Grand Teton Ntl. Park - Backpacking, Cliff Jumps, Thunderstorms & more

Fair warning, this story will be many more photos than words. The beauty, the dynamic landscape & the ridiculous amount of it was mind-boggling. The sunset photo below was just getting gas after crossing the state line into Wyoming. Carlos & I were on our way to hike & explore Teton National Park.

Leaving Los Angeles at the beginning of Fourth of July weekend we had many days to make our own. Stopping the first night outside Las Vegas to stay with a great hiking friend Randy. The following day was consumed with driving, podcasting, & taking to the internet for higher education about the places we were passing through. Thirteen hours later we arrived to Signal Mountain Campground & a welcoming old friend from my time in San Diego.

A large majority of the success of this trip is owed to an old friend of mine, Tim Anderson, who works for the trails department in Tetons National Park. After living in the area for many years his knowledge & hospitality was without question the kindest & most thankful part of the trip. Cheers!

We spent our first day in the Tetons doing some classic tourist standards. But, these are the classics for a reason. Taking scenic loops & stopping for all the signed info got us into the right mindset before hitting the backcountry portion. Took a drive out for BBQ & picked up our permits, then headed for Mormon Row. A well graded dirt road that travels near a Mormon settled farm area dating from the early 1900's. Wonderful views in this area for little effort.

We spent Fourth of July with a great number of the Teton Trail Crew at one of their homes. A BBQ that overlooked the whole valley with the Tetons as the backdrop. Fireworks from the lake in the distance. Wonderful people & great conversation about all the other parks they had done trail work in. That night at Tim's cabin we got our things ready for the next four days of backcountry hiking. Our plan was to hike the Teton Crest Trail, originally starting from Hwy 22 & connecting to the main trail proper. Taking the advice of Tim, starting at Granite Canyon & experiencing that approach would out weight the original idea. Without question, this was the right choice.

Not only was Granite Canyon the right choice, I took more photos in that area than any other on the trial. The wildflowers were the best I had ever seen in my entire life. Without exaggeration. We saw a large moose in this canyon as well. The trail climbs steadily, but never without difficulty. However, within two hours of hiking is started to rain on us. We had about 9 miles of hiking to do. 

The previous eight days before our trip it hadn't rained in the Tetons & had seen temps in the eighties & nineties. So bring on the rain. At the upper reaches of Granite the trail climbs fairly steep for a bit, but the views open up to distract from all that business. The rain had held off for the late afternoon. 

After setting up at one of the many "tent platforms" near Marion Lake we filtered water & spent some time checking out the area. Wonderful views out the backside of the camp. A few others showed up from different directions to stay the night. Around 8pm is when the rain began to fall. Very heavily. Not long after that the first of four thunder & lighting storms began. This would continue for the next thirteen hours, into the next morning. What a show for our first night in the Tetons!

A side note about tent platforms, tents & rain. As a Californian I am not accustomed to this concept of a designated compact dirt raised platform, that are bordered by logs. I totally get the idea & it's saving the fragile environment around the lake, all things great. But, within the very first twenty minute of torrential downpour these become a bath tub of disaster for gear. Taking Carlos' broken trekking pole I got out & started digging some outlet funnels at the corners of the logs to relived the water. The camp next to us was also at odds. All those years digging sandcastles & tunnels growing up in San Diego paid off, the water broke through in a muddy mess & we stayed more less dry the rest of the twelve hours of the storm. Lastly, I still swear by Big Anges tents. This particular shelter never let a drop in after thirteen hours & has been through countless storms in the Sierras. Owned it four years now. On this particular (and most) trips we leave the inner net part behind & only use the ground tart with the outer rain fly shell. Light & super strong.

The next morning we more or less just chose the least rainy moment to leave camp & head towards Death Canyon Shelf. Crossing our first pass the views became ever more spectacular. We truly were in the Teton backcountry now. Hiking above tree line with views in all directions, even down to Idaho on one side. There were still small snow fields in places, but nothing of concern. Many years ago an article about Death Canyon Shelf is what originally drew me to the idea of hiking the Teton Crest Trail & now I was only a few miles from checking it off the list! Letting the photos do the work I'll just say the three miles along this hanging cliff were some of the best hiking I've done. The rolling trail has views down fair reaching canyons, with water flowing underfoot & underground at times. We even were treated to a mother moose & her baby eating just off the trail in the distance. And the wildflowers, the hundreds of thousands of wildflowers!! Best hiking ever.

We reached the far end of the shelf & sat down among-st the bugs. There was always bugs & mosquitoes on this trip, nothing that ever seemed overwhelming though, but definitely constant. We also didn't bring any bug spray. More by choice, something about it never seems to sit well with either Carlos or I. Our goal for the night was Alaska Basin & the few miles dropping into the area were par for the course, absolutely outstanding! Fortunately too, this area has different camping regulations, so we were able to choose a site anywhere we wanted. 

This evening in Alaska Basin was a great time. We got to fly Carlos' ultralight kite & there was a full rainbow framing Buck Mountain Pass. Not until later than evening had my small stomach problem become more present. Most of the day I could only snack as opposed to really eat a fully meal. This night was much the same. The next morning I wasn't able to keep my breakfast down, if you know what I mean. After a few looks at the map we opted for what still would be some fantastic hiking, but use a different canyon to exit. Also we had this trail as a recommendation from the get go as a side trip, so win win in an unfortunate situation. We were heading to Static Peak Divide. This is where much larger snow fields needed to be crossed, nothing of real danger, just lots of effort.

After reaching the apex onto Buck Mountain Pass we got a real good look at what lay ahead. A lot more snow heading to a very rocky cliffed trail. So what do you do in this situation, go fly a kite. It was very gusty on the pass so we relaxed for a bit & then continued on. Slow & steady across large sections of snow. Now with more of a steep incline to the snow, it seemed like only one other person had been up here lately & had come from the other direction based on the few tracks we saw.

Taking the last few switch backs onto Static Peak divide were a magnificent feat of trail engineering. Blasted thousands of feet above Death Canyon these small rocks shelves held brave hikers. We now had our first look back into the valley that held original civilization. We were a tad below 11,000 feet now & had almost four thousand feet of downhill hiking to do now. 

Dropping constantly we had great looks back at Buck Mountain Pass & Death Canyon Shelf from days previous. Along our exit we had several people to stop & chat with, many thinking we were carrying much less than was required for nights in the backcountry. Eventually we met two woman who offered us a ride to our car (because of our early exit we weren't close). They have lived in Jackson all their lives & their father was the first doctor in the area, couldn't have asked for better story tellers.

That evening we relaxed & slept well on Tim's cabin floor. The next day my stomach was feeling on the mend, the elevation must have gotten to me, but was all fine now. Carlos & I set out to do some kayaking on Jackson Lake. Beers in hand, we had a wonderful time getting as far as we could out into the lake. A thunder storm echoed on the other side of the lake, covering the Grand. Truly an experience like none I have had before. 

That evening we headed to this hot spring that Tim had mentioned months before on the phone to me that I knew had to be checked off. Just outside of Yellowstone, we hiked in a bit over a mile, then across am indiscriminate field of wildflowers right next to the Snake River. Sure enough, a large warm pool dropped into another large warm pool with steam rising in the closing sunset light. Views across the Snake River to the Tetons in the far distance. Paradise on earth! We stayed until the last light was gone & hiked back to the cars by headlamp, incredibly satisfied with the time we had spent in Wyoming so far.

The next day brought a mix of all things local. The three of is went to see one of the new visitor centers. The facilities everywhere in Teton National Park are outstanding. From here we hiked out along the eastern side of Phelps Lake to another place Tim recommended, a local jump rock. Along the way he showed us one of the only gravestones that was located in the park proper. A longtime homesteader that gave his land to the park with the conditions of living out his life & being buried there. It's quite hidden & beautiful. On further down the trail we met a large deer head to head, then came to our goal. Tim had been here before & took the lead & made it look easy. Although I love a good thrill, and cliff/rock jumps are on my list, but not very high. However, this was in Wyoming, with the Tetons there & we came so far. Bonzaiiiii! Felt amazing. 

After hiking back along Phelps Lake, we headed to downtown Jackson Hole for some food & tourist nick-knacks. Carlos rode a giant Metal moose sculpture! We made our way to Signal Mountain on some back roads that Tim had in mind that afforded great views of the Tetons. Passing some multi-million dollar estates too. To finish out the night we headed to the Signal Mountain overlook for sunset. Our plan for the next morning was a 5am wake up & on the trail by 6am to do the roughly 20 mile Paintbrush Divide Loop, thus completing a large portion of Teton Crest Trail we had missed & hiking an entire extra canyon & lake front.

On track in the morning the three of us made our way up through prime bear country & into the base of Paintbrush Canyon. It was such an enjoyable experience to finally hike with Tim. We had known each other through skateboarding from more than a decade ago & now we shared a deep love for the mountains. The stories he shared & the facts that we learned about the whole area was outstanding.

As we gained elevation towards Holly Lake the true alpine terrain began to take over with full force. Surrounded now by granite peaks on all side we had made if much closer to the Divide in great time. It was only about 8:30am & we were about to have tackled almost 4,000ft of elevation gain before 10am. The last mile or so up to Paintbrush Divide was some of the more precarious & steady hiking in some very steep snow fields. Good steps had laid the way, but we could see many people's steps trying other approaches. 

Climbing the last few switchbacks leads to the grandest view across a broad plateau punctuated with massive granite peaks. We had made it to Paintbrush Divide. Looking far down into Cascade Canyon & infamous Solitude Lake. At this point we had done something like eight miles (if memory serves me). We dropped very quickly along a very rocky trail, my eyes struggled to take in the view & also not twist my ankle. Within a mile of the lake rain began to fall more & more steadily. Pulling out the hard shells the hiking was still magnificent. 

Arriving for lunch at Lake Solitude felt amazing. Just the month before this place had been on the cover of the magazine that spurred this trip so many years before. Sitting in the shelter of the pines with rain coming down was extremely peaceful. Leaving the lake the rain intensified & we had many many miles of down canyon hiking to do & we made the best of it. The views were still far reaching & the conversation was good. We hit the junction to head further down Cascade Canyon & pressed on. Large waterfalls & rivers emerged on the cliff sides far above that were gorgeous. The name of the river lead to be true with huge tumbling cascades culminating in one of the parks classic waterfall boat trips at the base of the canyon. 

Tim took us on a last side trip to see some trail construction their team was doing along a very popular section. Large bags of rocks flown in & huge amounts of labor to create these steadfast trails for all to enjoy. We had a mile or so left to round Jenny Lake back to our car at the other trail head. Along this section I saw my first birds nests that was totally carved & cut into a tree. Living in the hallow tree we could hear the little babies. A bit further down the trail Tim pointed out an Osprey nest high in the tree that had some baby birds in it as well. Back at the car & ready for a beer we completed another life-list hike I had always had scribbled on a notepad.

The next morning we packed my Camry & said our good-byes. The times we had in Wyoming were memorable beyond belief. It certainly won't be the last. We headed back through some fantastic wilderness on our drive & saw some crazy weather. 

Stopping this time in Utah at another friend's house for the last night on the trip, thank you Jessica! We went to a great local dinner & then had awesome ice cream/yogurt. The next day we explored Brigham Young's home & toured one of the original Mormon temples. Lastly we had to see some desert landscape & drove out to explore a few areas just outside of town. One more chance to fly a kite on this epic trip!

Hiking the Backbone Trail - Santa Monica Mountains

| SECTION 1 - Will Rogers State Park to Kanan Road |

There are those cliche sayings like, "...adventure is just around the corner." and "There is a great big world out in your own backyard." Welp! This trip proved these to be cliches for a reason, a big adventure was right outside our back door.

There's always talk of the 'next trip' amongst any friends. First looking at Sespe River as a thru hike option, but as logistics & dates were discussed there were some small road blocks that put that on the back burner for another time. Then the idea to hike the whole Santa Monica Mountain Backbone Trail was thrown out there. We had all see the trail signs while day hiking locally, but the idea of a new approach was enticing.

Deciding to hike the entire 67 miles in two weekends was our best approach to allow for work & other obligations to stay on track. There are some logistical issues to this trail that are different than others, namely camping locations & water sources. Check with the NPS at Santa Monica Mts for more info on those things. We set up water caches a day prior at road crossings to help us move without fear of going dry, which would definitely have happened had we depended on the only 5ish natural sources we saw.

We set off from Will Rogers before dawn in March, hiking the trail in a Westerly direction, purely because we wanted to end, hiking downhill to the beach, as opposed to ending in the city at a public park, blah! This proved to be an outstanding reward & gave us an unsuspected challenge, but more on that later.

The first eleven or twelve miles was really nice hiking, views all the way to downtown Los Angeles one direction & all the way to the Pacific Ocean the other.  The very early Spring weather brought hundreds of birds out.

We reached Topanga State park as the mornings day hike crowds were just starting. We came to a crossroads where the traditional route goes below Eagle Rock, while you could go up & around to stand on top of Eagle Rock. Traditional route from this point on was our goal.

Heading down the Musch Trail into the park proper was outstanding! A barreling canopy of green ivy proved great shade as the day grew warmer. Counting seven different species of wildflowers along the side of the well worth path only added to the small surprises.

After brunch we set out across a couple roads in Topanga Canyon & one of the more tricky navigational portions. At one point before you reach Topanga Canyon Hwy the trail drops down to the backside of an elementary school playground (it looked like). Then you wonder if you made a wrong turn... hang a sharp right (north) & walk up a paved short road to two huge white water towers. You'll see the path begin on the right side of the towers, then drop down to a really nice green area, eventually to the highway.

We had looked forward to crossing into the local Topanga interpretive trail, only a half mile or so, but really informative. Wonderfully hand painted signs educated on plant biology & local history. The only random part, was this section of the trail was exceptionally steep. Funny for something I'd normally assume to be leisurely as an interpretive trail.

After Old Topanga Road we filled up on water & headed up into Hondo Canyon during the warmest part of the day. Despite looking at a pretty decent climb, this portion would eventually land in my "Top 3" favorite sections by the end of the trail, but also agreed to be the hardest climb b/c we hit it at the warmest part of the day.

The rolling meadows of grassy fields & oak trees gave way to large sandstone cliff bands a thousand feet above. We wandered throw bright yellow meadows of shoulder high wild mustard & wild purple lupine. It was some of the best Los Angeles hiking I had done. Absolutely outstanding. The curving trail lead deeper into the rugged canyon that had very different features than many of the other reaches of the Santa Monica's. 

We'd been hiking about seven hours now & found a large rock to split the climb in half, taking a rest in the canyon shade. Topping out of Hondo Canyon felt great, with a bit more climbing along Fossil Ridge to go. Only adding the the magic that was the afternoon in Hondo Canyon, we were treating to ocean views all along the trail across the top of Fossil Ridge. The icing on the cake was the large fist size shell fossil imprints left in many of the rocks right along the trail.

Reaching the Stunt Road junction we sat on a bench & took in the views. Another nice benefit to this thru hike is these small respites of road/trail heads with trash cans & sometimes bathrooms to help alleviate carrying too much nonsense. 

Moving on we had to walk about a hundred yards down the paved road to where the trail continues, uphill. This was the only wrong turn we made, or lack of making a turn, we continued on the main trail towards some antennas. Realizing our error by taking out the map, it was only about a fifteen minute mistake. It also awarded us with some of the best ocean views yet, clear as could be all the way to Catalina Island.

Now heading the right way, the trail dropped down right through some impressive rock towers revealing views far across the valleys to Los Padres National Park. For miles & miles we head downhill, hitting some steep switchbacks & sneaking looks at the next section of the Backbone. We were learning the name of the game now... miles of roller coaster ups & downs along the spine of the mountains, then drop into a connecting canyon, only to climb back up to next portion of the ridge line. 

Reaching Las Virgenes we ate under the bridge & refilled on water. Being quite warm & sunny we hit another heavy duty climb on open fire roads. Super hot, super sweaty, we hugged the inside portion of the trail to stay in the small shaded sections. Once on top, again, the ocean views were all the reward I needed to forget about the previous hour of grunting.

More than ever, the fire road climbed up only to drop down, eventually reaching the Medicine Rocks area. The route traces right along the true spine of the mountains, with sandstone formations that look like a Stegosaurus' back! The trail then winds down below Castro Peak (I think due to private land) into a wonderful canyon area. The trail did seem to take a while to get anywhere at this point, but it was beautiful.

Climbing to the last saddle of the first section on Sunday evening, we hiked trail that goes over the Kanan Tunnels & dropped our gear at the Kanan trailhead parking lot. Just a hint under 40 miles from our start at Will Rogers State Park.

Then we got some beer...

| SECTION 2 - Kanan Road to Point Mugu State Park |

Time had passed, as it does, but only by three months. We decided to jump on an open weekend & finish up the second & last section of our Santa Monica Backbone trip. Starting again before dawn where we left off at Kanan Rd, we had completely different weather this time. June gloom near the beach was in full effect with a thick marine layer covered the hillsides.

We walked on through the enchanted lower canyons, the oaks gnarled & twisted gave a magical feel that added to the beauty. There was a dense green to all the flora around from the heavy moisture. The trail connected us over and through several great canyons before long we had covered a good distance.

 

 After some more standard uphill we crossed a road & began climbing up into the Encinal Canyon area. The trail had become noticeable less steep & well graded, it was mountain biker heaven for the next seven miles of trail. Not one yielded to hikers like the ethics call for, but maybe next time.

Still stuck in the clouds along the upper reaches we hadn't seen beyond 100 yards all day. Though refreshing & a bit humid compared to our last time in the mountains, I was really missing the views. But patience would prove to reward us.

We rounded a bend & the clouds finally parted after seven hours of hiking. We could see Sandstone Peak, the highest point of the Santa Monica Mountains & our next climb. Pausing for a good rest at the Misha Mockwa trail head before we snacked & gathered our last water cache for the trip. The next 15+ miles had no dependable water sources.

After much sweating, the summit of Sandstone Peak was a crown fit for the Santa Monica Mountains. All around the views were dynamic & ever changing. The Pacific Ocean, thousands of feet below one way, large rolling chaparral meadows punctuated with massive sandstone monoliths to the other. Snapping a quick group photo we headed on. From this point on the crowds thinned out considerably... more like we didn't see anyone for miles & miles. 

Merging onto the Chamberlin Trail we navigated through more amazing sandstone windows that would offer views to the sprawling sea of clouds that covered the ocean below us. It had been really nice to hike above the clouds, but we were losing elevation & heading back down into another canyon. Not without one last memory searing vision of the tall sandstone cliffs guarding the deep reaches of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Another a couple hours of downhill hiking we emerged below the clouds in the Boney Mountains area on the edge of the 2013 Springs Fire. None of our group had hiked any of this area so it was real treat to see something new. 

The fire had really ravage the area, all corners in all directions the mountain sides were burned. Outstanding flat & fun trail took us along the bottom of Big Sycamore Canyon to Danielson Camp. A great rest stop with bathrooms & a huge group camping area. There is a private residence on the property that a family uses from time to time a local told us. Many mountain bikers passed through the camp looking for water & it seemed to have been shut off at all the outlets. They said this was odd & there was almost always water at the camp. Glad we didn't rely on that info.

Taking the traditional route down the dirt road we came to a shaded picnic table with the junction that will take us back up to the Backbone for the last time on the trip. Just across the from the trail junction there was a running faucet. It being the hottest part of the day & the clouds gone, we dosed our clothes in water & headed up hill, fully exposed to the sun in the burn area.

Although the heat didn't bother me like I though it would, the views melted away any pain that I felt. The trail we were on was breath taking! We would see the whole canyon we had hiked down, then on up the switchbacks to the saddle that leaves the Sandstone area. Truly a wonderful feeling seeing all the ground we had covered.

After more mountain bikers not yielding to hikers, we made it to the fire road that would take us along the last spine of the mountains towards the ocean. Some might say hiking a fire road can be boring, but this one had views all around us that kept all my attention. La Jolla Canyon looked huge from far above & is now a place I need to explore soon. 

We came to the last junction, turned right on the Ray Miller Trail & reaped three absolutely gorgeous miles of downhill hiking. It is hard to describe how it felt to come from the far reaching canyons & hike down this ocean front trail straight down to the ocean. A permanent smile never ceased while the crisp ocean gusts blew my hair back. I couldn't get enough. I was so glad we had chosen to hike the whole trail in the direction to end here.

At the bottom we crossed Pacific Coast Highway, dropped our packs in the sand & took a dip in the Pacific Ocean. What a magnificent hike. Our last goal was to get to our car that was parked about 5 miles south on PCH where overnight parking is allowed. After a friendly conversation with a family of hikers we snagged a ride in the bed of their truck down the highway.

INFORMATION

Total: 67 miles. 18,497 feet climbed, 18,232 feet descended

The four Tom Harris maps were extremely useful.

 Very helpful trail running report: HERE

Andy King has a helpful website: HERE

Not too helpful, but fun, Backpacker article: HERE

The water caches put in place were removed as we hiked & were created with leaf foliage that surrounded the immediate area. No impact was left.