I needed to be off my saddle for a few days, and Jackson didn't seem like my kind of town, so I stayed at the american alpine club climbers' ranch about 25 miles north of Jackson, in the middle of the National Park. The location was perfect for me: on the foothills of the huge mountain range encompassed in the park, so I was able to make hikes straight from the ranch up the mountains. Many high lakes, good weather and a lot of snow still up there. On my last day there, Matt took me to hike Teewinot peak. Now that's a big boy, at 3200m, and steep as well, but the word was: no climbing involved... you just need an ice axe!
So there we were, at 7 am, looking at the huge peak in front uf us, not exactly sure where the trail started. and it was a straight shot once we found it: going directly towards the top. The ice axes were meant to safely cross a few snow patches on the way, but boy did it take long to reach the top! As the slope's grade gets steeper, the time to advance each additional step is exponentially difficult since there is more climbing, more wind and less oxygen. Right before reaching the top, Matt and I got separated, each going on his own side of a ridge, and when I reached the shoulder on my side of the ridge, a fantastic view was the reward. How steep was the west slope ! It felt like sitting on top of a climbing wall, only a 1500m high one. My legs were shaking !
Must I add that getting there was just the easy part, since we then had to make it back down safely, and that was no small deal! My rental shoes were killing my feet, and I was out of food. On top of that, going down the snow fields without a rope is a freaky experience , all I could see was the boulder field waaaay below the snow patch, wondering how long it could take to stop if I slipped on the snow... better be before the rocks !
Happily enough, Matt and I finally killed our fear by discussing politics, and that was all we cared about until we got back to the parking lot. 10 hours after starting ! So we were safe, and celebrated with a good diner.
The next day I headed off in order to go back to the green river valley, where I had been the week before, but via a singletrack this time. It took me all afternoon to get to the start of the singletrack, along Gros Ventre River and a beautiful valley bordered by red rock mountains. The alternates of green and red were just great, and I camped on a great spot that night, rediscovering the pleasures of campfire along the river. The singletrack ended up being just tough, with not much route finding challenges, and tough I can handle. Still took me the whole morning to cover those 10 km. And when I rode along kinky creek towards union pass, it was past my lunch time, but I needed some shade to rest, and there was none in sight. So I pushed further, and finally stopped right by the side of the road, where a lone aspen protected me from the sun while eating my sandwich. That was somehow miserable, but then luck struck : a ranger drove by, and invited me for dinner if I could make it 25 km further. The diner was a good motivation, and I ended my day further than planned, eating a great diner in the charming company of Robert and Maria who inhabit the FishCreek Guard station south of Union Pass. The fried trout was lip smacking, and the conversation eclectic...it was followed by a nice campfire where we discussed memories of central america with Maria- the granddaughter of the British ambassador in Panama - and got to shoot some .44 magnum with Robert. The most powerful handgun in the world, he keeps loaded for the most feared predator in the area : the grizzly.
The next day was tough but short, and I was very relaxed as I knew I was staying with Dave and Jo-Ann in their lovely home in Aspen Meadows. Again, the menu was fantastic, and I got a first on baseball watching the Cubs beat the Brewers. That made me completely relaxed for the next day, and after a huge breakfast ( Jo Ann, your blueberry pancakes are a keeper for France!) I set off to climb Togwotee Pass. In spite of the headwind that accompanied me the whole day, I got on top ahead of schedule, got a great view at turn 34 that I had missed the week before due to the bad weather, and ever had time for lunch at the mountain lodge down the road. The wind is mental, but my spirits were good. Still it was late when I finally pulled in at the climbers' ranch and I got the last spot there ! This place is definitely unique, I like seeing everybody cooking on their own little camping stove, and it's always the fathers who do it, because you see, climbing is a boys thing. They cook for their kids and for their wives, and then they proceed to clean the dishes... as if they did it every day... or not .
So here I am, back in Jackson, enjoying some civilization before I head north again. Montana, here I come!
Time for some stats , and one good pic sent by Meris as a reminder of New Mexico where I saw my first cowboy.
Bad ass girls like bad ass toys
Average biked per day, last seven days : 43 km (including 4 days' rest, not bad!)
Weight : 71 kg
Number of times continental divide crossed : 22 out of 31
That one was on top of Carnero pass
Xav, this one is for you, in memory of all this Fire in the hole nights spent kicking terrorists' asses:
That was the best part of New Mexico, the stretch between Grants and Cuba was like biking the Grand Canyon. Well worth the sand storms.
