Sierra Trip Reports

Dates: Friday, August 24 – Monday, September 3, 2012

Locations: Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Photos: Sarah & Nick

Synopsis: Last November, I recall sitting back on the porch of Sarah’s mother’s home and discussing cool trips we would like to go on. After some discussion, I mentioned that I really wanted to go back up to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. I had been to each as a very young kid with my parents (around age 10), but wanted to go back one day and fly fish, hike, kayak and generally see the terrain and wildlife. Sarah was immediately hooked on the idea, so we began planning the trip. This was Sarah’s first visit to to the area, and I could sense how excited she was becoming in the weeks leading up to the trip as I forwarded pictures from the area during the work week. We were both excited as we had a large number of activities planned, including white water kayaking, fly fishing, hiking and lake kayaking. I was secretly also very excited as I was planning on proposing to Sarah during our first night (suspense, suspense!).

For the first leg of our trip, we stayed in Moose, WY at McReynold’s Blacktail Cabins (in the West Cabin). In planning our trip, we had wanted to stay in an area that had great views and was not surrounded by other folks. McReynold’s Blacktail Cabins fit the bill perfectly – as it was surrounded by GTNP, Blacktail Butte and the National Elk Refuge.

Our Cabin during the early morning.

When we arrived in Jackson, there was some significant smoke cover from the ongoing fires in Northern California and Nevada and Southern Oregon, Fortunately these cleared out during our first days in the area. However, even during our first night the smoke made for some great sunsets.

Most importantly, the trip started out to an amazing start when I asked Sarah to spend the rest of her life with me and she said yes. This set the tone for a great trip. Here we are moments after our engagement.

The next morning we headed up for a full day of inflatable kayaking – with the morning on a scenic float and the afternoon on the whitewater portion of the Snake River (including Big Kahun and Lunch Counter). I don’t really have many pictures from that day given we were paddling in whitewater, but we had an absolutely great time. We used Rendezvous River Sports for the full day – it really reminded me of paddling whitewater in North Carolina during summers in my college years. In fact, our guide had grown up paddling many of the same rivers as me when we both attended and subsequently worked at summer camps in North Carolina…. Small world.

We attended the Jackson Hole Rodeo that night, which was a ton of fun.

After a beautiful sunset at our cabin that night, we geared up for a day of fly fishing the South Fork of the Snake River.

For fly fishing, we used Westbank Anglers in Wilson for two days. The first was in the South Fork of the Snake, which was a great time for Sarah as it was easier and wider water for Sarah to learn. Our second day later in the week was on the Snake River in the Park for the section from Doran’s to WIlson.

Sarah did great and had a ton of fun for her first time fly fishing. The scenery was great, our guide Dean was awesome and there were quite a lot of Cutthroat Trout to be had.

Sarah was doing great!

During each day fly fishing, we saw a ton of bald eagles. Sometimes they would be perched right along the rivers in dead trees. Other times, they would be resting on the shores getting ready to fly over the river. We also saw quite a lot of nests with young eagles.

Sarah with another fish on the line.

Each day that we would head home, we would be treated to an amazing view of the Tetons. A multi-shot panorama of the Teton Range is below – click the picture for a larger version.

The next morning we got up early and went on a day hike in Grand Teton National Park up to Surprise and Amphitheater Lakes. This was a very fun trail (approximately 10-miles round trip) that climbs approximately 3,000 ft up to Amphitheater Lake at 9,698 feet. Here Sarah is on her way up, with the valley off in the distance.

At Surprise Lake near the top, with the Tetons in the distance.

We had apparently just missed a black bear near the lake upon our arrival, as both Sarah and I could barely see it across the lake moving away up int the forest.

Amphitheater Lake was beautiful – it was a great hike up there from the valley.

Although we missed the bear, there was plenty of wildlife to see on the way back down.

And of course the valley was filled with buffalo near our Cabin each night at dusk.

As mentioned above, the next day we headed to the Snake River for fly fishing the Park stretch. Although the water was more difficult and the river was very different than the South Fork, it offered great fishing in a very scenic area. In particular, I loved the braided river and fast water.

Sarah had a great time too!

The great thing about the area is the absolute abundance of wildlife. Here a mom Moose was just chilling (with her baby off to the side out of frame).

We also eventually saw a male moose the following day hanging out near the water. It was amazing.

The skies were clear, and the scenery amazing.

We eventually headed up to Yellowstone to stay in the Park – it was amazing. Yellowstone really has it all – the geothermal steam pools, geysers, mud pits and all are unbelievable, while the general rives, mountains and abundance of wildlife is endless. It is pretty amazing that you can be checking out an erupting geyser and right down the river where it outflows there will be a giant Elk getting a drink.

The textures of the geothermal features are extremely interesting.

Rather than try and explain it all, I will try and let a lot of the pictures speak for themselves.

There was always wildlife surrounding you.

We kayaked in Lake Yellowstone near the West Thumb Geyser Basin.

A multi-shot panorama of Blacktail Plateau is below – click the picture for a larger version.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

Endless waterfalls in Yellowstone.

Old Faithful.

And of course, the absolute best part of the trip.