TR: "Sea" Kayaking in the Tetons

How do you folks spend the summer? I was lucky enough to score a dream job and spent every damn day out on the water! Nothing exciting, adrenaline-pumping, or terrifying in a foamy whitewater kind of way. Just day after day of beautiful lake kayaking, secluded camping, delicious meals, and good conversation around the campfire with fine people and cheap wine!

Sadly enough, I spent the majority of the summer without a camera. But thanks to a very generous tip from a fun group in August, I scored a new camera for the tail-end of the season. Here's a little sampling of what life is like out on the water in Wyoming...

Before we get going, I've got to mention that [almost] all these pics came from one four-day trip as fall was just starting to take hold. I spent over 50 days out this summer; this represents just the tip of the iceberg.

And finally, I want to apologize in advance for the sheer quantity of blue you are about to witness...



















This thread is dedicated to a beautiful woman who is is no longer with us, sharing in the beauty of life...
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As with any job, you gotta get through the commute before you can get down to business. In this case, the daily slog wasn't too bad...
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Sometimes, when we drew the short straw, we would go to Yellowstone and do monotonous (though still beautiful) half-day trips on that big ol' lake up there.
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This was the routine, twice a day...
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But thankfully, I spent most of my time doing infinitly-more-enjoyable trips on Jackson Lake, ranging from one-night to five-nights. Not a bad way to make a living!

Welcome to my office.
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Paddlers in front of Waterfalls Canyon.
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The point is alive and well on Jackson Lake.
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View from Elk Island, on an abnormally calm afternoon.
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This pic is hard-on-worthy for all of us skiers, or geology nerds...
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So much blue...
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Grassy Island, our own private camp.
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The J-Rig: at home going huge in the Colorado, or crusing around the calm shores of Jackson Lake.
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On this particular tirp, a wildfire kicked-up after smoldering for over a week. I wish I had a tripod and could have taken a pic of the orange glow seen at night...
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Wildlife? There ain't no wildlife around these parts...

We saw a ton of these...
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And even more of these.
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The Sandhill Crane, direct descendant of the pterodactyl.
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This is a pretty common sight.
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Sadly, I got no pictures of the countless ducks, geese, eagles, hawks, or osprey, or the wolf tracks that frequented one of our camps, or the bear tracks regularly seen in the mud, or the freshly killed elk carcass up Moran Creek, or...



Sometimes we take hikes...
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And visit other, smaller lakes. Like this beaver pond...
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Or this one, named after old Beaver Dick...
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Lesson learned: sunsets are cool...
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But sunrises are always better!
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Feeling groovy?
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And that, my friends, was a brief look at my summer. I hope you all enjoyed, and if anyone wants to come paddling next summer, you know where to find me...

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P.S. T-minus 16 days until I'm rigging my boat at Lee's Ferry. This is the best job ever...

good stuff.
ER actually knows how to paddle??? ;)

^^ hehe, ER doesn't paddle, he sits at a desk, talks on the phone, and pours us shots when we come home.

I've always wanted to paddle those lakes. Doin some overnights by a touring-kayak....gotta be fun.

Isn't this a Snout....or is it a J-rig?
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...t/IMG_0412.jpg

Enjoy the Grand. 5months until my rig day!!!

^^^It is a J-rig, used to run down Cataract back in the 90's. But its definitely a tiny one! We have two rigs that we cycle through all summer: the Pinner J (this guy), and the Fatty J (about 3 feet wider and 5 feet longer).

^^^Kind of a baby-J? Those sized snouts used to be rowed in the Grand in the fall, when the no-motors kicked in. Thinkin S-rigs have the donut in the middle, and a snout on each side, vs a J having only pontoons?

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Originally Posted by Tye 1on

Thinkin S-rigs have the donut in the middle, and a snout on each side, vs a J having only pontoons?

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Bingo! S-rigs are the monster 35 footers with the huge donut and two pontoons

http://www.raftarizona.com/_images/s..._motorboat.jpg

If you ever get a hold of this book:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WT288GZFL.jpg
on the back cover is a crazy picture of an s-rig in that moment where the boat is just over-vertical and flipping is inevitable. Over a dozen people holding on for dear life or falling out into the water. Looks rather terrifying...


Never heard of these being used anywhere other then the Grand (where its easy to find upwards of 20 people paying to sit on one raft!). Can anyone prove me wrong?

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Originally Posted by powder_prophet

Bingo! S-rigs are the monster 35 footers with the huge donut and two pontoons

http://www.raftarizona.com/_images/s..._motorboat.jpg

Never heard of these being used anywhere other then the Grand (where its easy to find upwards of 20 people paying to sit on one raft!). Can anyone prove me wrong?

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Well......

Back in the day, Mike Denoyer, owner of Grand Canyon Expeditions, would crate two of those bad boys up, with all the accouterments, have them trucked to Miami, in November, then shipped to Belize. He had some kind of exclusive lease on an island some dozen miles offshore. He'd drive the S-rig back and forth with customers across the open ocean...to his island where he basically had a dive resort...He'd do that all winter, then send 'em back to Kanab for another year in the Big Ditch...

But no, on rivers methinks you're right. And from the dam to the Ferry, technically the last bit of Glen Canyon, but that's splittin hairs...

Fantastic pics man! Great tr.

Who do you guide for? I've really been itchin for a while to do a fall trip up there. Something mellow to take the gf along and extend the paddling season a little longer. Picked up the falcon guide fork paddling Ystone/Tetons a couple years ago but haven't used it. Got any recommendations to get a flatwater noob started? Any must do routes? What are the spots to hit with the primo views and campsites? I'm available for pm's if you dont want to share it with the world either. Also, if you got any advice for kayak rentals... Thanks and great shots.

Miss the Tetons..

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Originally Posted by Flowtorch

Fantastic pics man! Great tr.

Who do you guide for? I've really been itchin for a while to do a fall trip up there. Something mellow to take the gf along and extend the paddling season a little longer. Picked up the falcon guide fork paddling Ystone/Tetons a couple years ago but haven't used it. Got any recommendations to get a flatwater noob started? Any must do routes? What are the spots to hit with the primo views and campsites? I'm available for pm's if you dont want to share it with the world either. Also, if you got any advice for kayak rentals... Thanks and great shots.

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I guide for OARS. If you wanna come out next summer, let me know!! We'll do all the hardwork, and you just get to sit back, paddle, eat, drink, & be merry.

www.oars.com/wyoming


Now, if you're trying to do something yourself, your best bet for kayaks is with Snake River Kayak and Canoe. They've got a shop just north of town square on Cache. They'll get you set-up with gear (and it'll be cheaper then Rendezvous River Sports, which is your other option). http://www.snakeriverkayak.com/outfitting.htm If you're really thinking about a fall trip, bundle up! Its gonna be coooooold out there right now. It was freezing at night by early september!

Yellowstone and Jackson lakes are your best bet for interesting paddling. If you have a week or more to devote, I'd go to Yellowstone and paddle into the southern arms of the lake. Incredibly remote back there. You can hike into Thoroughfare for a day or two (or however long you want!), which is about as middle-of-nowhere as you can find in the lower 48. Tons of wildlife, carnivorous and otherwise, so bring bear spray for hikes and be ridiculously bear-safe at camp!! However, I would probably not go up there in the fall. That place is cold all summer, and by now might be too much (unless your really into that kind of thing...).

Jackson Lake will give you those primo views you're looking for! Plus, it'll be more hospitable then Jellystone this time of year. Paddling anywhere on the lake will have million-dollar views, but my favorite area is the western shore south to Bearpaw Bay. Spectacular...

In both cases, there are designated campsites that you must use. Not sure about Jellystone, but on Jackson they all have bear-boxes. USE THEM!! The sites can be reserved at any backcountry ranger station (Jenny Lake or Moose in GTNP, and Grant village is your best bet in Y-stone for rangers and for starting your adventure). They're free if you walk-in, and cost something like $20 if you reserve in advance. On Jackson, I'd especially look for Little Grassy Island and Bearpaw Bay (I think sites 4&5). They're very close to one another, but are in an amazing part of the lake. Lil' Grassy will be your own private island (wee little island...). At Bearpaw, you're directly below Moran and the Skillet Glacier, and can hike to the Leigh Lake area.

And again, just to stress, this area is as bear-prone as you can find south of Glacier NP. Especially this time of year when they're fattening up. Proper precautions are a must!!!! The ranger will shove this point into your brain when you get campsites, so just be ready.

If you have anymore questions, feel free to keep on askin!

Have fun out there, and give yourself plenty of time to relax; its a lake, that's what it's for! :cool:

Cool, thanks for that.

Sure would be tempting to kick back and let you guys do all the "hardwork" but i'm more of a do it yourselfer. Thanks for the generous offer though ;)

I looked at the Snake River boats-50$ a day? That seems steep doesn't it? I dont know, i've never had to rent a sea kayak before but have demo'd a few WW boats and I think the most they cost was like $30 a day. Maybe i'll find a hookup somewhere.

Thanks for the info on the lakes. I've heard the S. arm of Yellowstone lake is pretty sweet, would you recommend a lake shuttle over there or do you guys paddle it all? No prob being bear aware too. I seem em all the time in your neck of the woods.

And it won't be for this year, hopefully next fall. I was actually just up there right after labor day, early September. WTF was up with the post labor day crowds at the Park?!...was hoping to avoid that shitshow. Fuckers, nobody works anymore. :the_finge:fuckyou::p

Here's a pic of a Glacier NP lake and a cuddly bear we found swimmin Mary's Lake to add to your TR. Dont know if our trip merit's its own trip report.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Flowtorch

I looked at the Snake River boats-50$ a day? That seems steep doesn't it?


Thanks for the info on the lakes. I've heard the S. arm of Yellowstone lake is pretty sweet, would you recommend a lake shuttle over there or do you guys paddle it all?


WTF was up with the post labor day crowds at the Park?!...was hoping to avoid that shitshow. Fuckers, nobody works anymore. :the_finge:fuckyou::p

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Shit, I've never had to rent a boat either, so I'm not sure what prices are usually like! The other place in the valley to look is Rendezvous River Sports.

http://www.jacksonholekayak.com/kaya...rentals_75.htm

Looks like they may be a tiny bit cheaper, plus will do discounts for long-term rentals. Wish I could get you the hook-up your lookin for, but sadly our boats aren't exactly up for grabs...

If you're going into S Jellystone Lake, I'd start from Grant Village and just paddle all the way. Tons of amazing campsites along the way, and you avoid the shitshow up at Lake Village. Plus, you can paddle past some geysers at the West Thumb Geyser Basin if you want (kind of out of the way, but cool nonetheless!). Bring your hiking gear and get out of your boat for a day or two when your down there. Some absolutely ridiculous terrain is waiting to be explored...

Hehehe, the post-Labor Day rush was pretty crazy! It died for a week prior to the holiday, then BAM!!! Anyone without kids realized it might be a nice time to be there. As a good friend says, after Labor Day is prime time for the newly-weds and nearly-deads!!!!!