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Date: (6 days, 5 nights; Sun-Fri) July 18-23;
Aug. 29-Sept. 3Assembly Point: Jackson (airline service to Jackson; Timberline van shuttle to and from Jackson prior to and following tour) Tour Cost: $1,395 (includes all lodging, all meals, shuttles prior to and following tour, leaders, trail maps & narratives) We've been cycling the Grand Loop in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks for the past 14 seasons and we've developed an intense attachment to this region. Only when we began hiking in the parks five seasons ago did we begin to understand the full measure of the magic of Yellowstone Country. The Yellowstone/Grand Teton Hike remains an important component in our Hiking Adventures category for '99. Since our program is an inn-to-inn experience and not a backpacking trek, we'll enjoy overnights in the magnificent historic lodges of the parks. We'll spend our first two nights at the grand Old Faithful Inn and the final three evenings at the beautiful Jackson Lake Lodge. Our program assembles early-afternoon of Day 1 in Jackson and we'll van shuttle to the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone.We'll arrive early enough to explore the fascinating thermal features that surround the Inn, including famous Old Faithful geyser itself. Day 2, we're off on a 13-mile hike along the Fairy Creek Trail as it meanders through meadows that are prime feeding habitats for bison and elk herds. We'll hike to Mystic Falls and Imperial Geyser, one of the park's most active and dramatic thermal features, and to Fairy Falls, whose 300' drop is among Yellowstone's highest. After a second night at Old Faithful, we'll follow the relaxed Mallard Lake Trail on a 7-mile round-trip hike to the lake through Mallard Lake Canyon. We're then headed to Grand Teton and our first of three nights at the Jackson Lake Lodge. Early-morning of Day 4, we'll hike Death Canyon above Phelps Lake with its spectacular views of the majestic, snowclad spires of the Teton Range (8 miles). Perhaps the most spectacular and challenging hike of the program is planned for Day 5. We'll cross Jenny Lake by boat and follow the popular trail to Hidden Falls. The adventure begins beyond the falls as we begin a 2,220' climb to Lake Solitude in the heart of the magnificent Tetons. If you're awed by the beauty of the Tetons from the valley below, you won't believe that which awaits you along the trail to Solitude-a hike that many consider to be the quintessential Teton experience (14 miles). We'll spend a farewell evening at the Jackson Lake Lodge, hike leisurely to Bradley and Taggert Lakes the following day before returning to Jackson where our program concludes mid-afternoon.
Date: (6 days, 5 nights; Sun-Fri) Aug. 1-6 Assembly Point: Red Lodge, MT (airline and bus service to Billings; Timberline van shuttle between Billings and Red Lodge prior to and following tour) Tour Cost: $1,295 (includes all lodging, all meals, shuttle between Billings and Red Lodge prior to and following tour, leaders, trail maps and narratives) For the past decade, Beartooth Pass, straddling the rugged Montana/Wyoming border, has been the cornerstone of several cycling and hiking programs that we have developed in the Yellowstone Country. In so many ways, the Beartooths symbolize the concept of adventure that is the heart of our program. We are a group with an enormous appetite for high mountain adventure; we cherish each and every alpine encounter that we have embraced in our program since our earliest beginnings. But for us, let there be no doubt, Beartooth is without equal-it is the best! Situated northeast of the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park, the Beartooths, for the most part, are contained within the vast Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. The rugged terrain, high elevations and somewhat remote location are factors that conspire to preserve the pristine quality of this region. Our program will assemble late-afternoon in Red Lodge, eastern gateway to the Beartooths and a short van shuttle from Billings. Following our orientation dinner and first overnight at the Rock Creek Resort, we'll shuttle west of town along Rock Creek for our first hike, a moderate 9-mile introduction to the wilderness as we hike to Timberline Lake. The views from the lake are magnificent, including Timberline Glacier and 12,500' Silver Run Peak. This day's adventure, though, does not end with our return to the trailhead. We're headed for dinner at the incomparable Grizzly Bar in Roscoe, but be forewarned, some of last year's guests have threatened to return this season if only to be part of another Grizzly Bar experience. We'll spend our second night at the Rock Creek Resort. Early the following morning, we're off to Glacier Lake, nestled serenely above timberline at 9702'. We'll arrive at Glacier Lake late-morning and continue beyond (into Wyoming) to Emerald Lake. Another night is planned at the Rock Creek Resort, and then we'll head west beyond the Continental Divide for a spectacular encounter with Beartooth High Lakes. Much of this 9-mile hike in the Beartooth high country is at or above timberline with breathtaking views of countless high alpine lakes and the dominating presence of Lonesome Mountain and famous Beartooth Butte. We'll rendezvous with our van at the Beartooth Lake trailhead and head to Cooke City outside the Yellowstone entrance for an overnight at the All Seasons Inn. Early-morning of Day 5, we'll shuttle to the Clay Butte trailhead east of Cooke City, pausing first for a grand sweeping view of the Beartooth Plateau from the Clay Butte Lookout. Our destination this day is Upper Granite Lake, one of the largest, deepest and most majestic mountain lakes in the Beartooths. We'll pass through high mountain meadows teeming with wildflowers. Snowcapped peaks are everywhere with great views of towering Lonesome Mountain to the north and prominent Pilot and Index Mountains to the west (10.4 miles). We're headed back to the Rock Creek Resort for a final night, and we'll bid farewell to the magnificent Beartooths the following day with a leisurely hike through Quinnebaugh Meadows (6 miles).
7975 E. Harvard Suite #J Denver, Co. 80231 Telephone: (800)417-2453; or (303)759-3804 Fax: (303)368-1651 E-Mail: timber@boulder.earthnet.net
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