MORE COWBELL
We got up early on Sunday. We packed, made breakfast, cleaned up, loaded the car, and drove back to Lander for groceries. Christy did the shopping, while I entertained Jackson. By entertained, I mean he helped me pick out a six pack of beer. It was a winner – Sweetgrass Pale Ale from Grand Teton Brewing in Victor, Idaho. Then we played around in a patio area in front of the store.
From there, we drove through Dubois and on to Brooks Lake. The goal was to get a campsite at one of the campgrounds there before they filled up. Apparently we didn’t need to worry. Sunday July 6th was the ideal arrival date, as many people had left after the long weekend. We settled on campsite 21 in the Pinnacles Campground, which is up on a hill with a nice view of the lake and the cliffs above. It turns out that we never needed to worry about getting a site. The campground never filled up that week. However, it is worth noting that there are only a few sites close to the lake, and they stay occupied. I ended up liking our site more, as we were farther from the water and in a spot with a good breeze. That kept the mosquitoes from making the experience miserable.
Our campsite
Pinnacles Campground is really nice. Aside from the views of the lake and cliffs, it was quiet and the bathrooms were remarkably clean.
We arrived in time for a late lunch, which surprised me. Apparently we can get up and get moving early if we have to. We didn’t do that much on this trip, but at least we know that we have the ability. That enabled us to stay on the somewhat ambitious schedule I had planned for the day. We set up camp, ate lunch, and got prepared for an afternoon hike.
My goal for the afternoon was a 6 mile loop hike from Brooks Lake to Upper and Lower Jade Lake. That was an ambitious goal, since we started around 3pm. With Jackson, we typically average 1 mile and hour, whether I am carrying him or not.
We drove to the parking area on the south side of Brooks Lake and hit the trail. We started out on a wide, easy path with great views of the lake and the cliffs on either side. I was particularly interested in Mount Sublette (Brooks Mountain) to the west, since we were planning to hike to the top of it the next day. The trail passes through an extensive meadow, which was full of blooming wildflowers. That added to the scenery, which was already spectacular.
Christy hiking towards the cliffs of Mount Sublette
Jackson
The Pinnacles above Brooks Lake
Sublette Peak and Mount Sublette
The Pinnacles
We reached a junction and started up a painfully steep hill. Jackson had walked that first mile, but the climb was too steep for him. I put him in the pack and carried him up. It was a struggle. It’s always a struggle, but the steep grade and the altitude was a brutal combination. Our acclimatization plan had been one night in Cheyenne at 5K, followed by two nights in Sinks Canyon, at close to 6K. Brooks Lake is 9K, and it is all uphill from there. That was a big jump in elevation after only 3 nights at moderate altitudes. It was one of my biggest concerns going into the trip. I usually handle high altitude ok, but Christy has had problems in the past, and we had no idea how it would affect Jackson. Would we even know if the altitude was bothering him?
Brooks Lake
Brooks Lake
Wind River Range in the distance
We reached the top of the hill, hiked into the woods, and then plunged down a steep descent. A few minutes later we encountered a horse party from Brooks Lake Lodge. This was pretty exciting, as it was Jackson’s first time seeing horses up close.
From there it was a fairly easy hike down to Upper Jade Lake. The lake is a beautiful green nestled below the cliffs of Sublette Mountain. We stopped there for a break before the mosquitoes chased us off. It’s worth noting that late afternoon is not the optimal time for photography at Upper Jade Lake. The trail follows the east side of the lake, and the sun was above the cliffs to the west. Morning light would be much better for photos. I should’ve thought about that when I planned the trip.
Upper Jade Lake
We made a long descent through the woods, but the mosquitoes followed us. I tried to hike fast to stay ahead of them, but that didn’t really work. We didn’t stop at Lower Jades Lake, as it wasn’t very appealing. The water seemed to be low, as the whole lake had a “ring around the bathtub” look to it. That struck me as odd, as the lakes are usually full in early July.
Lower Jade Lake
We continued down to the bottom of the valley. We left the woods and entered the long meadow / willow swamp that extends from Upper Brooks Lake to Brooks Lake. From there we enjoyed an easy walk back to the trailhead.
The hike had one final highlight in store for us. We were nearing the final stretch of the trail when we heard something unexpected. Was that…cowbell? A few seconds later a herd of horses appeared, galloping towards us. Sure enough, some of them were wearing cowbells, for some reason. They were from Brooks Lake Lodge. There weren’t any people with them. Apparently the lodge lets them out to “pasture”, free-range, in the evening. They passed by us on a parallel trail, galloping the whole way.
We returned to camp, had a nice dinner, and went to bed at dusk. It was surprisingly cold that night, and I was underdressed. I wore my long underwear and kept a warm hat handy the rest of the nights we were there.
Later that night I got up to pee. I was enjoying the stars when I heard cowbell in the distance. It sounded like the horses were heading back to the barn for the rest of the night.
(NOT QUITE) IN BLOOM
The original plan for Monday was to hike up Mount Sublette (Brooks Mountain) above Brooks Lake. We weren’t ready for that yet though, so we pivoted to an easier hike. The revised plan was to hike part of the trail to Holmes Cave to check out the wildflowers. I had hiked there with Christy’s Uncle Larry in 2022, and I had been blown away by the flowers, particularly the incredible sunflower field in the first couple of miles. Christy is a huge sunflower fan, and I wanted to take her there.
We drove up towards Togwotee Pass and made a brief stop at Wind River Lake. Jackson fell asleep in the car on the way, and we didn’t want to wake him if we could avoid it. To kill time, we made a brief attempt to drive up to Lost Lake. I think the Subaru could have handled it, but the road was rough, and Jackson was really getting thrown around in his car seat. We gave up on that and returned to the highway.
Wind River Lake
We decided to drive down to Togwotee Lodge and check it out. Specifically, we were curious if they sold ice, or anything else useful. We had brought two small coolers that are ok. We left the big Yeti at home, because it took up too much space in the car. That meant that we would need to get ice before we left Brooks Lake. It turns out that the lodge has all kinds of desirable things – gas, ice, junk food, soda, beer – if you crave it, they probably have it.
Jackson woke up while Christy was inside. A large construction vehicle was passing through the parking lot, which was pretty thrilling for him. From there we backtracked a short distance to the Togwotee Overlook, which has an incredible view of the Tetons from a magnificent wildflower meadow. We had lunch there before driving back up the road a couple of miles to the trailhead.
The Tetons from Togwotee Overlook
We drove down a short, steep hill towards a small stream. It is a rocky streambed, with a chunk of old, broken pipe sticking up into the air. I suggested, rather emphatically, that we back up and park, but Christy wasn’t having it. She enjoys this sort of thing. She picked her line and went very slow, but there was still an alarming noise from underneath the car. We drove up the hill on the opposite side and parked in front of an old cabin. I got out and looked under the car. Everything appeared to be intact and nothing was leaking.
Our hike had no goal. I figured that we would hike up the trail a couple of miles to enjoy the flowers and the views of the Breccia Cliffs. We headed up the trail, but Jackson wasn’t interested in hiking. I put him in the pack and carried him from there. We headed up into the vast sunflower field that I remembered. Unfortunately, the sunflowers weren’t blooming yet. The stalks were up, and they were cool to see, but there weren’t any blooms. My previous hike had been in late July, and the sunflowers had been a bit past peak. Apparently they don’t last long. The optimal time here must be mid to late July.
Christy hiking towards the Breccia Clilffs
Me and Jackson
Christy and Jackson on the hike back
Jackson and Christy
Parting view of the Breccia Peaks
The other wildflowers were profuse and beautiful, and the views of the Breccia Cliffs were great. We only saw one other hiker, and we enjoyed a long break in a meadow. The hike back was pleasant, but the drive back out to the highway was even more traumatic than the drive in. Incredibly, there was no major damage. It was a relief to return to camp for another enjoyable evening.
NOT TOO SUBTLE
Tuesday’s hike was one that I was really looking forward to. The plan was to hike to the summit of Mount Sublette (also known as Brooks Mountain) from highway 287 just west of Togwotee Pass. Mount Sublette is just over 11,000’, and it towers over the west side of Brooks Lake. Its east side is a wall of sheer cliffs, but the west side is a gentle plateau. The trail climbs the west side. It is a little over 2 miles, one way, but the elevation gain is over 1,600’.
Mount Sublette should not be confused with Sublette Point, which is rock pinnacle just to the southeast. It is composed of crumbly volcanic rock, and it is considered to be an extremely dangerous technical climb. There is no trail up Sublette Point.
Jackson fell asleep on the 30 minute drive to the trailhead. He normally naps in the early afternoon, but on this trip the timing shifted forward a couple of hours. I’m guessing that his brain was still in the Eastern Time Zone. The “trailhead” is just a long, wide shoulder on the side of highway. We pulled off and organized our gear before waking Jackson. That did not go well. He was not ready to get up from his nap. Then there was a mishap putting mosquito repellent on him. He managed to rub it into his eyes, which led to a complete meltdown.
Getting sunscreen and mosquito repellent on him was a challenge throughout the trip. We managed to keep him from getting sunburned, but mosquito bites were a major problem. We protected him with long pants and long sleeves, but he ended up with lots of bites on his face and neck.
We were starting late (as usual), and we didn’t know how long the hike would take. We decided to go ahead and get started, hoping that he would calm down. I carried him from the start, but the meltdown continued. Carrying him uphill would have been difficult enough, but having him scream in my ear the whole time added another element to the misery.
Jackson did calm down eventually, but that first 20 minutes was miserable. He walked some on the way up, but I carried him most of the time. We ran into one other group on the way. They were a family from the Raleigh, NC area.
The first 2/3 of the hike was actually pretty boring. It was all wooded, and the trail stays up on a hillside above a small stream. We narrowly avoided disaster when Jackson dropped his matchbox car. It bounced off the trail and landed in a steep gully composed of scree and loose rock. Just beyond we reached a stream crossing and a big patch of snow. We took a break there so that Jackson could stretch his legs and play in the water. I went back and made a sketchy descent down the gully to retrieve his $2 matchbox car. File that under “things I never thought I would do”.
Taking a break to play in the creek and the snow
The wildflowers were nice on the hike up, particularly around the stream. There were Paintbrush, Alpine Buttercups, and Spring Beauties. I didn’t even know that Spring Beauties grew in Wyoming. The flower show really cranked up in the meadows above treeline. Up there, the ground was a tapestry of green, gold, and purple.
Alpine buttercup
The summit of Mount Sublette at the upper right
Family selfie
The Tetons in the distance
The trail is way down there
Christy near the top
So close
By the time we reached the brink of the cliffs Jackson was asleep again. That was just as well – at least we didn’t have to worry about him up there. There is one final short but steep climb to reach the summit from that point, but it isn’t essential. The view of Brooks Lake and the Pinnacles is incredible from the crest of the ridge. We stopped there, had a snack, and took lots of photos.
Brooks Lake and The Pinnacles from Mount Sublette
Bad timing
Brooks Lake
The summit of Mount Sublette
Sublette Peak from Mount Sublette
Brooks Lake again
Jade Lakes
Wind River Range in the distance
Looking north into the Teton Wilderness
The Tetons
Brink of the cliffs
Wildflower meadow
Christy heading down
The trail and the highway
When I do this hike again, I plan to start earlier and extend it. Following the brink of the cliffs to the north would be fun. Even better, I’d like to hike the alpine ridge northwest towards Breccia Peak. I don’t know anything about this route, but it looks reasonable on the topo map. There is a trail that ends in the gap southeast of Breccia Peak that starts at the same trailhead on highway 287. That would make a great loop hike, with or without adding the summit of Breccia Peak.
I noticed one oddity on the topo map on GAIA. According to GAIA, most of the hike is in the Teton National Forest, but the top of Mount Sublette is owned by Mr Ds Food Center. That sounds unlikely – I’m guessing it is just an error?
The hike back was easier and faster than the climb. Jackson walked most of the way, which was great because I was worn out. Carrying him on hikes four days in a row must be my limit.
Christy and Jackson
