Off-trail in the Teton Wilderness

[Stephanie Jordan]

Companion forum thread to:

Off-trail in the Teton Wilderness

[Curtis B.]

I'm not sure that this should be a featured article as much as perhaps a picture-heavy but lightweight trip report. It really doesn't share any great locations, practical tips, explicit gear reviews, or new research insights.

Oh, and the last time I was in the Tetons, bear canisters were required, not just unprotected bags. Is that no longer the case?

[Ken Thompson]

What did you consider to be the must see out there?

+1 w/Curtis Why share if you're not sharing?

[BlackHatGuy]

What can be said?

Ooooh, oooooh, pick me! Pick me!

How about:

Wow, fabulous pictures Luke, thanks for sharing them. I'm glad this is a featured article – that's why it caught my attention – instead of just being another post in a gear-swap-filled forum that is easily missed.

It sounds like a bittersweet trip, thanks for sharing some of your feelings as well. And thanks for not giving away everything, instead I can look at your pictures and daydream about my own trip to the area, While it doesn't share any great locations, practical tips, explicit gear reviews or new research insights, it DOES instead simply remind me that there's lots of beautiful country out there to explore, and simply following your trip isn't really me exploring, is it? Better for your trip to simply remind me of the joy of exploring on my own, and that it does.

So, again, thanks for sharing! Enjoy the rest of your summer.

[Anonymous]

"And thanks for not giving away everything, instead I can look at your pictures and daydream about my own trip to the area, While it doesn't share any great locations, practical tips, explicit gear reviews or new research insights, it DOES instead simply remind me that there's lots of beautiful country out there to explore, and simply following your trip isn't really me exploring, is it? Better for your trip to simply remind me of the joy of exploring on my own, and that it does.

So, again, thanks for sharing! Enjoy the rest of your summer."

+1 It's a trip report, not a guide book, and a good one at that.

One suggestion, Luke. Maybe take a look at the Nylobarrier bags for your food.
They're a lot easier to use, larger, lighter, cheaper, and at least as odor proof.
Ah'm in luv. ;0)

[Luke Schmidt]

I was in the Teton Wilderness which is completely different from the National Park. Bear canisters not are required. On my second trip there I actually considered a bear canister because of the hassle of finding a good bear hand tree. Its not hard in a valley but near treeline getting a good hang (i.e. ten feet up and four feet from a tree) tricky.

[Jerry Adams]

Wow! Nice area. Great pictures!

Those grizzlies make me nervous.

[Steven McAllister]

Nice trip report.

I agree about not posting an exact path.
My experience in the area has shown that you don't need a trail and in fact, the best way to experience t is to get off the trail and explore.
You do have to be flexible and plan for a good amount of extra time getting back as you found.

[Sam Farrington]

Luke,
Great read, and the pix illustrate the points very well.

Don't get me wrong, I love horsepackers because they keep a lot of the old routes open. But it's inspiring to get into untrammeled backcountry like you did, and with the Forest Service letting the more remote trails go, off-trail is becoming the only way to do that. But maybe a bit more SE, the Wind Rivers perhaps, to avoid the grizzlies a bit. Cluck-cluck.

[Luke Schmidt]

Jerry – Glad I'm not the only one that is a tad nervous about grizzlies. It was my first time solo in grizzly country and honestly it wasn't that bad except for the hike out. But considering the number of bears in that area, and the fact that it was dark, I think I had a right to be a bit nervous.

Samuel I was in the Winds for a short trip this summer. Two FS employees told me there were 7 confirmed grizzlies in the Ross Lake area and Balls and Sunshine saw one fairly far south in the Winds. So I guess you can't get away from them.

Regarding not sharing the route, I'll clarify a bit. I'm not out to be a jerk. I've happily shared route advice on many other areas and continue to do so. I just did not feel comfortable sharing secret places on the world wide web where anyone on earth could find it with a google search.

Most wilderness areas are not only mapped and explored but you can look up detailed trip reports, google images etc. so there is very little sense of "exploring." Not this area. I had to do most of my trip planning the old fashioned way with a topo map. It was frustrating at times but it was an adventure in a way that hiking an established route in Colorado is not. I didn't feel like I should spoil that for anyone. I'd rather have a few places where people can go out and discover things without a guidebook or trip report telling them what to expect.

[Q Smith]

I enjoyed the report. I think it is deserving of feature article status.

Grizz bother me a lot. I was in Winds 3 weeks ago via scab creek, dream lake. Saw no bear sign. Supposed to be very few Grizz in those parts – a reason I picked it – ok I went for the trout too!

It is a long ass drive from fredericksburg tx to Pinedale and back but worth it. I was in Chicago basin before the Winds and the Winds feel intimate and personal compared to the high and massive Colorado 14ers.

[Q Smith]

Dude I lived in Seminole and Andrews – both long before you were born but they haven't changed much. My oldest daughter is at TT.

Have you had a chihuahua at the drive in theater in Lamesa? Yum.

Q

[Luke Schmidt]

Thanks for the kind words and local tips Q. I was only able to see a bit of the Winds but I liked them.

I'll probably post a few pics of the Wind River trip in the forums when I have time. It was kind of a fiasco. We lost our map so going off trail didn't work. Then our water purification died and on and on. Nothing went as planned but it was still fun.

[Q Smith]

i went to the winds because a buddy raved about his experiences there the past 35 years – in a row!

he goes off trail all the time once he gets up higher and deeper in the wilderness. he told me it takes about 3x as long when you go off trail but it is a 3x better adventure

photo link https://plus.google.com/112022278171149836103/posts/aCzc4VScdMy

q

[Nick Gatel]

Enjoyed it.

Re: not providing details of your off-trail route. Good for you. Those interested in a similar trip can do their own research like you did.

[Justin Baker]

"he told me it takes about 3x as long when you go off trail but it is a 3x better adventure"
The thing with going off trail is you can't always predict how much it will slow you down. Walking on open tundra? No problem, you can probably go faster than on a trail. Boulders and rocks will slow you down a bunch. Then there is actual bushwacking and crawling through deadfall that will slow you down the most.

I agree with it being 3x the adventure. All of my most memorable trips involved exploring off trail.

I enjoyed the trip report Luke.

[Author]

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