FLASK June 6-11

June 6:
34 miles to Alpine, WY. Some city workers woke me up around 730 - nicely - & told me about some other tourers from previous years, one doing all trails (crazy). Meditated then had a very liesurely breakfast before going over to Ace for a small file set (& chocolates) to attempt the anticipated hub repair. But it wasn't the same spoke, which now leads me to think I managed to overstress some spokes the day I left Medicine Bow with the out-of-round wheel. It might be best to re-lace with new spokes, which the Jackson bike shop should have. An older gal, Barb, spent some good chat time with me out front while I worked the wheel. She just loved Rae's independence, saying it reminded her of how she ignored the skeptics when she moved herself from Maine to Star Valley. I talked to Hogan about meeting in Glacier & it almost seems likely - yea! I finally left Afton around 11 & within 8 miles had 28-year-old Serena as a riding companion til mile 23 when I stopped for lunch. She was touring from Logan, heading to Glacier then on to Seattle, trying to raise money for a cool non-profit she recently started to get at-risk youth outdoors (go to www.yaanonprofit.org & donate, everybody!). Her dad intended to ride with her to Glacier (both supported by mom in a car, it sounded like) but he took a bad spill yesterday coming down from Lander Turnoff Pass. He hit a metal post, fractured 6 ribs, punctured a lung, & was in the Afton hospital. He's from Oakley, ID, near Burley & City Of Rocks - cool. So Serena was just out for a ride til he could be released tomorrow & she was certain they'd re-start in a month. I offered to have her join me to Glacier but she obviously had some sorting to do. I had a sandwich, beer, & ice cream sitting outside the Thayne market &, just like when I was re-lacing the wheel in front of the Ace earlier, lots of nice folks chatted me up. Star Valley is absolutely, stunningly beautiful: snow on the big north mountains in the distance, dandelions in all the fields, snow on the east & west hills, aspens, pine ... yummy eye & soul candy, especially as I rolled down the valley with a light breeze for a tailwind into Alpine. The local RV park offered me a $9 tentsite so I decided not to go on toward the more remote camps between Alpine & Hogback where mudslides earlier in the year had closed Hwy 26/89 (which is still under repair so tomorrow should be interesting if the gravel stretch is long). With a long afternoon & clouds rolling in, I repaired a tear in the tent bag, set up the tent, showered, did some laundry (in the shower), stretched, & had a beer looking at the valley & mountains. I know my mood is still too weather-dependent but I will take all this good weather the last 3 days into reserve, since there are thunderstorms forecast the remainder of the week. My expired passport won't arrive in Jackson til Wednesday mid-afternoon so I'll likely be there til Thursday morning before heading into Tetons NP, I think. Rae would've loved this touring day & I'm pleased that I'm not feeling schedule pressure so that I can enjoy a scenic, low mileage day now, too. This is good head space & I'm happy for all I have around me & in me.
June 7:
39 miles to Jackson. Awoke to rain pelting the tent in the same manner it was when I went down. I'll need to manage the tarp/footprint I put under the tent so as to avoid some water pooling in the tent, I guess. For 75 cents I dried the sleeping bag, yoga mat, & the jacket that got soaked in the dryer at the campground. The patriot theme at the restaurant across the street was overdone but it was good food. I left Alpine in light rain & had a spectacularly wild & scenic ride in that rain along the Snake River the 24 miles into Hoback. The river was full & roaring with debris, whirlpools, tacos, chutes, & a few rafters & kayakers. Beautiful country! A motorbiker in Hoback pointed out a flat trailer tire & after replacing it I checked the spokes to find ANOTHER broken one. I'm getting good at tearing of the tire, tube, rotor, & cassette, re-threading, & true-ing on the upturned bike - 30 minutes! 17 more scenic miles along a paved bike path, with snowstorms obscuring some of the peaks in the distance. I ran into Stan on his bike right away & he directed me to Hoff's - a recently opened small bike shop in Jackson - where I bought what turned out to be too short spokes & was assured I'd get rousted if I slept in a city park. The visitor center pointed out what I suspected: $50 tentsites & $100 rooms - so I went to the post office to see what time Wednesday the mail from Rae might arrive. The Snake River Brewery parking lot seemed like as good a place as any to attempt the wheel rebuild & proved to be so entertaining to locals & tourists alike that several brought me beers. It turns out that lacing a wheel with too-short spokes while drinking is not the best way to do it! Fitzgeralds Bike Shop was next door & Andy - their marketing guy had already come by at someone's behest to tell me he'd keep the shop open til I was done. Good thing, too, since he had the right length spokes & was way nicer & more helpful than the kid that answered their phone the other day. I popped into the brewery for dinner & more beers, then tried to lace the wheel at halftime of Game 4 (Dallas won so it's tied now 2-2). Too drunk & I came to the realization that not only had I not sorted out where I was staying the night but I also had no transportation ... Serendipity to the rescue! Jake offered a place to stay, though it was 3 miles away, then do did Paul & AJ. AJ also happened to basically have a bike shop in his garage & was just 9 blocks away. So I watched the end of the game with Andy & a Dutch couple, Arthur & Agatha, who'd bailed on a bike tour in this area due to the weather but were gonna rent a motorbike in Salt Lake & head to the desert for awhile. Andy's started a bike courier website (www.bikewire.org) that sounded cool & Arthur suggested I check out an extreme Dutch tourer's website (Frank van Ryn at www.werefielser.nl) for beta & routes posted by others. OK ... game over & drunk I wander out & precariously balance the half-laced wheel, bike, & panniers on top of the trailer & start hauling. I chuckle at the absurdity (I look homeless!) as I wander the dark streets looking for Paul's place, which I find after a few stops to reload the pile that keeps tipping of the trailer. But I'm not sure it's the right place when no one answers knocks on the back door. I leave the stuff in the backyard & wander in search of AJ's place - it's now 1130 & I can't find it so knock on a few doors that still have lights on. Thankfully, cool people answer but don't know AJ or the house # ... hmmm. But AJ finally answers his phone & walks down the alley to get me to his garage bike shop where I also find Paul. He insists we retrieve the wheel & build it out so we hop on 2 of AJ's many bikes & head out in the rain. We take several mutual attempts to lace the wheel but no one's sober & I did a poor job of separating the different spoke lengths (the difference is critical & only marginally visible in good light, which we didn't have) so it goes poorly & I lose steam at 1AM. Paul & his girl walk me back to his place & I sink into his roomate's bed (she & friends - all Exum guides - are returning from a summit & ski trip on Denali!). Crazy night!
June 8:
28 miles to Jenny Lake CG in Grand Tetons NP. It was up at 6 to walk to AJ's where I fix all the lacing mistakes we made last night & true the wheel on his stand by 8. Paul's up when I return & we chat while I re-pack everything. Breakfast at Lotus Cafe was organic but not filling & over-priced. My expired passport was waiting at the post office & I was able to get the pics & paperwork off through the local courthouse with only one minor hitch: they need a real mailing address for delivery so General Delivery to the West Glacier post office was out. I went to the coffee shop to start sorting it out & eventually called the Whitehorse, MT, Glacier Cycle & Nordic bike store & Tim agreed to let me have it sent to them. Yea! The rear wheel loosened considerably throughout the 7 back & forth miles of morning errands so I went to Hoff's bike shop again after getting restocked for groceries & they graciously let me use their stand to retighten & true it. Shout out to Tim at Hoff's! There was a nice bike path & tailwind on the easy 13 mile ride to the park & the partly cloudy sky didn't obscure The Grand. So dramatic with snow & granite sharing space on that formidable formation. Sarah from the Moose visitor center helped me pick on overnight backpacking route for tomorrow. Quite a few nice folks to chat with on the way in & out, & inside (did I already say I like the trailer sign?). Tetons entrance fee also pays for Yellowstone! Cool! & Ranger Rob pointed out the inner park connecting road so now I'll leave unneeded food in the bearbox at Jenny Lake CG ($8 hiker biker!) & pick it up on my way back north to Yellowstone. It rained for the 8 miles to the CG & while I set up the tent - working hard to keep things dry requires diligence but is so important. It let up after I'd changed & made the short walk to the JL visitor center & had some Hagen Das & coffee, so I went back to get the camera for a walk around the lake. The views across the lake to the briefly & sporadically sunlight, snow-covered peaks were stunning. A sign pointed to the Moose Pond Loop & I took it, soon seeing a moose running across a rock-strewn, bushy slope across the way past the 1st pond. It disappeared in trees then re-appeared at the pond to drink before making his way through shallow, reed-choked water to stand within 20 feet of me for 15 minutes! I just snapped pictures & sat contemplating the wonder of being in the Tetons, rolling on the high of starting an awesome backpacking phase of the adventure. Marmots appeared on tall rocks & ocassionally chirped loud warnings, though for what I've no idea. Aspens, evergreens, granite, snow fields feed creeks & waterfalls that tumble into the ponds. I could almost see them being filled & wait patiently but to no avail to see the beaver whose home is at the far bank. It is serene, fulfilling, & the brief glimpses of the peaks bring only fleeting disappointment that I won't be climbing either of the 2 climbs up The Grand that are in Fifty Classic Climbs. It's so beautiful even as the weather withholds some of it - remarkable. I'm so happy ... The female moose eventually moved again to feed, which she did by tearing at the young, green tips of tall bushes, so I enjoyed that quietly for awhile. Joel wandered down the trail & we chatted briefly until I decided he'd enjoy alone time with this creature just like I had. I continued on the pond loop, crossing short drifts of well-travelled snow until coming to the dirt road leading back to the lake & I made camp by 7 (I saw the center closing so knew the time). I got water, stretched in a misty drizzle, then invited Joel over for a beer while I made rice, peppers, onion, garlic, & Tasty Bite! He's 22, from Detroit & will meet up with friends for trips to Yellowstone & Glacier, in which he worked the last 2 summers. He may join my backpack around Phelps Lake tomorrow.
June 9:
Some blue sky pulled me out of the bag & tent around 7. Cold. I made hot grain cereal with soy milk, brown sugar, & raisins - not bad. With no threat of rain & a light but cold breeze it made sense to lay some things out to dry then haul them back in after meditating so I could get coffee at the JL store. Joel came along & we intermittently but mostly hung out together in the visitor center by the fire. One of the store clerks, Bert, was from Wasila, Alaska - the 2nd person on the trip! At the visitor center, I asked a ranger about a strange noise I'd heard several times on the hike & in camp. It's a simultaneously deep & muffled beating with an increasing tempo. I thought yesterday the first time I heard it that is was my heartbeat! Well, it's the sound a male Ruffed Grouse makes thumping it's chest in a display. Joel spotted one & said it went so still when a hawk was near that he couldn't see it. Anyway, I went back to camp for lunch & it was nice out, with long cloud breaks, so out came all the stuff to dry again & I got things organized for the backpack overnighter. Joel asked along so I left the bike, unnecessary gear, & extra food, filled the backpack, & we set out to hitchhike. Drew, a climbing ranger, picked us up & dropped us at Moose VC. Phil, another climbing ranger, hauled us the next 4 miles to the trailhead. Phelps Lake was visible within a mile & we hiked another 1-2 miles along this scenic alpine lake nestled in pines with a snowy granite backdrop. We were chatting with an older couple from New Hampshire when a small gray coyote loped up the trail right at us with two squirrels in her mouth! She went around us & hopped right back on the trail! Beautiful animal! We set up tents, put food in the bear box, & said goodbye before heading out on separate walks. Ocassional bursts of light rain & snow muffled birds briefly & I heard but never spotted a few Ruffed Grouse. The views across the lake with snowy, cloud-shrouded peaks of granite & couliours was picturesque. The folks from Campsite #1 were making dinner on the trail when I returned ... David & Laura are in their late 20s & honeymooning here from Bloomington, IN, where they work with & offer rooms in their house to homeless people. Fantastic young couple so we shared a bowl, which set them laughing cuz they've been offered it by backpackers so frequently. I got half a stretch in before rain shut me down. I made & ate dinner in it, though, & it made me feel hearty to do so. It stopped while I cleaned up & walked back to the tent to write & fall heavily asleep. Mmmm, Tetons ...
June 10:
40 miles to Frogg Ranch (between Grand Tetons & Yellowstone NPs). Mmmm, Tetons ... Awoke late (later than Joel) & meditated, then made hot cereal & tea while Joel & I chatted. Nice kid - not full of himself (despite heading to University of Michigan Dental School this summer), not too chatty, easygoing. The hike out was pleasant along Phelps Lake & we hitched the 1st car - & then it gets crazy. So, Gaston & Gesille Suarez pick us up & we figure out that he works at Intel in The Massachusetts plant as an ex-pat from the Costa Rica plant. He was hired with the SECC expansion that I was a part of! He knew Isaac, Bill, Jun, & was 2-in-a-box with Tim Salo, who worked for me! & he knows Brian Kirzanich (Rae's boyfriend before she met me)! Crazy! I made lunch, packed the bike, said bye to Joel, & started a spellbinding ride north along the Teton Range. Eye Candy! It was cloudy on & behind the peaks, but they'd ocassionally clear & be so brilliant with sunlit snow as to take your breathe away. I took pictures for a couple motorbiking from Ohio - nice filks. The fun & familiar happened as I bought postcards at Signal Mountain - a sweet family from Chicago asked about the trip & we chatted for 20 minutes. Fun! I got to chat with Rae finally & I know I love her more than ever - she is so happy that I'm having fun! How luck am I? The views continued to unfold with lakes mirroring the peaks & clouds, immense couliours, & brilliant granite. The smell of pine so fragrant that you noticed anew with every breath. One climb & a long, smooth, fast descent & I arrived at the Frogg Ranch CG but $38 was too steep so the really nice kid, Jeff, working the counter pointed me 1.5 miles down Grassy Meadows road & ... BINGO! The best campspot yet: snow-covered peaks in the distance, a young but full Snake River 10 ft from the tent, swans, geese, ducks, picnic tables, bear boxes, & free! I set up camp, stretched, & rode back to the lodge for a very expensive burger & beers. As I was leaving I see three riders heading down my road & it's Noah, Chip, & Phillip, 3 really young (think high school) brothers riding from Medford, OR, to the southeast coast . Out for ten days already, they have a lot of the drill down & these home-schooled kids seem really confident, happy, & fun. Clearly religious as they had their bibles out when I wandered over to chat again after they'd set up camp. They've been riding late into the evening every day, then knocking on doors & sleeping in barns, yards, & even a greenhouse. Their goal is to ride 8800 miles in 130 days ... I decided not to suggest they slow down ... youth. They mentioned another tourer heading to Alaska but he's already well ahead & I'm busy slowing down, as I intend to fully enjoy The Rockies. I returned to camp by the river & sat in the bank enjoying the moonlit ripples & distant snow. It was a lovely temperature & light breeze so I lingered until I nearly nodded into the water. It's seeming more & more like Hogan will meet me in Glacier on or around the 19th! Stoked! Yellowstone tomorrow! OMG! So excited! This terrain & my headspace are coming into alignment & I'm really digging my life!
June 11:
66 miles to Madison Junction CG, Yellowstone NP. 930-630. It was nice but threatening when I rolled out of the tent. Packing has become an efficient routine & I headed over to say bye to the boys as they were starting a fire for their rest day. Breakfast was pretty good, though pricey, & I was on the road to Yellowstone! The park entrance was just 4 miles along & I got to see a tourist herd disembark from buses to take the same park sign picture I'd just snapped. Roadside banks of snow 4-10 ft tall were present immediately & it became a familar barrier for 35 miles. It started raining at mile 10 & didn't let up til Grant Village at mile 25, but it was extremely & wildly scenic despite the wet. Snake River urgently roared through narrow canyons having come from broad, marshy flats. Lewis Lake was quite big & completely frozen! At times I was so swept with the beauty that I would crinkle my face just to shed tears. Evidence of the 1988 fire was widespread but not prevelant & it was satisfying to see a naturally burned forest recuperating so vigorously ( good job, Park Service!). When I crossed the 3rd Continental Divide pass of the day, the roadside snow was gone & it was only evident on the north slopes of hills. Old Faithful went off within 15 minutes of my arrival & with video rolling - big crowd ... Several folks noticed the sign, including a cute gal & her mom from Wisconsin & some dudes who'd done TransAm a few years ago. Intrigued by pools, geysers, & Firehole River, I stopped & walked all the pullouts, where I met an ex-pat French family living in the States & an adventure blogger, Chris, who is gonna link this to his site. Cool folks! Those pools are surreal, deep, transparent, & captivating! A carload of Tetons rangers who'd seen me in their park pulled over with food, questions, encouragement, & not soon after I spotted an osprey fishing! A couple from St. Augustine, FL, at a picturesque waterfall pullout were great fun to chat with. I saw bison on the distance so rode a dirt road for a ways to get a better look - huge! The 20 miles to the CG along the Firehole & Nrz Perc rivers was downhill, in partial sun, & immensely beautiful - meadows, lodgepole pines (old & young), elk, pools ... mmm, tasty. Mel & John from New Zealand were in the hiker-biker already. They left on a moutain bike tandem El Paso 6 weeks ago on the Continental Divide trail, heading for Banff, then Vancouver! Their best story was the one where they get lost, accept beta from hunter, & then have to carry the bike & panniers in stages for 12 hours through waist-high tree deadfall! OMG! With typical UK understatement, they described it hilariously & downplayed the difficulty. They're both in medicine so plenty of jobs await when they return in late July. Aaron & Erin rolled in as I was stretching. They met & married in Tanzania through Peace Corps & were celebrating their 8th anniversary riding from Rock Springs to Banff. He's a school teacher & she's after a PhD at Tulane. Dinner of rice, paneer, pepper, onion, garlic plus poptarts & a Milky Way were eaten in the amphitheatre where an impassioned young ranger talked knowledgably about forest fires & keeping extractive industries out of the park - I was not joined by anyone when I whooped my approval & clapped loudly. Wierd - why are you in a NP if you can't appreciate what it's not: a vast untapped resource for more comfort & convenience?! Aaron heard me rattling the bear box & popped out to pepper me with questions. Fun, thoughtful, funny, & a great laugh, so a very nice cap to a really special day. I'll sleep well.