Montana!!!

Hi everyone quick update/ it is friggin incredible here!!! We are in Montana before we head back to Jackson. Dry camping is interesting and only but one notch above tent camping. all the sites have just been breathtaking with every turn showing us a new way. Storm is coming in as i type gotta go.... see you later!! love you Tracey

Update....we have connections!!

Hello all, thanks for your patience and hanging with me. We have not been able to get electric internet or cell all at the same time until now! so we are sitting in Grant Village inside Yellowstone in the General Store getting caught up. I am posting some of my favorite pictures for you along with the events so far. Wish you all were here! it is awesome.! T

June 18 Update……
Well what can I say??? Being off grid is a bit of a hassle but it is so nice too! I was so excited to have a way to share with everyone that I did not stop to think I might not be able to have access to the Internet! But today I do. At least for a bit. So let me fill you in on the adventure so far. So here we go…….

Friday the 13th I flew into Jackson Hole Wyoming coming in thru the Grand Teton…. did you know the airport is on Federal Park Land? I had the privilege of sitting next to a geology professor from the university of Texas and he explained where I was and where I was going. The snow had been falling for the last 3 days with temps into the 20s until that day. The high was 51-night time temp 30. Really nice!
As we drove from the airport we stopped to watch a small herd of bison cross the road with their calves to settle in before sunset at 9pm. You will see the pics….. hold on just a minute. We camped for two nights in Gros Ventre (grow vont) taking a 4-mile day hike on Death Canyon Trail. Not too sure where the name came from but it was a good first day hike. The goal was to get to Phelps Lake overlook. It was a pretty easy with lots cool places and open meadows. One of which we found a black bear still wearing his winter coat. He crossed the trail twice while we were visiting the overlook. The lake is large and that deep blue very much like the northwest pacific area. After having a light lunch we headed back with no site of the bear. That night we sat for the Rangers Campfire talk and were joined by 5 large bull bison. Probably out for a “bulls” night. I signed up for the Junior Ranger Program…..got a really cool patch….and thus began the adventure.

Sunday the 15th we headed out to Colbert Bay for the Luxury recharge meaning we had electricity hot water and a slight chance of cellular just not mine. After a night of recharge and planning we went back to dry camping for 2 nights. Amazingly, its like hotels…the hook up is 2x as much the dry. We packed our backpacks to head out on our first overnight. We decided to do Cascade Canyon North Fork. We spoke to the rangers and found that there was snow about the last ½ mile to the fork and then only snow past that. Perfect!! We wanted …wait….I wanted to camp in the snow. Michael was most kind to accommodate me. The bear activity in the area was not too bad due to the late snowfall but we still we are alert. We bought our bear gun spray and used a bear box for our food. It is a compact cylinder with a lock on it that will discourage the bear should he run across it. We still kept it far from camp. We hiked most of the day with a 1200 foot increase in altitude. After parking in the lot we loaded our packs on our backs….me with my Deva 60 carrying about 35lbs and Michael carrying 50lbs. When doing an overnight it is crucial you have a dry set of socks and clothes plus any medications, emergency equipment and water most important. Most of the weight was water.
There was so many different landscapes as we hiked up to Inspiration Point and then onto Cascade Canyon. Snowdrifts were still very prevalent and odd as we trekked into the canyon barron and dry the mountains towering over us. The temp was perfect with the sunshining down and nice breeze from the Cascade Falls that we followed along. As we got closer to our campsite, we began to wonder who put all this snow here??? Having not done this before, I was like a kid just trekking along. It was beauty like I have not seen. Once past the bridge that crosses over the Cascade River we were hiking in snow. As we got to the fork, we still had about two hundred yards before the area for camping. By now we had been traveling since noon and it was now after 8pm with no dinner and light closing in about 45 minutes. My next step was up to my thighs in snow and finding camp was on immediate due to wet feet and pantleg. Micheal quickly scouted out a perfect spot of grass surrounded by snow about 100 feet from the trail. In less than 15 minutes we had the tent up dinner cooking and packs ready to put inside. Dinner was Chicken and Rice soup hot tea and saltine crackers. It was AWESOME!!! We got into the tent before dark and waited for the sun to go down toasting the trip with the 3oz of wine I brought. Weight is everything when you carry it yourself.  The crazy part was the late night potty break in 35 degrees in the middle of nowhere!!! But there is a reason I go to the gym and practice my squats and lunges. Lol
Morning came early and we had breakfast of coffee….fresh….apple, cheese and tuna wrap. Camp broken we headed back down. As we traveled we met others coming up and were able to chat and share stories. As we got into the canyon, we saw a bull moose laying down having his lunch. It was incredible to see such a creature. Lying down he was huge! We landed back to Jenny Lake at 4:30 our total trip taking a total of 14 hours plus sleep time. It was so worth the walk. One note is that I had no trouble with my pack fitting and riding well. Unfortunetly, Michael had a bad time with his pack. If you ever want to do something like this…get fitted by someone who knows their stuff when picking out a pack. It makes all the difference in the world.

Tuesday June 17th

Back at camp we regroup and do some close by sight seeing of the other campgrounds and some house cleaning before we head to Yellowstone tomorrow. Can’t wait to see the Old Faithful!!!! Good night for now. Tracey

the night before.....

Its 10:00pm and by dear friend Elaine is driving me to Tampa where I catch the early bird flight. Luckily the rain stayed in south FL. After weighing my bags for a grand total of 70lbs in 3 bags. I was still trying to out think the TSA and what I could carry on and what needed to be checked. With all the changes in regulatory guidlines, it is best to check their website or call them direct. That's what I did. After stating my name address and shoe size (not really), I learned that it really was up to the airlines! Go figure.
I am wired to say the least. It is currently snowy and of course freezing but the sun is supposed to come out tomorrow. It must know I am coming for a visit :). A word to the wise....myself included, don't second guess what you have planned to pack! If you do, you may end up bringing things you don't need and be stuck with no space to put the things you bought because you forgot to bring them. I have actually heard that people will bring a wee bit and buy the rest when they get to where they are going. I am not there yet. Tomorrow is an early day. Land in Jackson Hole at noon. Hopefully , Micheal has not frozen and will be there to pick me up.
And so the adventure begins! Tracey

Packing complete!

So here is the stuff that has to go in my backpack to get to Jackson. ummmm how will it all fit? remember that my sleeping bag and tent are already in the pack. Most of the clothing is "layer" clothes. due to unknown weather extremes, it is always best to have more cold weather clothes than not enough. You can always take it off!!!! So I have 4 pair of pants, all dry quickly, one pair long that unzipp to shorts. (this of course is the lastest style craze),3 pairs of shorts for those warm 70 degree afternoon hikes,and 8 shirts all interchangeable and range from no sleeve to longsleeve sunblock.
Now here is a fashion note. How do I get some color and change into my otherwise blah wardrobe?? Bandanas of course! they serve many purposes from head bands to flags. The bright colors can be fun accessories but can serve for emergency heat,flag or even face cover. There is actually a book that has more things but I will have to share that with you later.
The backpack will go into a duffle to fly due to the many straps and such. I will be able to put the sleep mat and shoes in there too. with one carry on and a day pack I will be light in my travel.

Packing begins..

So the week starts tomorrow with the task of careful packing. Due to the size of my pack, a 3500 cubic inch Gregory Deva, as well as the straps I have a duffle bag to place around my packed pack. After doing my trial walking about 2 miles, rounding up and feeding horses at a friends, the pack is getting an A+ rating for comfort. It is best to pack your backpack with all the items not allowed on the plane as well as the bulk of your clothes and send it as checked baggage. With the new rules of only one checked bag,this works best. The other carry on will include camera, jacket change of clothes including the shoes for hiking. It looks like I will be able to get it all in the duffle. We will see tomorrow.

6 more days.

Hello all. This is the start of my 'packing' countdown. Six more days and I will be in Jackon Wyoming to start my adventure. I am a bit excited to say the least. Today I have my pack loaded for an overnight hike...this can be for one or two nights.....and will doing a walk about on my friends farm in NFM. It will give me a bit of a taste of walking a mile or so in full gear. No worries, I will post a photo to share! Right now, my pack comes in at 20lbs without food. I expect that another 5lbs for food will do the trick. This includes of course my inflatable bedding and teddy bear for sleeping. Trying to go light is not as hard as it seems. One must be ready though to throw all 'stylishness' to the wind. Hence the reason for 3 shades of khaki and neon shirts with the everso girly, hiking boots. Don't laugh, that is what saves you in the long run, not the outfit.
So hope you enjoy my first attempt at Bloggin' and again feel free to share with your peeps---who knows!? They may want to go for it themselves.


Travlin' Tracey.