Moon Craters, Music, and Mystical Bliss

Five thousand miles in five weeks... wow, this is a big country. Following our adventures in the Rockies we continued to make our way westward, crossing the bottom of Idaho in a day. This route pretty much keeps to the Snake River valley, so we avoided climbing over the mountains yet again, passing through such bustling towns as Mud Lake, Picabo, and Corral (blink once and you could miss all three of them). We took a short break to check out Craters of the Moon National Monument. We both joked that this must be where they send park rangers when they have really screwed up somewhere else. The landscape is terrifically bleak and a long way from anything.

We enjoyed learning about the crazy geology and volcanic activity of the area. It gave a chance to stretch our legs and reinforce our desire to find a warm dry hotel room for the night.

The next day we got off to and early start and crossed eastern Oregon. Again, we were stunned by the stark beauty of the landscape, dry mountains rising from the twisted river valleys, and then the flat high elevation desert and scattered buttes farther to the west. We passed through the city if Bend and then into the foothills of the Cascades to the small town of Sisters, Oregon.

As luck would have it, we timed our travels just perfect to make it to the Sisters Folk Festival, which ran from Friday night through Sunday. We had learned of the festival earlier this summer after attending our local summer festival, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Hillsdale, NY. There we were totally blown away by a Welsh performer, Martyn Joseph, who we hadn't seen before. After checking out his touring schedule we realized he would be at this little festival in Oregon at about the time we were passing through. What a great find, we had just an incredible time. It made the perfect break from all the driving and hiking. We camped in a small town park campground and walked into the different venues which were located through out the town.

We managed to see four sets of Martyn Joseph and become more devoted fans with each outstanding performance. Check out his music if your interested in politically/socially conscience acoustic music that will bring to tears one moment and to your feet in the next.

Ray Wylie Hubbard

Slaid Cleaves

It was three days of great music - enjoying music from old favorites to new artists that we haven't seen before.

We reluctantly left the festival, although not too reluctantly, our next destination was Breitenbush Hot Springs. Along the way, we stopped to do a short day hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. We hiked a beautiful trail from McKenzie Pass south to a pair of lovely alpine lakes at the base of the Three Sisters Peaks.

Late in the afternoon we arrived at the hot springs - with a joyful sigh. We have been here twice before, so in a way it was like coming home. You walk through the gate and immediately all the tension and negative thoughts of life seem to melt away. We spent three days soaking, steaming, sleeping, and eating... in perfect bliss. The last night there was even a funky dance party - shake your booty! There really isn't anyplace quite like it, more in the vogue of rustic hippy commune and less spa chic. It's located on an out lot parcel, surrounded by old growth wilderness.

All meals are vegetarian and served in the old main lodge. It's not fancy, but the food is all organic, abundant, and good.

The resort is located on a very thermally active site and hot water just bubbles to the surface all over the place. One of our favorite spots is the steam house which sits right on top of one of the springs... totally awesome.

Just around the corner are the meadow pools - a string of soaking pools of varying temperature located in a wildflower meadow which borders the river.

For the first time in the trip we truly felt relaxed, no maps, no traffic, no Grizzly bears...life is good.

Glacier washout, Yellowstone rocks, and chillin' in the Tetons

Wow, our feet are some tired. We have really been putting some miles on our hiking boots the past couple of weeks. We left Canada on Monday, August 30, and drove south to Glacier National Park in the US. Once again the weather plagued us on this leg of the trip, while we had some sun on the drive down, the weather started to deteriorate as we got closer to the park. By Tuesday morning it was cold and raining, and the mountains were totally socked in by low clouds and fog. Being the troopers that we are, we decided to go hiking anyway... thinking maybe it would clear later in the day - yeah right. We started our hike at Logan Pass which sits on the continental divide along the famous Going to the Sun road, which traverses the range. It was 33 degrees with light rain and snow flurries and gusty wind as we hit the trail. The Highline Trail is one of the most scenic and dramatic hikes in the country, skirting towering cliffs, crossing high alpine meadows, and offering views of some of the last remaining glaciers left in the continental US. We only know this from reading the guide book ... we could only see about twenty feet in front of us for most of the hike!

Despite the weather, we had a lovely hike, once in awhile catching a glimpse of the surrounding peaks though a hole in the clouds, focusing on the myriad of wildflowers in the meadows, and even stumbling upon the occasional Big horn sheep.

By Wednesday morning it was still cold and rainy, and the forecast was for at least another day of bad weather, so we packed up the wet tent and headed south for Yellowstone. This being Tammara's birthday, we started out the day with a dry and warm breakfast at a cafe outside of Glacier park. We tootled across western Montana, dodging towering thunderheads and battling gusty winds most of the way. By the time we reached the little town of Gardiner, just outside the north entrance to the park, the temperatures had finally warmed to summertime norms and the sun was shining. We booked a hotel room and enjoyed the comforts of civilisation.

On Thursday, September 2, we entered the park and set up camp at the Tower Falls campsite. We were pleased to find the the park was not all that crowded, after hearing of traffic jams being common in the summer, we had been worried. The day was sunny and gloriously warm so we decided to ... take a hike. We did a fairly easy half day hike up Mount Washburn, which essentially follows a gated forest access road to the top, where a manned fire lookout tower is located. The views from the top were spectacular - offering an overview of the whole park from up high.

On Friday we did the traditional driving tour around the park, stopping at many of the parks highlights: Yellowstone Canyon, Yellowstone Lake, and of course many of the geysers and Old Faithful. We did some short walks, but mostly we drove. We saw lots of bison and a few other sightings of deer, elk, and antelope. It was really a wonderful place and a beautiful day.

Late that afternoon we headed out of the park and continued southward to Driggs, Idaho to meet up with friends and work colleagues, Michael Whitfield and Liz Davy. Michael is a life-long resident of the area and had agreed to lead us on an adventure through the heart of the Tetons. We had an extra day before our back country trip was to begin, so we took the day to repack, organize and explore Driggs.

We even had time for a lovely paddle down the Teton River, which meanders though the basin just west of the Teton range. The section we canoed passes though mostly protected land trust properties and is an unspoiled gem. For lunch along the way, we even met up with fellow LTA Saratogian, Ethan Winters and his mom, who recently acquired a property along the river with the goal of protecting it as well - totally small world.

On Sunday, September 5, we started out on a four day backpack crossing the Teton range. We started out on the west side, hiking through national forest wilderness. We hiked about ten miles in and camped next to a beautiful little mountain pond. The next day we had an incredible hike up into the high country, mostly all off trail. This is a region that is rarely visited due to its long distance from the main trail heads and its rugged terrain. We crossed into the National Park at the divide and explored a whole series of high elevation ponds and even climbed to the top of a 11,000 + foot peak. It was one of the most magical day we have ever had.

We returned to the same campsite our second night out. The following morning we hoisted full packs back on and hiked once again across high mountain passes and over to the other side of the range. It was a long day of hiking, but stunning scenery all the way. After crossing the divide we hiked down through upper Webb Canyon and searched for a place to camp. There wasn't a lot of flat ground down there and eventually ended up in a small grassy patch along a willow slough. The area was surrounded by berries and was also an obvious wildlife corridor. We were a bit nervous of the bear or moose encounter potential of the site, but alas, we all survived the night.

The next morning we hiked out the long trail back to civilisation. We passed an abundance of waterfalls, hiked along and though the creek, and eventually down to Jackson Lake, which sits at the very base of the Teton range. Finally, at the end of our 30+ mile crossing, we were met at the end of the trail by friends and colleagues, Kathy and Lary, who greeted us with hugs, cold beer, and snacks!

We tootled back along the east side of the lake and mountains and later met up with Liz for a hearty dinner in Moose, Wyoming. It was a trip of a lifetime, what an incredible place. Thank you Michael for sharing your backyard and friendship.

Today it's time to clean up, do laundry and head back to the road. We'll spend the next few days crossing Idaho and Oregon, on to our next destination, the Sisters Oregon Folk Festival. Stay tuned.

Canadian Freeze Frame

No - we haven't been devoured by grizzlies or blown off a mountain top - we have not been in touch lately because basically internet access on the road sucks! But alas, we are finally connected, at a dreadfully slow speed, but connected nonetheless. With all the hiking and exploring, we have been very busy and it has not left a lot of time to fuss with technology.

After visiting friends in Minnesota (actually Wisconsin), we continued the journey westward. We traveled northwest through Minnesota and spent the night in Valley City, North Dakota - not because there was anything to see there, but because we needed a place off the highway to camp for the night. It turned out to be kind of a funky little town - we even found an open-mic night at the ice cream parlor for a little entertainment. The next day we just drove and drove, trying to put on some miles to get us closer to our next featured destination in the Canadian Rockies. We crossed the border once again, this time into Saskatchewan and eventually camped at Buffalo Pound Provincial Park, just north of Moose Jaw. The landscape on this leg of the trip was monotonous, but beautiful in its own way, mostly wheat fields and pasture, with the occasional burst of sunflower fields in full bloom.

From Moose Jaw we continued west, passing the highlight prairie towns of Swift Current and Medicine Hat. As we approached Calgary we kept anticipating our first glimpses of the Rockies, but were dumbfounded by the haze. At first we thought it was just a persistent fog that would not lift, but finally realized it was smoke from massive forest fires in British Columbia blowing smoke to the southeast.

We arrived in Calgary, shocked by the size of the city and chaos of rush hour after so many hours of driving through nothing. We spent two nights with Tammara's cousin Jim and his family, getting to meet the kids and Kellie for the first time and getting reacquainted with Jim after about twenty years. We explored the city and had a great time - thanks.

From there our destination was Banff National Park. I has been a dream of ours to visit this area for more than 25 years - ever since learning about it in forestry school outdoor recreation class. We were truly awed by the scenery - craggy glacier topped mountains, placid alpine lakes the color of sapphires and emeralds, high altitude meadows filled with wildflowers and fast running brooks turned white by glacial silt. It was everything and more then we expected.


We spent four nights camped at a national park campground in Lake Louise, which provided an excellent base for day-hiking and exploring the area. We also got our first taste of the cold, it was about 35 degrees the first night. Good think we packed the down comforter in the car! We visited the classic tourist spots first at Lake Louise and the famous Fairmont Hotel, as well as Moraine Lake. These sights were truly amazing, but also crawling with tourists - like every group we passed on the trails seemed to be speaking a different language.

Our third day we went to a more remote area, actually in adjacent Kootnay National Park and did a great hike into Arnica Lake and up to a pass with some breath-taking views. We mostly had the place to ourselves and greatly enjoyed the solitude.

The second half of our stay in the area we went on a three-night backpack outing in Yoho National Park, just across the continental divide on the BC side of the mountains. We did a classic hike, up the Yoho Valley, first along the Yoho River passing a series of incredible waterfalls and then up along a mountain shelf at the base of a whole series of glaciers. It was a hike more beautiful and stunning than anything we have done before. The one downside of course was the weather (which farmers can always find fault with). If the Boundary Waters leg of the trip was defined by wind, the Banff leg was defined by cold. We had a cold rain the first night which got us off to a wet start. The next day it cleared slightly but got even colder with snow showers replacing the rain. There was ice on the tables in the campground in the am! We had not expected winter camping. Finally on the third day when we had the opportunity for the best views it cleared somewhat but was still only in the low 50's. But, what can you expect when you are hiking at the foot of glaciers for the entire day - and the views made up for any discomfort. It was truly a spectacular hike of a lifetime.

We emerged from the woods tired, sore and cold but rejuvenated by the spell-binding beauty of Yoho Valley. Our first stop after the hike was to the town of Radium Hot Springs for a long soothing soak at the pools, ahh....

Glacier, Yellowstone and Teton adventures to come.