I will be in contact with National Forest and National Park Service staff as well as other area experts as I plan this out in greater detail, but for now here is a rough idea of the hike ahead of me. I am of course grateful for any input. I've tramped perhaps just a quarter of the route itself, been on horseback for some of it, and have been in the area of the route at various junctures. So here is my first planning of a Wyoming Walkabout for the summer of 2006.

1. The Wyoming Range National Recreation Trail: Snow pack permitting I plan to be at the Snider Basin Trailhead a dozen or so miles west of Big Piney, WY on July 1, 2006. This "trail" is not always a trail and will require my route finding skills. It does appear quite straightforward to me. This stretch is reported to be between 65 and 75 miles in length.
   
   
2. The Gros Ventre Mountains & Jackson Hole: After re-supplying from the end of the Wyoming National Recreation Trail I'll cross the Hoback River on a "Packbridge" and US Highway 189/191and head up Camp Creek and farther north to Horse Creek where I will head east to its headwaters and the Granite Hi-Line Trail. There I'll turn northwest and hopefully scramble 11,180' Gros Ventre Peak. I "climbed" this peak as a 13-year-old in summer camp, but from the opposite side, so I will of course be researching that much further. I will continue to the northwest and then follow Cache Creek down into downtown Jackson, Wyoming. Right now I'd like to just hike through Jackson and walk Wyoming Highway 22 and the Moose Wilson Road to the Hostel at Teton Village, but that will of course be something open to consideration. All together I'm thinking perhaps 40 to 50 miles to the Teton Village Hostel from US HWY 189/191 crossing after completing the Wyoming Range National Recreation Trail. Other than crossing highways and a short stint into Cave Falls this is the only other paved portion of the planned route. From the Teton Village Hostel I will head north on the Valley Trail and into Grand Teton National Park. With the towering Tetons right above me to my west I will continue northward to Phelps and then Bradley Lakes before taking a less than one mile detour to the American Alpine Club's Grand Teton Climbers Ranch. After a night there I will continue north past Bradley Lake and across the lower reaches of Garnet Canyon to Lupine Meadows. From there I'll hug the east shore of Jenny Lake to the String Lake Trailhead, my ultimate re-supply point before heading west over the Tetons. My rough guess on mileage from Teton Village to String Lake would be 17.5.
   
   
3. The Tetons: From String Lake I will go up Paintbrush Canyon to Holly Lake and over Paintbrush Divide to Lake Solitude and the North Fork Of Cascade Canyon. From there I'll take the South Fork of Cascade Canyon over Hurricane Pass and into the Targhee National Forest. I plan on spending an extra day in Alaska Basin so I can "climb" 11,303' Static Peak, another spectacular mountain I scrambled that fabulous 13th summer of mine. From Alaska Basin I will head down the South Fork of Teton Creek to the Teton Canyon Trailhead for re-supply.
   
   
4. The Western Slope Of The Tetons And On To Cave Falls: From the Teton Canyon Trailhead I will head north to Granite Basin Lakes, Green Lakes, Dead Horse Pass, Hidden Corral Basin, Nord Pass, and two brief excursions back into Grand Teton National Park at Conant Pass and Jackass Pass. At Jackass Pass I'll head west briefly to Hominy Peak and onto Squirrel Meadows and FR 261, the "Reclamation Road." From Loon And Rock Lakes I will briefly cross the Winegar Hole Wilderness and into Yellowstone National Park where I will take the South Boundary Trail west to the Cave Falls Road and on up to the Bechler Ranger Station And Trailhead. I know I will really be in serious Grizzly Habitat by the time I get to Conant Pass if not before hand on timbered slopes West of Moose Basin I backpacked in 1978. I'm guessing 50-65 miles on this stretch from Teton Canyon to the Bechler Ranger Station. That estimate could be high.
   
   
5. Southern Yellowstone & The Teton Wilderness: I pan on camping at upper Boundary Creek 2 nights With a day hike to 150' Dunanda Falls and the spectacular hot springs just downstream of them on Boundary Creek. I will then head NE up the Bechler River Canyon and on to Grants Pass before turning south to the Shoshone Lake Geyser Basin. Shoshone Lake is the largest backcountry lake in the contiguous states. From there I'll go east to the Heart Lake Trailhead and re-supply nearby at Grant Village. I'm thinking a total of 45-50 miles from the Bechler Trailhead to the Heart Lake Trailhead. From the Heart Lake Trailhead I'll go SE to the Heart Lake Geyser Basin and Heart Lake. I would like to hike to the Lookout on 10,308' Mt. Sheridan if I can. From Heart Lake I will continue east to the South Arm of Yellowstone Lake and then over to the Southeast Arm of Yellowstone Lake where I'll turn south up the Yellowstone River to "The Thorofare." The Thorofare is said to be Wyoming's greatest Wildlife Habitat, and just south of Yellowstone's Boundary in the Teton Wilderness is some of the most prized hunting country anywhere. I'm thinking about 45 miles from the Heart Lake Trailhead to Bridger Lake in the Teton Wilderness. I am hoping I can re-supply from a horse-packing outfitter at his camp near Hawks Rest just south of Bridger Lake. From there I'll head east to Thorofare Creek and follow it to the Continental Divide, hopefully ascending either 12,156' Yount's Peak or 12, 058' Thorofare Mountain. As of now it is my understanding that I can follow the Continental Divide Crest south to Crescent Mountain and then west to the Bonneville Pass Trailhead where I can re-supply. From there the Brooks Lake Trailhead and the Continental Divide Trail is less than 2 miles away. If the Divide walk proves unfeasible I will drop to the headwaters of the South Fork of the Yellowstone River and then south to Marston Pass and then westward down Lost Creek to Lake Creek and then Pendergraft Meadow and the South Fork of the Buffalo Fork River before continuing on to South Fork Falls and then taking the Continental Divide trail south at Cub Creek to Bear Cub Pass and back east across the Divide but still southward into the Shoshone National Forest and upper Brooks Lake and then the Brooks Lake Trailhead. This is the longest and remotest chunk of the hike, from the Heart Lake Trailhead a total of 85-100 miles depending on the ultimate route.
   
   
6. The Continental Divide Trail From Brooks Lake to Union Pass And Then Down Much Of The Length Of The Wind River Range To Big Sandy: My 2000 "Wyoming's Continental Divide Trail: The Official Guide" by Lora Davis shows this stretch of the more than 3,000 mile long "CDT" to be 108 miles long. As I noted before the Winds are legendary for many seasoned outdoors people. I will describe this final leg of the hike in greater detail after I produce a far more accurate mileage chart for the hike up to Brooks Lake.

I have an abundance of information in the Guidebooks I own and I hope to fill in as many of the spaces in the Targhee and Teton National Forests that I'm not aware of any information on beyond maps. There are many qualified hikers and officials in the area I will make contact with in the coming months. Beyond that I'll be on my own more than ever. I have mileage guides for all but perhaps 125 miles of the planned route. I will need to buy maps for the Wyoming Range, southern Wind River Range, and the Targhee National Forest from Conant Pass to Yellowstone. I will of course take my compass, but I plan on really knowing how to use my 9 year old Garmin GPS that I haven't really needed thus far.

I will be ordering and hoarding food over the course of the spring. If anyone has any trail food ideas for me I'd be more than grateful to hear about them. I will use a dehydrator and will spend a small fortune on prepackaged freeze-dried meals. If I have trouble with assistance I will mail re-supply boxes to Driggs, ID; Grant Village in Yellowstone, and if I can the Bechler Ranger Station in Yellowstone. I hope to work out help with re-supplying at Jackson, Brooks Lake, and Union Pass. In any event both of those areas are conducive to hitch hiking in the summer. I will probably rest 2 or 3 nights in Jackson Hole, perhaps 2 or 3 nights before heading across Southern Yellowstone, and perhaps 2 or 3 nights in the Dubois area. I'm going to do my best to get a ride out to Pinedale from Big Sandy. If I can't I'll just have to continue on to South Pass and hitch hike back to the Ranch from there. I may have to hitch hike to the Snider Basin Trailhead west of Big Piney to begin the hike.

My good friend Dave gave me a set of Bushnell Binoculars that takes digital photographs. I'm quite intrigued with this for wildlife viewing possibilities. I also plan to buy a small digital camera and get extra memory cards and batteries. I am technomoronman, so any advice in this or any other arena would of course also be greatly appreciated. I know much of this hike I will be on my own, however I am open to considering companions for any length of time. I hope to find a place online where I could leave updates for potential hiking companions and anyone else interested as I progress. I imagine it will take the better part of the fall if not the winter as well to put shape to the writing I envision.