For our 2017 vacation Jean and I decided to head to Wyoming to visit Yellowstone and the Tetons. We centered the trip around getting a backcountry permit for Heart Lake, which had eluded us on our two previous Yellowstone visits. One year all the permits were taken, and the other year the backcountry site was closed due to bear activity. In both cases we ended up camping at fine sites on the shore of Shoshone Lake, but we really wanted Heart Lake. It was a reasonable distance for a backpack (`8 miles), had lakeside camping, sits below Mt. Sheridan in easy reach for a day hike, and abuts an active geyser basin.
We’d also only touched Grand Teton NP on previous visits, this time we wanted more time there.
7-22-17
Our
flight to Jackson was a bit of an ordeal. We were four hours late leaving
Knoxville, and barely made a late standby flight out of Chicago. We missed an
earlier standby flight by just a pair of seats with a group getting on the
plane just as the original seat holders approached the gate. We were In Jackson
by 9:30PM and stayed at the Golden Eagle.
The Tetons from Cunningham Cabin
7-23-17
Tetons, Phelps Lake Loop, 7.2 miles
This
hike was in the new-to-us Laurence Rockefeller Preserve and circles its
namesake lake. After rushing about all the previous day, it was nice to settle
down to beautiful walk to the beach at the head of the lake. Coincidentally, we
met part of the group of 5 from the Chicago airport (one of whom much reminded
us of a running acquaintance) , and we also talked several times with a group
of three concession employees hiking on their day off. They were hiking
counterclockwise to us, at almost exactly the same pace, on both the entry and
main loops, so we got a couple of chances to talk with them, then saw them
again at the Moose visitors center after the hike. 
Beach at Phelps Lake.
After
the hike it was into Jackson for supplies,
then to Liberty Burgers for dinner, with another night at the Golden
Eagle. 
Wildflowers at Phelps Lake.
7-24-17,
Tetons, Tram hike to Teton Village via Granite Canyon, 13.2 miles
This
hike had also long been on our list, but the tram had been under repair the
summer of our last visit. We saw a small herd of elk on the drive in. We got an
early tram ride using a prepaid ticket and started in fleece and long pants.
The ride up was worth every penny, just for the views of the Tetons and Gros
Ventre ranges. I’d ridden the tram in winter competing in the Pole, Pedal, and
Paddle, but the scenery was just as awesome in summer. The start of the hike was
confusing, with lots of signs for the ski trails, but few for the hiking trails. 
Top of the Tram.
It
took a bit to find our way out of the ski area and into hiking trails, but soon
we were traversing a few snowbanks as we
started our long descent. But the late spring meant the flowers were in full
bloom. The upper part of the Middle Fork cut off was a continuous meadow of
flowers. By Granite Canyon we were tiring, and weaving in and out of the trees
didn’t give us quite enough shade. But once in the canyon Jean picked up the
pace, she wanted to do another tram ride and have some time to enjoy the summit
station. 
The Grand Teton from the tram.
We
had enough time to make a late tram and spend about 20 minutes on top. On the
descent I got a bit lightheaded (probably from too much sun) and had to sit on
the floor for most of the ride down. We hit Subway in Jackson for dinner, and
then went back to our room at the Golden Eagle. 
Middle Fork meadow.
7-25/26-17,
Tetons, Bearpaw Lake Backpack, 4.8 miles each way
The
previous day we’d gotten to the Moose VC at 7:30 for an 8AM opening which put
us #6 in line. Our target was the Bearpaw Lake 17B site, which we able to get.
It was to be a short hike on a level trail, so we took a walk in town first for
a picture by the elk antler arches around the Jackson Square. Then we stopped
off at Cunningham Cabin for the 0.8 mile walk to an old “dogtrot” cabin. Next
we visited the Colter Bay VC, which had a great collection of native artwork.
We had lunch at Colter Bay as a light rain settled in that would extend into
the first hour of the backpack. We also visited Jackson Lake Lodge for its view
of Mt Moran through their giant picture window.
Cunningham Cabin Trailhead.
There
are few things worse that starting a backpack trip in the rain. But in this
case we had watched the radar carefully over lunch and knew it would soon clear.
Heading for Bearpaw Lake.
Our
route followed the east shores of String, then Leigh lakes. String was crowded
despite the drizzle, and Leigh was fantastic with near continuous views of the
Teton Crest, and had some of the nicest lakeshore campsites I’ve ever seen. 
View across Leigh Lake.
The
Bearpaw campsite was in a grove of pines near the outlet. It was still cloudy
when we arrived, but cleared to reveal views of Mt Moran towering above us. We
had a nice evening visit from a ranger/volunteer, who may have been the same
person we would see here in 2020. 
Campsite 17B at Bearpaw Lake.
The
next day we hiked out the same way, plus a short side trip to the ranger cabin
before heading out to Yellowstone. 
Patrol cabin at Bearpaw Lake.
Another view across Leigh Lake.
7-26-17,
Yellowstone Monument Geysers and Ice Lake BP, 2.6 and 1.3 miles
We
stopped at the South Entry Ranger Station in Yellowstone for a backpacking
permit for that night. Our 2008 favorite site at OG1 was taken, so we selected site
4D2 at Ice Lake. We next went to Monument to avoid the crowd and hopefully sit
out some of the rain. A short steep climb leads to a field of mostly extinct
geysers, with some small steam vents. It was nice to have another private
geyser hike. 
Monument geyser basin.
Next
was Ice Lake for our mini backpack. We were expecting lots of bugs, but the
site was lakeside, and caught enough breeze long enough for us to do all our
camp chores. After dinner we got backup beeper noise from loop road repair, but
that got drowned out when another rainstorm arrived. 
View from Monument.
Campsite at Ice Lake.
7-27-17
Yellowstone, Hellroaring, 8 miles
We
hiked out from Ice Lake and headed over to Hellroaring for our planned day
hike. Jean picked this hike from the guidebook, it was drier, lower, and in a new
part of the park for us. The trail dropped quickly to a huge footbridge 200’
over the Yellowstone River. 
Hellroaring Bridge.
The
next bridge over Hellroaring Creek was smaller, but still huge for a hiker
bridge. There we turned north and walked up the creek just far enough to
convince ourselves we had hiked into Montana. This was a pretty walk with lots
of hikers, but we were tired from the heat and the climbing by the end.
We
stopped at Canyon on the drive back for ice cream, and then went to the
overlook above Upper Yellowstone Falls, an area that had been closed on our
last visit.
For
the night we had booked a Frontier Cabin at Lake Hotel, which we really liked,
and ate dinner at their cafeteria. 
Our cabin at Lake Yellowstone.
7-28-17,
Yellowstone, Avalanche Peak, 4.8 mi. RT
This
would be a rest day for Jean, so I got up early and drove solo to the Avalanche
Peak Trailhead. The lower part of the trail is very steep and looks like an old
user trail, rather than an official NPS trail. There was just a bit of less
steep walking before emerging into the base of a meadow. The rest of the hike
was above tree line, first traversing west, then going up the spine to the
summit. Once above tree line the views of Yellowstone Lake are fantastic. There
were two highpoints with the second looking the highest. The peaks of the Absoroka
Range on either side were impressive. These mountains are almost overlooked in
Yellowstone’s bounty of attractions, how many other parks could hide so much of
a great mountain range? 
Summit ridge of Avalanche Peak.
I
found Jean at Lake Hotel writing postcards and ready for a walk. We drove out
to Storm Point on Yellowstone Lake and walked the interpretive loop, then
strolled out on the Pelican Valley Trail just long enough to see a lone bison.
We
had another night at our Lake cabin and dinner at the cafeteria in the lodge.
Later a light rain began, and soon turned heavy enough to expose leaks in the
lodge roof. It didn’t look like it would let up soon, so Jean and I borrowed
some trash bags for covering and ran back to our cabin, still getting soaked.
Yellowstone Lake.
7-39/31-17,
Yellowstone, Heart Lake Backpack, 8 miles
After
two previous Yellowstone trips without our getting to Heart Lake, we hoped it
would live up to our expectations. We knew the start was not the highlight,
we’d have several miles of walking through forest burned in the 1988 fires. We
made good time on that section, mostly because the mosquitos were thick, and we
could barely out walk them. Once at Prospector’s Pass we got views of the lake
and the geyser basin above it. We could smell the fumeroles before we got to
them. After a sharp descent, we went through part of the basin past active
steam vents and one beautiful pool. 
Starting the hike to Heart Lake.
Below
the basin we got a light rain, and I ended up making a needless 20 minute trip
back up the trail thinking that I’d lost our bear spray when we had put on our
rain gear. A two building ranger station
marked the start of the trails around the lake. We were in the first site 8H6
(aka Rustic), just after the trail crossed the outlet of the lower end of the
basin, and right near the lake shore, so that we could get a bug dispersing
breeze. A small tent site and cook area are tucked into a grove of pines. Jean
was initially disappointed in it as the tent spot was a bit sloped and not too
smooth. We had some lunch and set up the tent, before the skies cleared and we
could hit our beach for some bird watching. We did get trapped in the tent for
a brief afternoon storm, but things calmed down in time for dinner. Afterwards
we could see part of the basin steaming and what we thought were intermittent
eruptions of Rustic Geyser, the only active geyser in the basin. 
Mt Sheridan from Heart Lake.
We saw a few other groups passing through including a dad and two tired looking daughters. Their campsite was too far away, (probably only another mile), so he was going back to the ranger station (unoccupied) to chew out the ranger, then drag his girls all the way back to the trailhead (8 miles away). The guy was packing a gun, and clearly way out of his element.
7-30-17,
Yellowstone, Mt Sheridan, 10,299’, 8 miles
Part
of the lure of Heart Lake is that it sets up a great “middle day” trip to the
tower on top of Mt Sheridan. We were on the trail early and it was cool walking
through the lower meadow. There were a ton of well-graded switchbacks, then a
long ridge traverse, but one of the advantages of doing this hike late in our
trip is that we were in shape and somewhat acclimatized. We took 2:40 to get to
the top, not bad for 3.9 miles and 3,000’ of climbing. 
Jean at Mt Sheridan Tower.
The
views were all we could imagine. The Tetons lay to the south, the Absarokas to
the east with Heart Lake directly below. We got the literal bird’s eye view of
the Rustic Geyser Basin where we could see Rustic Geyser and some of the
surrounding pools and vents. We realized that there was an easy way to walk out
for a close up view from our campsite, now that we knew the layout. We spent a
full hour on top and took two hours to make the descent. 
Heart Lake from Mt Sheridan.
Back
in camp we took a nap for an hour. Our trusty Sierra Designs Meteor Light was
starting to show its age with a few leaks and lots of taping coming loose. This
would be its last long trip. After my nap I headed to the beach for a quick dip
in the cold shallow water. Then I walked through the trees on the south side of
the geyser basin and popped out near a large pool that we’d seen from Sheridan.
There was a geyser in constant bubble. I moved to the west end to traverse to
Rustic, lying next to Columbia Pool. I didn’t have to wait long for an eruption
of 5-6 pulses over about 30 seconds with a maximum height of about 15’. But it
looked like another thunderstorm was brewing up, so I headed back to camp. Once
I got back, the storm looked likely to miss us, so I took a return trip with
Jean who took better pictures and got some video. 8H6 was starting to redeem
itself; lakeside camping, few bugs, great summit hike, swimming beach, and our
own personal geyser, what more could one want? 
Eruption of Rustic Geyser.
Rustic was once one of the park’s better known geysers with eruption up to 40’ high but it fell dormant in the mid 1980’s most likely most likely due to vandals dropping debris into the pools. However, the geyser’s regular eruptions began again in the mid 1990’s.
7-31-17,
Yellowstone, Heart Lake Hike Out, 8 miles
It’s
a long uphill hike out from Heart, Lake, but well worth it for the wonderful
two days we spent there. I only wish I’d brought better info on the upper part
of the geyser basin as we walked through it. We saw lots of hikers on the way
out and even managed to give away the rest of our Coleman fuel to another party
in the TH.
Hiking out from Heart Lake.
We
had some time to kill before checking into our room at the Old Faithful Inn, so
we stopped at the West Thumb Geyser Basin for lunch at their packed picnic
area. We saw three elk nearby. We walked the1.4 mile outer loop of the
interpretive trail with beautiful pools including Black and Abyss, and the
famous shoreline cones. 
The beach at Heart Lake.
Old
Faithful Inn is perhaps our favorite vacation stop. We usually visit right
after a backpack trip, so the small lodge rooms with shared baths are fine for
us. Actually, anything with a roof?, we’ll take it! The room wasn’t ready when
we arrived, so we got some ice cream and then watched the park movie in the VC.
Checking into our room we were told it was a “dormer”, which didn’t mean much
to me, but the room opened off of the main, central room. The huge surprise was
when we opened the door. We had told our friends from Phelps Lake that we would
be at the Inn later that week, and they had gone way out of their way to make
us welcome. Our dormer stuck out of the main structure above the patio, with a
window looking directly out to Old Faithful! We opened the windows, pulled up
the chairs, and a few minutes later we saw our first eruption without leaving
the room. Three nights in a row with a personal geyser, can life get any
better?
We
ate dinner in the cafeteria, which also has a great view of the geyser. We
stayed after dinner to watch another eruption (the park keeps up a bulletin
board of expected eruption time for Old Faithful and a handful of other
predictable geysers). Back at the room there was a quick knock on the door and a
gift fleece Yellowstone blanket from Lauren at Phelps Lake was delivered. What
a nice surprise. We caught the 9PM eruption out our window before going to
sleep.
Heart
Lake and West Thumb, 9.4 miles 
Old Faithful erupting outside our room.
8-1-17, Mystic Falls and Observation Point, ~6.4 miles
We
started the day with a 6:20 view out of our window of Old Faithful erupting. Our
next goal was to try and find the new trail above Grand Prismatic Spring that
other hikers had told us about. But we could not find the trailhead, so we headed
to Biscuit Basin TH for the hike to Mystic Falls. So close to Old Faithful,
this area was already crowded by 7:30 AM. Mystic proved spectacular, early in
the approach hike you can see the lower falls, and once around a bend the
entire 70’ high falls is exposed pouring off a volcanic plateau. It reminded us
a bit of Fairy Falls, also in Yellowstone. We hiked past the falls up to a rim
top overlook that stretched across the main geyser basins all the way to Old
Faithful. This was such an awesome walk, we immediately started to scheme on
how to include it in an overnight hike. 
Mystic Falls.
Back
in the Inn we found Tim our friend from Phelps Lake and exchanged contact info
with him. We walked up to Observation Point and saw Solitary Geyser erupt with
a small burp of water, while a larger (Castle?) geyser also erupted out in the
main basin. Lunch again was in the cafeteria (for the view more than the food).
We then hit the VC for some details on the geology displays before heading back
to the Golden Eagle in Jackson to get ready for our flight out the next day. 
The Old Faithful Inn.
