Joe Dsilva
What pictures don't speak.
The beauty of nature is that it sometimes lies about the perils that lies inside.
So was to be on the day one of Teton crest trail backpack. My IT-band strains had limited physical activities for a while, but neverthless I had so looked forward to this trip. I had no doubts when I loaded up a third of my body weight on to the backpack and headed out. Slow and steady with lots of photo - stops on the way and the legs should do fine, I had told myself.
The mountain landscapes of Wyoming didn't disappoint me, the creeks and lakes strewn across the trail system were booming with wildflowers. The sheer beauty of the place lead to a false sense of tranquility. You shouldn't trust mountain weather. Halfway through, drizzles started. Ignore and move forward, we have been there before ? Soon the drizzles gave way to steady rain, quick stop to pull out those rain jackets and pants... tighten up the backpack with raincover... we persisted.
First water-stop at Marion lake to re-stock the hydration. Rains are now getting strong, we find a little relief near the grove of trees adjacent to the lake shore. And then the hail storms began... pellets of ice raining down mercilessly ... four of us tighlty packed under a cozy spot between the trees, it's no fun and we have to wait it off.
A while later, the storms subside, and we head out ... the sun pops out in between the clouds. However the truce doesn't last long... the showers are back... this time we are caught in open highlands... no trees... wait who's that idiot doing flash photography ? ... Crash !! ... Oh, now we have lightning too... A full scale thunderstorm ... no shelter from lightning ... What are the statistics of being hit by a lightning on a backpack ? Will my hiking poles attract electricity ? How far away is help ? ... Ah, mind, thou shouldn't wander ... focus, focus ...
The trails are slippery by now... my four pound backpacking boots have assimilated more than a few pounds under the sole. The clay has filled up the grooves. We reach fox creek pass eventually and get a glimpse of our first campsite just a mile yonder, at the Death Canyon Shelf. The rains keep barraging and the trail through the pass is along some steep, slippery slopes. Should we risk crossing or try camp this side ?
As we scout for possible options we run on to this spot between a bunch of trees that's neatly flattened out, perfect for couple of small tents, facing the meadows. If anybody had any doubts the sight of the place settled it. So we set up the tents in the middle of the rains, in some rather clumsy way.
Finally, the rains subside. Mother nature seems to have had enough testing our will. We see a rainbow. I'm tired and exhausted, but still manage to pull out my tripod and shoot a couple of shots. Later I figured out that the camera was at 3200 ISO for some weird reason. I hate high ISOs, beside being grainy, they reduce the dynamic range of colors. This shot was taken just a few feet away from our tents.
I ended up crashing in the night with a slightly wet down sleeping bag thanks to not remembering to plastic bag it (Down and wet don't go well). Luckily I had packed my new down jacket, which survived the ordeal. So I am able to keep myself warm. Sleep tight and tomorrow shall worry for itself. I had made it through today. I have earned my day's sleep.
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What pictures don't speak.
The beauty of nature is that it sometimes lies about the perils that lies inside.
So was to be on the day one of Teton crest trail backpack. My IT-band strains had limited physical activities for a while, but neverthless I had so looked forward to this trip. I had no doubts when I loaded up a third of my body weight on to the backpack and headed out. Slow and steady with lots of photo - stops on the way and the legs should do fine, I had told myself.
The mountain landscapes of Wyoming didn't disappoint me, the creeks and lakes strewn across the trail system were booming with wildflowers. The sheer beauty of the place lead to a false sense of tranquility. You shouldn't trust mountain weather. Halfway through, drizzles started. Ignore and move forward, we have been there before ? Soon the drizzles gave way to steady rain, quick stop to pull out those rain jackets and pants... tighten up the backpack with raincover... we persisted.
First water-stop at Marion lake to re-stock the hydration. Rains are now getting strong, we find a little relief near the grove of trees adjacent to the lake shore. And then the hail storms began... pellets of ice raining down mercilessly ... four of us tighlty packed under a cozy spot between the trees, it's no fun and we have to wait it off.
A while later, the storms subside, and we head out ... the sun pops out in between the clouds. However the truce doesn't last long... the showers are back... this time we are caught in open highlands... no trees... wait who's that idiot doing flash photography ? ... Crash !! ... Oh, now we have lightning too... A full scale thunderstorm ... no shelter from lightning ... What are the statistics of being hit by a lightning on a backpack ? Will my hiking poles attract electricity ? How far away is help ? ... Ah, mind, thou shouldn't wander ... focus, focus ...
The trails are slippery by now... my four pound backpacking boots have assimilated more than a few pounds under the sole. The clay has filled up the grooves. We reach fox creek pass eventually and get a glimpse of our first campsite just a mile yonder, at the Death Canyon Shelf. The rains keep barraging and the trail through the pass is along some steep, slippery slopes. Should we risk crossing or try camp this side ?
As we scout for possible options we run on to this spot between a bunch of trees that's neatly flattened out, perfect for couple of small tents, facing the meadows. If anybody had any doubts the sight of the place settled it. So we set up the tents in the middle of the rains, in some rather clumsy way.
Finally, the rains subside. Mother nature seems to have had enough testing our will. We see a rainbow. I'm tired and exhausted, but still manage to pull out my tripod and shoot a couple of shots. Later I figured out that the camera was at 3200 ISO for some weird reason. I hate high ISOs, beside being grainy, they reduce the dynamic range of colors. This shot was taken just a few feet away from our tents.
I ended up crashing in the night with a slightly wet down sleeping bag thanks to not remembering to plastic bag it (Down and wet don't go well). Luckily I had packed my new down jacket, which survived the ordeal. So I am able to keep myself warm. Sleep tight and tomorrow shall worry for itself. I had made it through today. I have earned my day's sleep.
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Connect on Google+