Teton Wilderness Adventure

Yesterday was spent on the back of a snowmobile in the expanse of Wyoming’s Teton Wilderness. We traveled over an hour to Togwotee Lodge where we had some sleds (that’s how snowmobiles are referred to by those that know something about snowmobiling) rented for our use in the backcountry.

The day dawned cold with valley fog. However, as we left Moran Jct. headed east towards Togwotee Pass, we climbed out of the fog and visibility improved to high clouds. Fortunately by mid-morning the clouds gave way to beautiful sunshine and warmer temperatures. The weather was perfect!

As for sledding, we had a great time. My friends Daniel and Dylan Harkavy and I joined up with our close friends Vince Grant, Michael Van Skaik and Gordy Marks. These three guys are the snowmobiling experts. Without them we might still be stuck in deep powder in the middle of the forest. This is our eighth guys’ trip and I am still amazed at what these three guys can do with a snowmobile. They seem to be able to get us into areas that I would never think to venture. Michael gave me a wonderful treat today by getting me to a place where I could see the Tetons and the whole Jackson Hole valley. Today’s picture was taken from that spot 9,700 feet above sea level. The highest I have ever been on a snowmobile. What an awesome experience!

Yesterday was Dylan’s first real day on a snowmobile. He was a natural! He rides dirt bikes so we think that helped a bit. But he absolutely took to it like a duck to water. He was carving turns in the powder and climbing hills. I remember Dylan when he was 5 years old. He will turn 17 in March and has become an awesome man. It is a huge treat to have him join us for the guys’ trip. I know as dads we wait for these types of moments when our sons mature enough to be invited into the circle of older men. I know what it was like for me. I can only assume Dylan is really pumped to be here with us this year. And God willing be back for more fun adventure with the old guys next year!

Well, today is our last day. Daniel, Dylan and I are going to head up the mountain for a day of snowboarding. We might even take our inaugural ride on Big Red (the new tram at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort) It holds 100 people and takes you right to the top of the mountain; over 4,400 vertical feet!! There is a lot of riding to do today, so I will sign off and catch up with you this evening!

“The rewards of the journey far outweigh the risk of leaving the harbor” -Anonymous

Cat Boarding at Grand Targhee

Powder, powder and more powder. Powder as far as the eye could see. Today was an epic powder day in the back country of Grand Targhee Ski Resort. My friends Daniel and Dylan Harkavy and I experienced cat boarding in deep powder (18” to 36”). Cat boarding or skiing as it is often referred to, is when you use a snow cat machine to transport a group of skiers and boarders from the bottom of a mountain to the top that cannot be accessed by a chairlift. It is a pretty cool way get in a lot of runs where your tracks are the first to hit the snow.

Just as a reminder, this was my fifth or sixth day on a snowboard ever. I have to admit I have been feeling more and more comfortable on packed powder, but the thought of spending all day on expert terrain in deep powder was making me feel a bit anxious. The first 2 runs confirmed my anxiety. Perhaps you have experience a similar feeling, but I think I was more concerned about keeping the other members of our group waiting while I would dig myself out of numerous wipeouts. Honestly, I was ready to throw in the towel for the day. But I stuck it out and runs 3 and 4 felt much better. I was actually able to carve my turns better and stay in control. By the end of the morning I was feeling real good and ready for more.

About 1:00pm, we descended upon our lunch tent located deep in the woods. We feasted on pot roast, mashed potatoes, corn bread and blueberry/peach cobbler; all made in Dutch ovens. WOW, did that taste good! After our quick lunch, we were back at it and squeezed in 4 more runs before the end of the day.

If you are into skiing or snowboarding, you have to experience Cat Skiing at Grand Targhee. But you had better hurry as the back country area we experienced will soon be serviced by a new chairlift and the Cat adventure will be over.

Well, tomorrow we are off into the back country again. But this time we will be riding snowmobiles! Stayed tuned to read about more adventures from Jackson Hole!

“It is good to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the end” –Ursula LeGuin

A Cold Day in Jackson Hole

This morning started with a balmy -18 degrees. Yep, you are seeing this correctly. That is a little dash in front of the eighteen. There are a lot of good reasons not to do much when it’s that cold outside. Nobody and nothing wants to work. Including my good friend Michael’s diesel powered truck. Apparently diesel fuel can gel when it gets too cold and it got too cold. The only thing you can do is wait for it to warm up. Well we weren’t willing to wait until spring to have his truck thaw out so we did what any smart person would; push an 8,000 lbs. truck over the snow covered driveway into the heated garage. It took a Suburban, four grown men and three wives to push and pull “Big Four”, as it is affectionately referred to, into the garage. Several hours did the trick and Big Four started right up and relinquished the coveted garage spot back to the Suburban.

The rest of the day was spent on the mountain skiing and snowboarding with my friends from Seattle; Vinny and Traci Grant and Gordy and Ann Marks. The morning was crystal clear. We could see the whole valley as we rode Apres Vous (which is fast becoming my favorite chair on the mountain) for several great runs. The sun eventually gave way to clouds, snow and flat light. I hate flat light! The saving grace was the snow. The snow is so soft and forgiving. I like to call it dream snow. The only thing better would be two feet of fresh, untracked powder all day long. Hey, a guy can dream can’t he?

From Apres Vous we made our way up the gondola and over to Thunder for several runs. The light improved a bit and made for a great afternoon. Our day ended on the terrain park with some air time. Anyone who has skied with me knows I love to get air and lots of it. Well becoming a snowboarder has not changed that. The terrain park gave me my fix with several good jumps. One jump even included a rail grab (not sure if this is the right lingo) that I was able to land. All in all it was a great day, but what day on the mountain is not a great day!

Thanks for joining me on my adventure!

“If you look anything like your passport photo, you’re not well enough to travel” -Jill Briscoe

Today started cold; about 8 degrees this morning. A far cry from yesterday's 30 degrees!! The day also dawned with new snow on the ground and still falling from the sky; nice, soft, Wyoming powder. This was also the day that I would do the unthinkable. I have been a skier for 34 years and have enjoyed every moment of it. But today marks the beginning of the great transformation; I am becoming a snowboarder. In the words of my skiing friends, I have given in to the dark side of the force. I don't know if I would take it that far, but I do recognize they are feel a sense of loss. My heart goes out to them. It just hurts so much to see them in so much pain. The poor souls :(

Oh well, they'll get over it. Today was AWESOME!!! I love snowboarding! If you have ever thought of giving it a go, I suggest you buy a big bottle of Advil and hit the slopes. I decided to try a few runs on Teewinot (a beginner run). I was able to get from top to bottom with out any major falls...except for the one as I coming into the lift. Very embarrasing! I just figured if I got up real fast the people snickering at me might think I was doing some real cool trick. I doubt it, but it sure made me feel better about myself :)

My learning curve became much steeper when I ventured up Apres Vous. Werner and Hanna (both are intermidiate runs) became my routes of choice. I made a deal withself. If I could make it down twice without falling I would treat myself to St. Johns, an advanced intermidiate run. After three runs down Werner and Hanna without any falls, I boarded St. Johns. Wow, that's a new word for me...boarded. I almost caught myself typing the "s" word (skied). Well, St Johns was an adventure. I am not sure it was really the treat I thought it would be.

After several more runs down Apres Vous, I rode the gondola up for my last run down Gros Ventre. Now I know why snowboarders HATE moguls. Suffice it to say, I was glad when I got to lower half of Gros Ventre and was able to carve my way into the village to end my day.

I am hooked and really looking forward to spending more time on the mountain snowboarding with my sons, nephew Ted and my new adopted family of snowboarders.

Welcome to my first day of blogging...ever! This really came about because I desired to have a simple way to share my travel and adventure exploits with family, friends and whoever stumbled upon my blog.

I am in my favorite place in the ENTIRE world; Jackson Hole! I am enjoying a few days with good friends...Gordy, Vinny, Michael and our wives. It took a little extra effort to get here. Our plane took off from Salt Lake City and headed to Jackson Hole. As we were nearing our destination, the pilot informed us that we might not be able to land. The visibility and runway conditions were below minimum safety standards for landing. After taking a "few laps" around Dubois we got the dreaded announcement that we were returning to SLC. Two hours in the air and nothing to show for it except for losing 2-hours!

This isn't the first time this has ever happened to me. So being the "seasoned" traveler, I got on the horn with Hertz and Avis to see which company could come through with a 1-way SUV to Jackson. Avis won this rental car war. Karin and I plus Liz our new found friend from 32C got our bags, loaded into our Chevy Blazer and made the 4-hour trek from SLC to JH. (yes I was driving a bit fast, but the roads were clear and traffic was light) We pulled into Jackson which was beautifully covered with 12" of fresh cowboy powder!

We got a goods night rest and after a wonderful breakfast made by the Captain (Michael's nickname), we headed out to the National Elk Refuge for a sliegh ride through the elk herds. We got up close and personal with several big bulls, saw a coyote hunting for mice (yes he caught one while we were watching, a bald eagle and trumpeter swans flying overhead. It really was a great experience. If you ever find yourself in Jackson in the winter, this is a must experience. (REMEMBER YOUR CAMERA!!!)

Chef Michael is making us pasta with a creamy white wine and salmon or chicken sauce for dinner...yum, yum!

Happy traveling!