Backyard Exploring

Phil has been busy with work lately, which meant the girls and I went exploring on Saturday. I must say, since Phil pretty much hates hiking if it does not lead to climbing, it is sometimes a peaceful treat to hike with the girls only! We headed into Darby Canyon to explore the Wind and Ice Caves, which are near the Teton Valley Nols branch in Driggs. It is a great feeling hiking into the area canyons, as you feel remote and the main sound is the rush of snow melt pummeling the creeks.

As I got near the caves, there was still a significant amount of snow on the ground, even though I was comfortable in shorts and a tee shirt. I carefully followed other footsteps for a while, but they soon grew faint and I was frequently off the trail despite occasional signs recommending not to cut the switchbacks. It can be pretty hard to decipher the trail when the area is covered in slippery, wet snow. We explored underneath one of the waterfalls, but fell short of going into the caves. I decided it was a little too early to explore, particularly while alone, between the faintness of the trail, the slipping Jasmine, the rushing water coming out of the caves, the increasing steepness and loose rock, etc. Still, it was a fun, albeit popular trail. There were probably 30 cars in the parking area by the time I got back to the Jeep, although I sincerely doubt that many of them will go scrambling up through the snowy top sections. Perhaps I will explore again when the snow is gone. Not sure when that is!

Sunday, Phil and I explored a climbing area called Stonehenge, which is near Pinedale, Wyoming and the town of Boulder, population 75 http://www.sublette.com/community/boulderpage.htm
It is a gorgeous drive, with the Hoback and Snake Rivers rushing along and the tallest peaks of Wyoming emerging to the East. The climbing was reminiscent of a mini City of Rocks, and we didn't see another climber around. It was a large, flat expanse of scrub with tiny flowers blooming, cows wandering by, and snow capped mountains to the far East and West. It must be a favorite place for coyotes to eat, as there was quite an assortment of leg bones, vertebrae, etc. scattered about. A few pickup trucks did drive by the dusty spot, and I joked that they might shoot out our tires and leave us for dead. The area definitely conjures up images of cowboys, bandits, and Cormac McCarthy novels. I wouldn't say the climbing was world class, but we definitely had fun and it is always an experience to see the more "wyoming" parts of Wyoming. Pinedale is a pretty cute cowboy-ish town. In fact, when we stopped in Daniel, it took a while to buy a coke at the gas station because the guy in front of me was buying a bow and a slew of arrows. It gave us time to admire(?) the pictures on the wall of assorted hunting trophies. Who knew it was fun to kill every walking thing in Wyoming?! All part of the Wydaho adventure!