Teton Crest part 3

Why am I making such a big deal about our backpacking trip to the Tetons? I know what you are thinking, "Is she REALLY giving me a day-by-day breakdown?"

I can't help it. I love these mountains and I loved our trip. I didn't know if I would ever be able to do this trip again it was an experience I want to remember forever.

Our 3rd day was incredible. The 3rd day was the day we got to go over Hurricane Pass. Dan woke up extra early again so he could have camp cleaned up and we could hit the trail early. My true food hoarder self was exposed by the 3rd day when we realized we had hardly made a dent in our food supply.

I forget that my appetite disappears on backpacking trips and that bagels will eventually turn to stone no matter what lengths you go to preserve them.

We pushed through our breakfast, packed up camp, and headed for the hills. We took in the beauty of Alaska Basin and noticed the clouds that were building again. We thought for sure we would hit bad weather on the top of Hurricane pass.

We hiked slow and steady over the first mountain and reached Sunset Lake. Sunset Lake is gorgeous and I've always wanted to stop and enjoy it a little more. We kept walking at our slow pace and started heading up to Hurricane Pass. It's quite a climb, especially with a pack.

We stopped and let the RUNNERS, yes I said RUNNERS pass. They were nice guys just out for a 20 mile jog.

We stopped and let pretty much everyone else hiking pass too. As we got closer to the top we could see the Tetons peeking at us. Dan kept stopping for pictures and I told him that he had no idea what he was about to see.

The pass itself is deceiving. You think you are at the top when you get finished with the big rocky climb but then it's another meadow that is deceptively steep. We took a lot of breaks but finally had our moment when we could see all the mountains.

Something came over Dan and I. I don't know if it was exhaustion or altitude, or low blood sugar, but we both just broke down and cried right before we got to the top. That backpacking trip really pushed us to our limits both physically and emotionally. We were both challenged more than we expected and getting to that point on our trip was a huge accomplishment.

We had a moment of gratitude for each other, for the beautiful mountains, for our safety, and for the fact that we had made it so far. It was a really special moment for both of us and it kind of felt similar to how we felt on the day we were married for some reason. Unforgettable for sure.

We spent some time on the mountains taking it all in and the guys who passed us running came up to me and told me how impressed they were they I had made it and how inspiring it was to see me up there. I knew they were referring to the fact that I was the only obese person up there and it made me feel really awesome! They were very complimentary and even took pictures of Dan and I.

We didn't waste time getting down off the pass because we weren't quite sure if the clouds were just being white and fluffy that day or if they meant rain was coming. We took a look at school room glacier on our way down from the pass and it was the only time I've ever seen the lake melted at the bottom of the glacier. It has been a really hot summer!

Our feet were so sore and it seemed like it took forever to get down off the pass. We eventually made it to the upper end of Cascade Canyon where we stopped for an hour to eat and rest of our feet. It seemed like the day went from cloudy to blistering heat in just a couple of hours so we enjoyed the shade and super salty ramen noodles before we packed up and headed to our campsite.

We were aiming for the group camp site about 6 miles up Cascade Canyon so we would have a smaller section to hike on our last day. We FINALLY got there after what seemed like 35,008 miles. We set up camp, hung all our stuff out to try on trees, and put our food in the bear box.

We laid in our tent and just laid there trying to absorb everything we had seen that day. The pictures really don't do it justice and unless you've backpacked or hiked in the Tetons, it's difficult to put into words just how beautiful they are!

Heading out of Alaska Basin

Heading out of Alaska Basin toward Sunset Lake

Mini Lake at Alaska Basin

Buck Mountain in the background. I tried to climb that once...I didn't make it to the top just FYI

Taking a little break at the beautiful cascade

Cute Dan and the cascade

Sunset Lake. I so wanted to jump in!!

Sunset Lake and my honey

Looking back at Sunset Lake. See what I meant about the clouds??

That little guy had the best seat in the house. You can't see from the picture but the cliff was a severe drop off. Be careful little guy!

First peak/peek of the Tetons!

Walking into the clouds. Pausing to catch my breath and pretend I'm not tired.

Almost there!

Look at all those people still hiking through the never-ending meadow

Waiting for the clouds to move

On top of the world with the love of my life. So happy!

We made it!

Standing in front of the Middle Teton, the first of the Tetons I climbed in my glory days

Standing in front of the South Teton.  I summited the South with the greatest hiking partner in all of Jackson Hole, D Money

Victory. It's all downhill from here baby

Three Jewels

Looking into Cascade Canyon

School Room Glacier runoff

Don't look over the edge, plus a great view of the glacier ahead

Dan the man

Cascade Canyon has that name for a reason

Our pump broke on our 3rd day so I volunteered to sit on the bear canister and blow up the air mattress. It took forever and I look like someone competing in the redneck olympics