December 2020 - Harriman Yurts

Another year, another trip to the Harriman Yurts.  This is our annual entrance to the wonderful world of winter camping, and despite the COVID precautions necessary, may have been our best yet.  The only drawback was staying socially distanced while eating, and the discovery shortly after arrival that the water spigot was frozen; ironic since we'd had it function in the past when the temps were -30° F.  Fortunately David took on the role of waterboy for our team and was able to find some at the Visitor center before they closed up for the night.

Num nums... lasagna!

Dinner was Dutch Oven lasagna, lovingly prepared by Charlotte and cooked outside in the parking lot under warm charcoal.

Pre-meal entertainment

We entertained ourselves whilst waiting by playing "Salem", followed by a round of Dad Jokes and further livened by the discovery of "Guy on a Buffalo".

Our bedtime story was "The Scorn of Women" by Jack London, Charlotte was the only survivor of the tale all others had been led off to the land of nod by the end of the tale.

With the sound of snow sliding off of the Yurt roof we slipped into our own sleepytime in the separate Yurt where Charlotte enjoyed her beauty sleep until well into the new day.

Yurt Life

Breakfast muffins were grilled and engulfed followed by a lovely cross-country ski stroll down along the Henrys Fork to the Muir Nature trail and back again.

Gearing up

Henrys Fork

Panorama

Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil

Shoulder angel?

August 2020 - Alaska Basin Backpacking Trip

 For our August Campout we invited along a few extra friends, anticipating that we could spend a couple of nights back in the high country of the Tetons.  We began the adventure on the 20th and worked our way up the south fork of Teton Canyon up to Alaska Basin where we setup our basecamp.

Smiling faces before the journey begins

Still smiling

Fewer smiles after miles

Camp is set

Dusk looking into the west

On day two we made breakfast and then headed up to the shelf overlooking Avalanche Canyon before returning back to the tarns for a brisk swim....

Prepping for breakfast

Waffles anyone?

Ready to head for the high hills

One does not simply walk into Mordor...

You've got to take a break first.

Vertiginous

Teton Views

Alpine Siesta

Tairn Dipping

Dinner discussion

The Eye is always searching...

Our final day was spent retracing our steps back down the canyon...

Country roads take me home

Looking to the shelf beneath the Wedge

July 2020 - Snake River Whitewater

I asked Charlotte on a scale of 1 to 10 how much adventure she wanted on our float trip this weekend - 1 being flatwater and 10 being Class IV rapids.  She shrugged and said "Seven?"

For seasoned whitewater enthusiasts the section between Riverside Campground and the Hatchery Ford takeout is not "big water", but for our little socially distanced group it was the cat's meow.

We traveled up to our campsite near the takeout which is maintained by the USFS.  We appreciated that the one pit toilet there (suitably designated #1) had been cleaned twice this season. 

Camp setup

After arriving at the river the girls surveyed the camping options and chose to gather around the one established fire ring within parking area that was a big more forested, providing lots of options for setting up our hammocks for the night.

Hammock-eye view

Dinner per the girls' request was a campfire standby - hot dogs.  We roasted onions in tin foil and made liberal use of Freddy's Fry Sauce to complement the roasted weenies and brats.

Mmm... Freddy's Fry Sauce

The girls were anxious to "go swimming", and probably didn't wait the requisite hour before heading out into the river. 

Sunset bathing

However, they limited their water activities mostly to wading and flower gathering. 

Flower Girl

The results of their adventures graced our table that evening as we returned to camp and had Root Beer floats.  Our favorites of this taste test were Bedford Root Beer (Necco wafer fruity) and Bulldog Root Beer (smooth); which complemented the Ben & Jerry's Vanilla Ice Cream perfectly.  Sadly after those offerings Charlotte's favorite - A&W tasted more like cream soda than root beer. 

Sleepy time

Then after some chatting around the campfire the girls retired to their hammocks, to continue chatting until tired fathers asked for reprieve.  When setting up the hammock and tying them to the limber lodgepole pines we warned that they'd sag overnight, and sag they did...

Nearly dragging bottom...

Name that expression...

Fortunately there's a few millimeters between the hammock and mother earth.  We awoke to a beautiful mild morning and took our time boiling eggs, toasting cheese sandwiches and packing up before heading out to the Riverside Campground. 

Pre-flight checks done!

Upon arrival at the put-in at Riverside we quickly inflated the two kayaks (duckies) and headed out into the unknown or perhaps Ahtohallan? 

Rock dodgers

We had fun looking for and riding the biggest waves we could while dodging (most of) the many rocks and trees on the hour long float.

Baby waves

The girls swam for a bit longer at the take out and then we bundled everything up and had a pleasant ride out and home, hungry for more Whitewater!

June 2020 - Harriman Bikepacking and Horseback Riding

We did eventually get the Swaggon down and bikes loaded and packs loaded for the campout, just in time.

Unfortunately we found at the Pulsipher’s that some of the bike racks had been shifted on the Swaggon in such a way as to make them non-functional.  We spent another half hour taking the bike holders off and readjusting them, and then again fixing one of the bike seats before we were eventually on the road.  

Ready to Ride

Never fear - being one of the longest days of the year meant plenty of daylight as we arrived, unloaded the bikes, geared up and got the trailer hitched onto my bike and then literally on the trail to the Becker (Backcountry) Yurt.  We opted to go out via the ranch road so as to minimize any cycling anxieties.  The major issue on the trip was traversing the gates in and out of the pasture area where cows were soon to make their home for the season.  The road was minimally muddy and easily traveled.  I think the girls arrived after our 20 minute ride surprised at their own speed!

Light My Fire

The Pulsipher’s took charge of dinner and prepared one of my personal favorites, Tortellini with a Tomato Cream sauce, plus peas for good measure!  We enjoyed the provision of the stove on site, and brought in the rest of our cooking gear on the BOB trailer.

Charlotte had opted to bring the dessert for this campout and so planned on cupcakes.  We found a great little Dutch Oven recipe and did the prep work of preparing the wet ingredients and the Cream Cheese frosting (including putting it in a FoodSaver bag for later piping) the night before.  The end result of our labors were almost perfectly cooked cupcakes.  Everyone enjoyed frosting their own and savoring the fruits of their labors.

Sweet Cuppin' Cakes!

On their way to Thurman Creek to replenish their water supplies the girls also picked a handful of wildflowers for our table - a lovely addition to the ambience of our repast!

It's all about the presentation

After dinner we spent time leisurely watching the sun lowering in the sky whilst the girls played Charlotte’s birthday “Harry Potter Headbandz” game.  This game literally went on for hours and resumed early the next morning…

Friend of Harry's?

The fathers spent a little time reviewing both the flora and the fauna.

Teton Alpenglow

David's Brother Brigham Moment

I've seen fire and I've seen rain...

Charlotte and I eventually bedded down in our hammocks hung on the porch and with the cooling of the evening and early morning our lines gently sagged to the point where I was literally touching bottom.  Shortly after first light we were up to adjust the hammocks and then the girls were off to watch the sunrise over a fog shrouded meadows at 5:42 AM.

A yellow sun rises...

The girls continued their Harry Headbandz marathon as Eric Cameron cooked up an excellent breakfast of burritos with sausage, chorizo, hash browns, chiles and eggs with a little Tapatío salsa for good measure.  

More quality time with Potter

One of the more entertaining moments of the morning was watching a small squirrel trying to figure out what to do with his find of a pair of forgotten “Fruit of the Looms”.

Around 9 AM we got all our gear stowed and the Yurt cleaned out so that we could make our way back to the horse stables.  We took the single track back and enjoyed the more scenic turns through the trees on our return.

Our Biker Gang

At the stables we were quickly paired up with our trusty steeds for the trail ride.  I ended up with a large draft size mare who was winded up every hill.  The wrangler behind me reassured me - “oh, she’s just out of shape”.  

Whoa hoss!

We worked our way up to the top of Thurman Ridge where the girls were regaled by a baby marmot who found his culinary delights feasting on the horse apples.  This show was truly mind-bending and the girls could not take their eyes off of it.    Eventually we saddled up again for the return trek down the mountain.  Everyone felt a bit bow-legged and a few saddle sore as we left our not-so-hard-chargers back in the corral.

Thurman Ridge Overlook

All in all a lovely couple of days in both types of saddles.