My Journey

[BigDawwg]

Out of Old Faithful the road goes east.....we crossed the Continental Divide several times.....I think maybe three.....

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We made yet one more stop to play in the snow.....brought back memories of Yukon's last days traveling with us.....

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Eventually we connected with Highway 191.....still in Yellowstone National Park.....we turned right at the intersection and headed due south.....

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As we descended a mountain ridgeline we took notice of Yellowstone Lake far away to the east.....

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Magical.....definitely magical.....majestic.....definitely majestic.....

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We continued south finally leaving Yellowstone National Park and entering John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Parkway.....and it was along this roadway that we took a turn west onto a gravel road where we subsequently spent our first night in the wilderness.....

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.....along the shores of the Snake River.....one of my favorite spots in all of North America to stay.....I can't believe how long it's been since I've been here.....life passes by so fast.....

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Jerry,,,,,, Dam, I just noticed your Lic.-Plate, -[ ICEAXE ]- I hadn't noticed that before,,,,, and the reason for my taking Note, see attached, he gave this to me yrs ago, it was miss-placed for awhile, found it when I was coming to Alaska in 2002, it's here with me now, I had it on a Hike with me this spring up in the Talkeetna's, and on returning to the Trail-Head, an Elderly Man approached, and said can I see your walking-stick, I said sure, but its alittle more than a walking stick, and he replied "Yea" I know, I had one in Italy,,,,, and yea, I had to ask him how old he was,,,, he said he was 17 at the time, and that I could do the Math..... his 94th Birthday was coming up......
BD in Alaska....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Arjan.....thanks.....there's really not much to say other than the hitch lifts up and down and connects to the tow hitch. I have two safety cables and of course an electric cable from the truck to the Jeep. Honestly I'm not sure what else to say. I rely only on the truck brakes & reversing is out of the question.....I do understand your curiosity as Europeans traveling here in the states marvel at the darn thing.....

BigDawwg.....that axe is beautiful.....I've got some pictures of similar axes from the Tetons that I was admiring just today & plan to post the pictures here.....if ever I collected anything, it would without a doubt be antique climbing gear.....I love it.....



Sometime during our first night back out on the road, the sky opened up and the rains began to pour.....they continued into the morning so out came the rain gear and out the door we went.....





It was quite cold that first morning so we returned to the camper after walking a few miles for yet one more hot mug of coffee.....just to warm up the insides.....





The rain finally subsided and we went out to explore the local surroundings just a bit more.....





It was just as beautiful here as I had remembered.....





And as the skies began to clear.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

.....I began to think we needed to get out in the Jeep to explore. I spoke with a U.S. National Park employee early that morning and he cautioned me about the Grizzlies.....he said no joke right now they're very, very active. I packed the Jeep while the dogs had a bite to eat.....Trapper took hers in bed.....



I packed bear spray of course.....



And then it occurred to me that it was hunting season.....the odds of being shot by a human far exceed the chances of being eaten by a bear.....I included my orange hiking vest.....



We took the gravel road west.....



.....and after maybe nine miles or so of rough road we came to Grassy Lake.....



Grassy Lake sure was beautiful.....but Grassy Lake was not our final destination for that day.....







We continued west for several more miles on that pothole filled gravel road.....



And once we reached the bridge that crossed Cascade Creek, we parked the Jeep and hit the trail into the thick forests where I was certain that we'd cross paths with at least one Grizzly Bear.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I had been on the ap Google Maps and noticed a place named Cascade Falls.....which is what brought us here.....





And it was the falls that I hoped to see.....





We hiked downward along the trail which followed the meanders of Cascade Creek.....





.....and found ourselves stepping off trail fairly often to see the many rather small.....even insignificant waterfalls of Cascade Creek.....





Eventually our path left the dog friendly trail of the Targhee National Forest & took us into the not so dog friendly trail of Yellowstone National Park.....



When we reached the confluence of Cascade Creek & Fall River, I decided to turn back. Funny thing here, had we hiked just a bit downstream on Fall River, we would have encountered a fairly significant, rarely visited set of waterfalls.....

By the way.....there were no bear encounters that day.....

 

[stevo_pct]

Do you always have the dogs on a leash when hiking in grizzly country? Or do they stay close enough to you?

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

stevo_pct.....my preference in an area like that is to keep them on the leash. The last thing I'd want is for them to bring a Grizzly back to me. And honestly, Trapper is not well trained (yet). She was ignored during the cabin build & now I'll pay the price.....



On the return trip to camp I noticed a sign for another lake.....



So we took a slight detour and headed up Forest Service Road 021.....



Several of the potholes that we drove through turned out to be significant.....these two in particular.....



Both of these were deep enough that the water came up to the bottom of the door.....a bit unsettling when you're alone without a winch.....and miles & miles away from anything.....



The road passed along a canal.....



.....and finally to the lake.....







And that was how we spent our second day back out on the road again.....

 

[Trailboss]

There is a large flat area you can camp at the base of the Grassy Lake dam where I stayed June 2020. The down road to it is rather steep and rough, though, and the mosquitos were abundant. There is also a hiking trail heading to the north from the spillway that a number of folks were using.

 

[ITTOG]

Looks like a great start to your trip. Glad to see you out again.

I read a book not long ago about a Scottish man living in Alaska for one year. He talked about how dog's run to safety and bring the grizzlies with them. That would not have been a good thing but I bet it would be crazy to see your dog and a grizzly running right at you.

 

[Ace Brown]

Remember the line: “pilgrim skin this one for me, soon I’ll bring yah another”. Or something like that from the movie Jerimiah Johnson.


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[Arjan]

Thanks for the reply on towing with the A-frame. Yes, here in the EU that is - at best - a grey area so we're doomed to use trailers. I have towed loads of VW busses (T3 & T4's) a long, long time ago but thoses were custom made for them and worked on the steering arms under the vehicle.

" And honestly, Trapper is not well trained (yet). She was ignored during the cabin build & now I'll pay the price..... " Yes, but it is never too late to start feeding on a whistle and that works even with 14 year young Goldens...

You pictures make me feel walking / driving alongside you.

Many thanks !

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

I honestly think, there is no better time to visit our amazing national parks than the shoulder seasons....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Trailboss.....I saw that as I was driving by that day.....personally I prefer to be along the Snake River (I absolutely love it there).....and FWIW......sites one through five now have WIFI.....

ITTOG.....thanks.....that would indeed be quite the sight.....one I sure hope not to ever see.....

Ace.....that's one of my favorite all time movies. I have the DVD in the camper. I feel like I could've been Jeremiah Johnson had I lived in a different era.....sometimes I wonder what would have happened in my life had I stayed in Alaska bsck in the day.....

Arjan.....for sure.....I work with her now that I have free time and one day she'll be a great dog.....but right now, just a great friend.....

PNWY.....yep, I definitely agree based on my recent experience. It wasn't bad at all.....



That night it rained once again.....and probably mixed in with a bit of sleet. When I awoke the following morning I peered out the camper window and it was like a wonderland out there.....absolutely stunning I thought. This is what I saw.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I got my pot of water boiling and savored that moment when I'd get that first sip of steaming hot coffee from my trusty Beartooth Blend coffee mug.....that first sip of the new day always being the best of many. I cracked two eggs and dropped them into my aged frying pan.....and layed a slice of bread on the burner. Breakfast is typically a quick exercise for me. I was excited to get out the door.....to explore.....and have a closer look at this newly formed landscape.....

I've slowed down a step or two over the years.....and maybe that's a good thing.....I don't know.....probably one of those questions that can never be answered. I took the time to explore the ice that seemed to cover everything.....which seemed to present itself in millions of varying forms.....

We walked along the gravel road.....left the road and walked along the ice covered banks of Glade Creek.....it was early and I thought we were the first out.....we were not.....

 

[Ace Brown]

That first picture of the bull moose is a classic.


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[Arjan]

Beautiful.
Just Beautiful.

Thank you.