Signal Mountain Road

                         

Super Bowl Sunday, to us non-football fans (Well one of us is, but that team isn't  in the game) is a great day to take advantage of the outdoors, free from those entranced in the big game. In the spirit of that mood, and also because Saturday we had other plans, we set out to enjoy more winter hiking while most were at home cozy and warm with friends and family. We set out once again to freeze our butts off.  

Yesterday (2/6/11), we decided to head up to Jackson Lake. Our original destination for last weeks hike as you may recall. We again entered GTNP through the Moran entrance and took a left at the Jackson Lake Junction. On our way to the Signal Mountain Lodge Parking area we spotted a pull out near the Chapel of the Sacred Heart. Seeing as it was adjacent to the Lake we thought that maybe it would be a good trail to follow. So we parked the van and got out to investigate. With the kids in the lead we followed the trail until it dead-ended in a loop around the churches parking lot. The kids as usual found a positive aspect in a let-down-hike and once again found a snow hill to play on, while Kevin and I regrouped. As is our fashion before giving up on the trail altogether Kevin went off to investigate whether or not we would be able to break a new trail. After about 5 minutes of plowing through the snow he came back with the report that it would be manageable, but climbing back up the slope would be difficult. With that information, and last weeks not-so-triumphant hike we decided that this week we best stick to a path. Thus decided we declared this hike over and went back to the car. Emma, being sure to let me know that these "mini hikes" were her least favorite, and she wanted to go on a long hike and have a fire, today. With Emma's demands in mind we drove to the end of the road, which like most closed roads in Wyoming, promptly leads to a non-motorized path. Once again we parked, and unloaded the car and set out.

The trail we were on was really just the main road of the park, buried under snow. Which in the winter is a convenient place to hike, cross country ski, snowshoe, or get out in the snow by whatever means suits you. A great bonus about this trail is that it allows pets! Most National Park trails are closed to our four legged friends, so this was a nice treat. Not that we have a dog, but we dog sit from time to time and its nice to find a trail that we can bring our furry friends on as well.
  
   Eventually we came to Signal Mountain Road and decided to take a left and see where that went. This path was less frequented than the previous trail. We only saw one set of cross country ski tracks and they appeared to have already come and gone. We followed this road as it wound through the forest and up a few hills. After about a half hour on this trail the kids were inches from lying down and quitting, Kevin took the hint and went ahead of us to find a suitable place to stop and rest. I with much coaxing, pleading and even a bit of pushing finally got the kids to Kevin's rest stop, where he had already gathered tinder and wood and was in the process of building a fire. The Children upon seeing Kevin's track fork off the road and into the woods instantly regained vigor and will power and followed the footprints into the forest. Jack and Emma started at once on making a fort, beds and a snow cave, Lulu was feeling a bit under the weather and took the opportunity to rest.




Kevin made us a nice toasty fire and we all took off our gloves and mittens and set them out to dry while we ate a lunch of sandwiches (tuna for the girls and pb&j for the boys), animal crackers and water. We stayed at the fire for about a half hour, before we became too restless to sit any longer. With toasty warm gloves and full tummies, we buried the fire and set ourselves on the path home.

This hike was by far the longest we have done this winter and it made us ever more grateful that winter will soon end. Jack needed a short ride on both the trip there and the trip back, and out of sympathy Kevin gave each the girls a five minute ride. From start to finish was two and a half hours and we hiked 3 miles. The end of this hike left me thinking, "If we can hike three miles, in fresh four inch deep snow, with the added weight of snow gear, at an altitude over a mile high with three kids, what can't we do?" Until next week, Be safe and Be well.

Kevin Never loosing an opportunity for Adventure

A woodpecker we stopped and watched.

Oxbow Bend

I don't think that there is anyone out there who will deny the many disadvantages of winter. Those of us in Jackson tend to see past the mountains of snow, the constant sub zero temperatures and the obvious downsides of the 8 months of cold, and instead focus our gaze on the positive aspects of winter. For example, rivers freeze over and provide access to places typically "off-limits" in the spring and summer. This past weekend we took advantage of such an opportunity to explore the islands of Oxbow Bend.

For those of you unfamiliar with Oxbow Bend, its an amazing place where the snake river floods around islands and is a magnificent gathering place for wildlife.. In the summer it isn't rare to find birds and beasts refreshing themselves along this wide mellow stretch of the Snake River. In winter it freezes, not all of it of course but a huge part of it, which makes crossing over to the islands super duper easy.

Oxbow Bend lies just inside the North Entrance (Moran) to Grand Teton National Park. From this entrance it is on the left hand side of the road and there is a pull off area where you can park. One of the best parts of Oxbow bend is that its just off to the side of the main road so you cannot miss it.

Once we got all the kids out of the car and bundled up in their winter gear we set out. This first obstacle was just getting down to the path. the kids felt the simplest way down was just to sit and slide, of course for us adults that's not such a simple thing, so we just walked down carefully. The path we followed this time was made by snowshoers and much more difficult to follow, though much easier than making our own. We followed the path as it traced the banks of the river and up and through a willow patch. Here it became much more difficult, as the snow was webbed through by willow branches and bushes. Kevin and I often found ourselves hip-deep in snow and that became very frustrating very fast.

After the path we were on crossed over the first small island it continued to edge along the bank instead of crossing over onto the more well established islands, the ones that are forested with trees and not just shrubs. We of course wanted to go into the trees, and as the path we were on seemed to follow the bank and didn't cross over to the islands, we figured we would make our own path.

Which was the most exhausting decision of the day. Emma and Lulu took the lead with Kevin hot on their heels and Jack drifted somewhere in between Kevin and I. Typically we wouldn't have the girls going first over a frozen river, but the elk path we were following lead us to believe if a minimum 600 pound beast could cross our 30-something pound kids would be OK. After all Kevin was less than an arms reach away, and it would be easier for them to make a trail then to try and walk in our four-foot-deep footprints.  With much difficulty for the adults and minimum exertion required of the children we crossed the ice and made it to a wooded island. Where we stopped and rested, while the inexhaustible Kevin went tramping through the snow to determine our next move.

Near the end of the hike, We made it into the trees.

Shortly however we discovered that snow-hiking isn't super popular for good reasons. Snow melts, and even snow that looks solid might just crumble away at the notion of a boot heel. Exasperated and exhausted we convinced the kids to trek back to the car and we would find a better place to hike. So we set ourselves on the way back to the van.

The total hike took about 45 minutes. As a rough guess I would say we covered just under a mile in distance.
When we arrived back at the van Emma asked us if she could play on the giant pile of snow we had to climb down to get to the trail. We were in no rush and since the hike wasn't an epic success we figured we would have a bit of fun before the day ended. Since it was unbelievably warm we ditched the coats (but kept the gloves and snow pants) and hung out in the warm (22*) winter sun.

The "Mountain"



Emma Sliding down "The Mountain"



Jack's turn

Lulu near the bottom.

The kids found a path down the "mountain" and turned it into their snow slide. I, in the heat of the moment, threw a snowball at Emma as she was perched at the top, and thus started an all out snowball war. She promptly took advantage of the opportunity, hiding behind the burms and lobbing down chunks of snow at Kevin and I. Lucy and Jack set their minds on making "snow beds" and let Kevin, Emma and I battle it out on our own. We hung out on the "mountain" for about 45 minutes and then headed on our way home, as we had other fun adventures in store!