Grand Teton Part 3of 3

To do any back country camping in Grand Teton NP, you need a permit. Many permits can be reserved online in advance. However, a certain percentage are saved every day for first come, first serve. I didn't reserve any permits because there were to many variables. We were not sure what days we would be going to the Tetons. Also, the weather could be bad, we could have car trouble, etc...

Even though I didn't reserve a permit, I wanted to do an overnight to do a loop through two mountain passes to go around the back side of the Tetons. To get a first come permit, you need to be at one of the ranger stations at 8 am. The permits go fast, so there is not point showing up at 9 or 10.

DJ and I arrived at the ranger station a little before 8 am. We were the first people in line at this station. Permits can not be obtained until 8, because the program is locked until then ( so I was told at the time). When I asked for a permit, the ranger told me all the spots were full. He then proceeded to ask me how much hiking I wanted to do and started questioning my experience.

I am absolutely positive that I did not get a permit, because I was still somewhat overweight and the

ranger did not think I could handle a backcountry hike. I don't normally feel like the world is out to get me, but I know the ranger lied to me and told me the permits were already sold out. Really, at 8:00 am and ten seconds all available permits were gone? I'm calling bullshit!

 Needless to say, I was pissed beyond belief. Being so angry, I did not plan on staying in the park or giving the park one more penny of mine. I still wanted to see the backside of the Tetons more than anything in the world. So if I couldn't hike in from the east, I'd do the next best thing and hike in from the west. The mountain range runs north and south. To the east is the sagebrush prairie you have seen in the pictures from the other to posts. To the west of the mountain range and the national park boundary is a national forest. The national forest does not require permits to camp.

So I left the asshole ranger, went back to the campground and packed up and left. DJ and I drove south out of the park. We drove around the park in a big U, We drove into Idaho and a trailhead to an area outside the park called the Alaska Basin.

The Alaska Basin is a beautiful area above timberline in the national forest. After our long drive

Sunset Lake and Battleship Mountain

through eastern Idaho we got to the trailhead in early afternoon. We loaded our backpacks with tent, sleeping bag and all the overnight gear we'd need. Almost immediately we see a moose staying cool under a tree. Then we walk through a huge wildflower meadow. From there, things got tough. The elevation gain and grade were relentless. I couldn't find out later of what the elevation gain was for the hike, but I estimate 5000 feet ( for reference, Mt Washington is about 4200 from trailhead to summit). When we finally made it, we ate supper and went to bed. I do remember not sleeping well because it was a full moon on a very clear night. I could have read by moonlight if I wanted.

The next morning carrying a lot less weight we headed up to the divide. We passed Sunset Lake and had to walk through a snowfield. What a view of the Tetons when we emerged. We enjoyed the view for a couple of hours. We had some Hersheys Bars that had warmed in our backpack. We stuck them in a snowbank to cool off. We also stepped on a glacier (Schoolhouse Glacier).

We had a great time on this hike. After we got our fill of big views, we went back to our campsite and

Marmot

packed up. We made the long haul back down to the car. Even though the hike was downhill, it still seemed to take forever. However, he had one very memorable experience near the end of the hike.

As we were entering that wildflower meadow, we startled a mamma bear and her cub. I know better than to go anywhere near a defensive mother bear. When we startled them they took off into the woods. The bear was brown. Right away we feared we pissed off a grizz,but we were not sure because we did not see the definitive hump. Either way, for the first time in our trip, we took out the bear spray. We walked along the trail slowly hoping the bears were gone.

After we got past the spot the bears were at we looked back. Up on a rock directly above the trail, the momma bear was watching us. She was litterally ten feet above us as we walked by.  Needless to say, our heart was racing. The last two miles back to the car, we warned other hikers to be careful.

The foreground is Schoolhouse Glacier. Below is meltwater.
In the back are two of the Tetons

Heart pounding at the time. We were so tired from our hike. I remember my shoulders killing from carrying all that weight. All that said, one of the greatest hikes of my life. So screw you Teton Ranger! I did it anyway!

Heading back out. Sunset Lake at the bottom of this basin