks that jutted into the river.  The rocks were anywhere from 10-25 feet from the water surface.  We could see to the bottom and there were a couple of good deep spots that would have been great fun to jump into.  Not wanting to take the time to change and swim and dry off we opted to keep pushing after a short break.

Lewis Lake with the Tetons in the far
distance.

Eventually we came to Lewis lake.  A much smaller lake than Shoshone but deeper.  The wind on Lewis Lake is much stranger than on Shoshone. This created larger waves and kept us cooler.  We could see motor boats on the lake and came in contact with a few people out for day hikes and fishing.  There was a sense that we were reaching the end of our trek.  We paused again to call our wives.  My wife, Jessica, was picking us up at the parking lot and I wanted to try coordinate with here our pick up.  We guessed that we had about 45 minutes left on the trail.  I couldn't get a hold of her so I sent a text and a voice mail.  Pushing on we came to our finish.  The parking lot came almost out of nowhere, tucked in the trees there was no real warning we were at our end point.  The three of us shed our packs in the shade.  It was almost exactly 45 minutes from the time I called my wife.  At the parking lot we didn't have the open space provided by the lake and therefore didn't have a cell signal.  With my phone starting to die I went out to the main road.  The phone picked up a signal, all be it a very spotty one.  I couldn't get through to Jessica.  As cars zoomed by I was hoping to get a signal.  Then almost with stroke of pure luck I saw her coming down the road.  She pulled over and admitted to not knowing where to turn to pick us up.  I had shown her the location on the maps, but didn't blame her for this because the signs for the parking lot were small and the pull out was around a corner.
A good day to end a great trip!

Yellowstone National Park Backcountry DAY 2

Pools at Shoshone Geyser Basin

Catch the first day of the hike here.

In the morning of the second day there was a little, lets say, excitement in the tent as we prepped to exit.  We all three wanted to know if a bear maybe came pocking around.  We had seen bear claw marks on the trees and bear pole in camp and figured most of those were made at night.  As we settled down the night before i had forgotten my lip balm in my pocket and Jordan had some jolly ranger wrappers in his.  We put all this in a small bag and tossed it out of the tent near the bear pole.  This little bag full of smellies didn't move an inch all night and we were glad.
Because all of out water purification methods had failed the day before we were now trying to think about how we would ration our stove fuel for boiling water.  We figured we would boil all we could hold in our bottles for the rest of the day and take it from there.  So with breakfast in our bellies and water in our bottles we started off.

Shield Geyser

Day 2 was to be the highlight of the trip, for me.  The only full day of hiking started with a visit to the Shoshone Geyser Basin.  The opposite of an oasis in the middle of lush fields and forest, with a lake on one side and a river on the other.  If you have ever been to Yellowstone and walked along the boardwalks around old faithful you have seen similar thermal features.  The thing that makes the Shoshone Geyser basin special is the fact that you are, in some cases, six inches away from a feature.  There are no boardwalks, there are no railings, it is just a small trail that weaves between the geysers, mud posts, and thermal pools.

Marsh near Shoshone Lake

This trail also got us to our highest point of the trip.  Just over 8,200 feet.  The trail followed the lake after the geyser basin.  We walked through marshy fields and sandy beaches for about a mile before we started to climb.  It really seemed like all the elevation game came at once. My legs were burning.  I can't remember having any breathing issues or headache, like the day before, I think this was just being out of shape.  The bugs were out early today and we had to stop a few times to apply bug spray/lotion.  There was also a set of wolf tracks on the trail.  A lone wolf had made fresh tracks that morning that went the opposite direction.  By the size of the tracks I am very glad we hadn't crossed paths with the animal.  Wolves are normally pretty cautious of humans but a lone alpha male might act out if it felt threatened.

Wolf Track

In the low marshes and up in the hills we crossed many streams and other bodies of water that I would call puddles.  Most had logs across them, none had any actual bridges build.  When we stopped for lunch next to Moose Creek Zach and Jordan gave into the temptation of fresh fast flowing cold water.  Our bottles were still filled but the water was pretty warm still and they couldn't resist.  With at least 24 hours left in our trip I wasn't about to risk getting sick.  I had visions of day 3, stopping every 20 ft to rid my body of what ever organism was disrupting it.  I figured if we ran out of fuel and couldn't treat water any more I would wait until the last day so that if I was sick I could at least get the visitor center toilets.  The guys didn't get sick, and I actually took one swig of the cold fresh water.  To be honest I always feel closer to my surroundings, and feel a little more wild, when I drink direct from a water source.
Our last crossing of the day brought us back around to Moose Creek.  This was the first crossing that required us to ford the creek.  We shed our shoes and socks and crossed.  This was the first time ever hiking that I didn't have logs or rocks to cross over.  About 100 yards later we were at our camp.

Cooling boiled water in creek

Tent at Moose Creek (8M1) site.

As beautiful of a setting our first camp had this second camp was laid out much better.  More flat tent pads, more open areas, tall pines with small about of low brush.  We were about 50 yards from the creek which allowed for more fishing (again had no luck but a great chance to unwind a little).  Even though the trail was hard it was short.  This allowed us quite a bit of time to mull around.  Jordan took a nap and read a little.  Zach and I fished for a while.  We took the time to reorganize our gear a little.  Zach and I both took turns bathing in the creek.  Then when the sun went down the bugs came out and we hit the tent.
It was only around 8 pm when we got bedded down and none of use were ready to sleep.  This left us time to have some philosophical and spiritual conversation.  After a bit of that we ended our day.

Yellowstone National Park Backcountry DAY 1

I have always loved Yellowstone.  It is easy to say that it is my favorite place to visit.  Since going as a child with my family I have always found the park to be magnificent.  Since moving to Eastern Idaho I have visited with my own family at least twice a year.  I have to admit though, that up until a few years ago, I had no idea one could venture off the pavement and boardwalks, away from the tourists, into the backcountry.  Since really getting into hiking and backpacking I have wanted to spend time on the trail in the world's first national park.
Last February I did some winter camping in Utah with my friend Zach.  During that trip we talked about when we could do something over the summer and where we should go.  We talked about heading back to the Tetons and maybe hitting up Zion's or even the Grand Canyon.  With about half a week of open window between our school schedules we opted for something a little closer to one of our homes.  Yellowstone was chosen and by April 1st (the first day for backcountry applications) I had our application in the mail.  We got the trail and campsites we requested (reverse order).
Preparations went on and anticipation built.  Many emails with ideas for meals, how to lighten our packs and selections for gear were sent.  In June my brother in-law came to live with me for the summer and I invited him along as well.  So as time passed and plans were finalized the time came to head out.

Lunch at Firehole River

The first night was spent at the Grant Village on the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake.  We camped here on Wednesday so that we could get to the backcountry office and hit the trail as soon as possible.  It was a little strange camping in a normal campsite living out of a backpack.  That night, and that night only, I was a little jealous of all the other campers luxuries.

Jordan read the whole trip, even while
hiking at the front keeping pace.

Thursday morning we checked in at the backcountry office and got our permits.  After a short video on how not to get eaten by bears we parked at Old Faithful and walked a few hundred yards to the trail head.  We started on the Howard Eaton trail and headed south towards Shoshone Lake.  By the time we actually hit the trail it was around 10 am, and we hit camp around 5pm.  With a stop for lunch at the Firehole River and a little back tracking to actually find our camp the day went pretty quickly.

Small portion of the almost 270 degree
view from the beach.

Even though things went smoothly as far as timing the day did have it's problems.  First, I didn't eat enough for breakfast or lunch and by the end of the day in hot temperatures I was dehydrated and under nourished.  I had a killer headache, and almost vomited a couple of times.  Second problem was my Steripen, used for purifying water, wasn't working.  After only one previous use the batteries had failed (even though that was months ago I figured the batteries should last).  Lesson learned, I grabbed extra batteries for my head lamp but forgot about the Steripen.  At first this wasn't going to be an issue because Zach had brought his water filter and we would just have to pump our water.  Unfortunately later in the evening after getting to camp his filter failed as well.  We resorted to boiling all our water for the rest of the trip (we had just enough fuel and ran out at breakfast on the last day).

Backcountry site 8R5 Basin Bay Point

I couple of very valuable lessons learned here.  Even an experienced camper can forget something.  I will always keep a list and check it twice.  If we had been on the trail even a day longer we would have had to resort to drinking straight from the water source, risking sickness.
 At camp we did our best to relax after the failure of our equipment.  I wasn't going to let it get me down.  The camp we were at was beautiful.  Tent site and cooking area were elevated about 10 feet from the waters edge and we had a small beach to sit at.  Jordan spent all evening down there and had to be coerced to coming up to help cook and clean up.  After eating I got out my pole and lures.  Zach and I had both got 3 day fishing permits for the trip and each carried out own poles.  Not expecting to catch anything from shore I waded out into the very warm water and used the time to enjoy myself.  I felt like i could have gone 50 feet off shore and still only been up to my waste.  Shoshone lake is not very deep.  Wading up to my knees was fine for me.  After about 30 minutes I was about to call it quits.  That is when a Brown Trout took hold of my lure, at first I though I was snagged up on some weeds, then my line started to drag.  I got him in closer and at about three feet away the 5-7 incher surfaced and shook loose.

Jordan packing with bear
pole in background

After the sun went down we hustled to get camp cleaned and ready for bed.  This was the first time I was required to hang my food.  We decided it would just be better to hang our entire bags on the bear pole provided, that way we wouldn't have a curious bear carry one of our packs away.  It was about this time that all the bugs had come out.  Along the trail we had mosquitoes bothering us, but this night was insane.  We had to hustle and practically dive into our tents in order to survive the night.  As we laid in the tent we could hear the flies down on the water.  The noise was incredible.  We all agreed it sounded as if we had been sleeping in a bee's nest.  After twilight dispersed and the flies went to bed so did we.