CASA DEL SOL: Goodwin Lake

I was really, really needing a hike today. Last weekend was Sully's birthday party, and then we had visitors and meetings and only managed to get in one (albeit really good) hike from the first half of Josie's Ridge to Sink or Swim (the steep West/East way!). So today I was really ready to get out there. When trying to settle on a hike yesterday, Mike shot down a coupe and then, when I suggested Goodwin Lake, he said: "Is that the one up that crazy hill out on the Elk Refuge?" with a devious and hopeful grin on his face. Yes it is, and I knew we had a winner.

Sully enjoy the bumpy, crazy road. The blur was unavoidable.

The road to the Goodwin Lake trailhead is one of the more harrowing experiences of Jackson Hole. (for the type of people who don't do any of the wide assortment of extreme activities that is). I recall fighting off a good old fashioned panic attack the first time I was driven up there for a camping trip in 1996.

Goodwin is a glacial run-off lake at an elevation of 9500 feet. The Valley itself is at about 6,200 so we are taking about a 3,300 gain. 1,500 is the hike from the trailhead to the lake but the large remaining chunk consists of this single lane, water eroded, rutted, washboard road with no shoulder, or guardrails and 90 degree turns up teenly litte switchbacks and a sheer drop off the side of a very pretty and terribly steep mountainside. This is the kind of road my husband gets giddy to ride on

I figured it would be sort of looney tunes up in the Park this weekend, with all of the visitors in town for the holiday (How the hell is it the 4th of July already???). So I was pretty eager to do what I figured would be a less sought after hike. But since I had not hiked this trail in maybe 13 years(?) I had no idea how popular it was! Lots of local plates, lots of dogs (ugh, dogs!). I had also forgotten how steep it was, but we are doing our dandiest to not let steepness deter us, within reason considering we are both dragging and lugging wee children up these things!

So away we went, with us doing our best to keep big man motivated...There's a lake! We'll play on the beach! And he made it up just fine except for one minor injury, was quickly mended thanks to the fact that I finally remember to pack the damn first aide kit!! Also, I realized today that annoying cartoon character bandaids are critical in these instances to convince him to continue on after the injury.

Back Country Triage!

Sully has the best hiker legs.

This is kind of the close to the lake, Its a really narrow path on the side of a really steep hill. Mike is holding on to his pack to be sure he doesn't do anything crazy, like fall off a mountain.

So being that its at a higher elevation, there was still plenty of snow to be found. Sul took full advantage, filling his hat with snow to cool him. (5 year old hiking savant that he is) and then later making a snow angel on the last day of June.

The last haul gets a little bumpy. Sully, on the way down said he liked this kind of hiking because it was "harder" and more fun (than a dirt trail).

So, there is still snow up there. And there was a large bank of snow on the shore of the lake, right near where we decided to rest and play. So I thought it would be a nifty idea to jump in the lake, swim out a bit and have Mike snap a shot of me with the snowbanks in the back. Easy right? Except that it was so cold that I'm pretty sure I would have hurt myself if I had done it! I sat in the water, waiting patiently to get used to the temperature. I tried, I really did but I just couldn't make the plunge. Mike was kind enough to photograph the attempt anyway.

Shrew this, I'm out of here.

And then a number of random pictures, many of which are like other pictures from other hikes , but I just can't help posting them because these boys are so damn gorgeous.