Zion National Park

We spent only one day in Zion on the way to join friends in Tucson.  Zion was beautiful and we have said we are going back to do some slot canyons -- so we need to equip up for some of the canyons.  We will not be doing the long repels this year but hope to do some that require some scrambling and short climbs.  As it was we did a couple of short day hikes and headed south for Tucson.

No commentary -- we're leaving for the Gila Wilderness trip.

Some photos below:

Montana

Back in July we met friends in Whitefish Montana.  We paddled, biked and hiked and had a good time with old friends.  The snow was still low in the mountains and we has some stormy weather.  The sea kayaking was on Bowman Lake on the east side of Glacier National Park.  The scenery was fantastic and the water was crystal clear.   I think riding trails in the National Forest -- especially the falls she took bent Susan's bike's rear derailier.

We left Whitefish and drove to Elensburg WA.  Nice town -- good farmers market Saturday morning with fresh raspberries, blueberries and blackberries -- Oh Boy they were so good!  We ate in an old church - now painted yellow and doing business as a restaurant.  Really good.  Then hit the road for Portland OR.

Below are some photos from that part of the trip.  (I think this mostly catches up our blogs of the trip)

 This is a memorial to Sacajawea -- erected in 1914 by the Montana DAR!  This is in Three Forks Montana.

 This is the memorial and an old inn has been moved across the street.  The Inn is beautiful insider and out and is also named the Sacajawea Inn - in Three Forks.  

First hike with Dave at the chain lakes we had to leave the truck on the road where the road was blocked by snow

The trail to the chain Lakes

Dave selecting our lunch spot - the wind was blowing and the rain was freezing on the trees.  Col;d.

 Lunch

Upper Stillwater Lake with a storm approaching.

Bowman Lake in Glacier National Park.

 The Yellow Church in Ellensburg -- Eat there if you ever get a chance.  Really good food.

 Someones house in Ellensburg with the yard full of folk art kind of things -- interesting and fun!

Grand Tetons

In July we also camped in the Grand Tetons National Park.  We only stayed two nights so we took one hike on the day after we arrived.  We took the boat across Jenny Lake and hiked the Swift Current Canyon Trail which was a good choice.  Many of the trails were snowed in with the late heavy snows still very evident.  The creeks were really high for July with beautiful waterfalls.  The top of our trail was in snow and was beautiful.  We met a lady on the way down the trail who had come up the canyon next to Swift Current and crossed over to come down Swift Current trail.  She had an ice axe which she said she had used on the crossing which in July is usually just a trail.  So we kept up with her on the way down the trail until the last couple of miles which is what got us off the trail before the huge storm hit.  The storm was so dramatic coming across the mountains with high wind and sheets of rain.  We really loved the scenery and wildness of the high country in the Tetons so we will be going back there to do more hikes and backpacks.

Below are some photos from the Tetons.

Boat ride across Jenny Lake

View back across Jenny Lake on the way up the Swift Current Canyon trail.

The ever present western mule train.

High water in all the creeks -- this gives a sample of what we had with us all the way up the Swift Current Canyon except for the small area that was more like lakes and pools.