It was now July 3rd and with our work responsibilities behind us, we woke up early to eat breakfast at the hotel so we could get on the road and make our way back to the Tetons. Our plan for the day was to hike Paintbrush Canyon Trail and then, if we could make it through the snow, over the Paintbrush Divide and down to Lake Solitude and Cascade Canyon, closing the 20 mile loop at Jenny Lake.
So off we went, headed towards Holly Lake, which was just below the Divide. We came across snow about 1.5 miles from the lake, so we assumed the Divide was probably quite covered and therefore inaccessible unless you had the proper gear/equipment (ie. ice axes and crampons) - which we did not. The views of the Tetons throughout the hike were stunning and once we made it to Holly Lake and had a quick lunch, we decided to push on to see how much further along the trail we could make it (and by trail I mean where we thought the trail would be because everything was COVERED in snow).
We started our ascent up through the snow and eventually came across some footprints
going straight up the mountain that appeared as though they were from earlier that day or the day before. I was pretty terrified at this point considering we had zero equipment and the mountain was extremely steep, but after some discussion we decided it seemed safe enough. So we said a quick prayer, put our gloves on, and began climbing up on all fours.
I went first – so Jordan could catch me if I started falling down the mountain (no joke) – and we made it up until the footprints changed direction and started going straight across, along the edge of the mountain. Neither of us felt comfortable at that point to push on without any self-arrest tools, so we made our way back in hopes of finding another possible route to the Divide. With Jordan now taking the lead, we started making our way along a rock pile that was interspersed with patches of steep snow. Then, upon seeing a section of the actual trail up higher (without snow), we began rock climbing until we reached another steep section of snow. We could see the trail on the other side of the mountain, just about 20 feet out of reach. Jordan kept trying to find a safe way up but without the proper gear or climbing knowledge, it just wasn’t going to happen for us that day.
We had had a later start than planned that morning and had given ourselves the deadline of 5pm to make a final decision if we would push on or turn back for the 8 mile hike back to our car. We decided that the best option would be to turn around, and for the first time that day I really became aware of just how far up we were and how steep of a ledge we were on. That may sound silly, but deep down I knew that if I really thought about it prior to our exploration I would have backed out, so instead I went with the old “out of sight out of mind” way of thinking. I also knew that Jordan would safely lead the way and wouldn’t put us in a situation that we both couldn’t handle.
After we were safely back down, he kept saying how surprised he was by how far I had actually gone. But let me tell you, the moment we decided to turn around and I looked down to see where we had come from – and where we had to go back now – my heart stopped for a few seconds and I began hyperventilating. All I could think was, “I can’t do this. I am going to be stuck at the top of this mountain. And it’s getting dark”. But I didn’t verbalize any of those thoughts (at that time at least). I simply tried to focus on the task at hand, and we made our way down, Jordan leading the way.
Once we reached the less steep areas of snow, Jordan convinced me that sliding down would be a much faster – and fun – way to go down the mountain. So we slid our way down, back down to Holly Lake, and finished our hike just before dark and before the rain starting falling harder (we had some drizzle the last few miles).
At the end of it all, we hiked about 18+ miles, gained over 4000 feet in elevation, and were hiking for over 8 hours straight. We headed out of the park, down Antelope Creek Road, and after searching for a while, we finally found a place to camp for the night around 9:30pm. During the night it started pouring and there was a lot of thunder and lightning. I laid awake most of the night listening/watching the storm, which was a really neat experience, but it also meant I got very little sleep.
All in all, it was an amazing day of exploring with my adventure buddy and was probably our favorite day of the entire Teton trip. Mountains sure do have a way of completely humbling you by making you feel small and insignificant, and I was proud of myself for what I accomplished both physically and mentally that day. And of course, the views that we experienced at the top were unbelievable. We had one more day in these beautiful, rugged mountains, and I couldn’t wait to see what the next day had in store for us.
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