Off-trail in the Teton Wilderness – Take 2

[Stephanie Jordan]

Companion forum thread to:

Off-trail in the Teton Wilderness – Take 2

[Desert Dweller]

Beautiful photos, thanks for posting!

[Dena Kelley]

Very much enjoyed the photos. Thanks!

[peter vacco]

beautiful place. simply stunning.

bear wise : (the way i read it) you seem to have interrupted a feeding cycle. which is perhaps not really the world's greatest idea.
but nothing came of it, and that's great.
when they are engaged digging/eating one often has plenty of time to make elsewhere. patience is a virtue in such matters.
many times, if one just makes being gone for a bit, and comes back later, they will have moved off in search of another innocent animal's house to rip the roof off of, and thence to devour alive.

we'd not get in the way of an eating dog. right ?
that can (among other things … ) of theoretically effective spray shrinks a LOT as the bear gets closer.

lovely pics.
Thank You !

v.

[Patrick Starich]

Thanks for the trip notes. Great photos. The views make me want to return to the Tetons this fall.

[Luke Schmidt]

I guess I could have tried to make a big circle around the bear. That is why I just backed away from the first one. On the other hand I lost track of where the first bear was so I wasn't sure where he'd pop up again. Not a big deal once I put a broad valley between me and the bears last location. However given the terrain (rolling hills and rocks) I figured if I tried to sneak past the second bear I'd loose track of where he was and risk running into him again. I just figured I'd rather let the bear know I was around while he had plenty of room.

It was definitely a confidence booster to chase a bear!

I'm rather tickled that in one picture it says I'm "off trail" but there is a trail right behind me! That is actually my mistake. Technically I was off trail but right about the time I took that picture I found an unofficial trail. It was not on the map but it led partway down the valley and ended near the "real" FS trail. Whether it was an outfitters trail or a game trail I can't say. It was pretty faint so it really didn't do me a while lot of good.

[Monty Montana]

Hi Luke! It looked like you were wearing Altra Lone Peak trail runners. How did they work out for you going cross country? I tried using them in the Pintlar's but they sure challanged my sore dogs negotiating talus and steep side hilling. Your experience? Thanks.

Happy Trails!

[Luke Schmidt]

I love the Lone Peaks because they fit me so well. The traction was good for the most part. There were two times when they were not perfect

1. Muddy trails – The trail the first day was very sticky slippery mud. That would have been a challenge for any footwear but more aggressive lugs would have helped.

2. Steep Slopes – On really steep slopes I could have used more aggressive lugs to dig in better.

One other thing about Lone Peaks, they are a bit looser then I'd like in the heel cup. There was a fine line between tying them up tight enough to lock my heel in place and making them too tight.

I believe I heard the newer version of the Lone Peak solves the heal problem.

I would suggest training in zero drop shoes before you go on a trip in these. I was fine because I'd trained most of the spring in Trail Gloves and I'd worn minimalist shoes most days at work. Even so I noticed soreness in new areas of my feet. Not a huge deal but I could tell walking in these shoes was a bit different.

[Max Neale]

I believe that "conquer" is one of the worst possible word choices for the subtitle. How about "explore" or "enjoy" this vast wilderness? Conquer runs contradictory of the paradigm set forth by Ryan and Dave- the philosophy that backpacking is about exploring new areas, learning new things, and perhaps testing your physical and mental limits.

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