The wind was quite bad all night long so I slept a little light. There was even some rain during the night but not really enough to worry about. I got up around 7AM. After breakfast and packing up, I headed back to overlook Delta Lake and catch a glimpse of Grand Teton, Mount Owen and Teewinot Mountain in the morning light. Then I headed over to observe Surprise lake. Both views were a great way to start the morning. I started out on the trail back down to Lupine Meadows around 8AM.
Overlooking Delta Lake, Grand Teton, and Teewinot Mountain Surprise Lake in the Morning
Hiking back to Lupine Meadows Trailhead
On the way back down, there were a couple downed trees on the trail, remnants of the windy night. You could smell the pine the fresh pine. A little ways down the trail, I came across a family of deer, with a fawn staying just in front of me for awhile. I made sure to keep my distance and eventually it went dashing down the mountainside to catch up with the pack.
By 9AM there were several groups on their way up. Since the majority of the trail is eastward facing, the temperature was more noticeable as it was starting to get a little warmer but not bad. Once I hit the tree line, things cooled down a good bit. After a quick 2 hours since departing Surprise Lake, I was back at the Trailhead. A lot less cars in the parking area in comparison to the morning before.
When I got back to the truck, I put all my gear in the bed of the truck. There would be plenty of time to shuffle food and gear when I got to the next trailhead area. By that time I could also eat some food before departing on the trail so it didn’t hurt that it worked out that way.
Leigh Lake Trailhead
When I got to the Leigh Lake Trailhead parking area, I refit my food loadout for the next 2 days as well as changed my clothes. There wasnt really anything in my pack that I needed to change so it stayed all packed up. I did stash 2 clean pair of socks in my pack though. I also took the time to have some lunch so it would be one less thing to carry and less time to spend along the way.
General Hiking Route Overview
Around 11:40AM, I was all set and ready to depart the truck. The initial part of the hike was around String Lake, leading toward Leigh Lake. It reminded me a lot of my hikes around Burke Lake in Burke, VA. There were also lots of people on this section. Once I crossed the bridge over the connection of the two lakes, the crowds really thinned out.
From here, its about 4.7miles to Holly Lake. As a rough estimate, I figured it would take around 3-3.5hrs, plus time spent observing throughout Paintbrush Canyon.
Hiking Paintbrush Canyon
After being on the trail for about an hour and a half, I came a to a mini-waterfall area. It was a pretty cool and shaded area so figured I would take a quick break. I certainly wasn’t exhausted but its important to stop and take in the views along the way.
After about 10 minutes, it was time to move on because there would be more to see further up the canyon. Along the way, I came across someone that was starting out a multi-day hike. We chatted for a while and stopped at the same areas along the trail to take in the views of the surrounding canyon. This seemed pretty common throughout my entire trip, both chatting with folks on the trail and stopping to observe the surroundings. There are lots of friendly people out their and they all have a story. Eventually, I continued on ahead of the other hiker. The few days of being at altitude were already noticeable and working in my favor in contrast to my fellow hiker who was on his first day.
Looking up at Mount Woodring Looking North and Eastward in Paintbrush Canyon Overlooking Leigh Lake and Jackson Lake
The sample of photos above, are some of those views as I gained some elevation on the trail. There were lots and lots of huckleberry patches that were just bright red. After reviewing all my pictures from the trip, all the vivid colors you see in person aren’t given the justice they deserve here. This means you should get out and go it in person next fall to fully appreciate. As a bonus you will get the full views in person if you make the trip!
The further up the trail you get, the more rocky it became, but certainly not bad. Once you pass the sign for the Outliers camping area its still about a mile or so before the trail split to go to Holly Lake or continue along Paintbrush Canyon trail. Regardless of which trail you take at the split, both trails intersect again just west of the Holly Lake area.
My destination was Holly Lake and the group campsite. While Holly Lake is about half a mile from the trail split, the group camp site is about half of that. The photos below show the area just before and around the Holly Lake split. This is considered the beginning of the Upper Paintbrush area. Near the trail split there is also a fairly big pond. If you are low on water, this would likely be accessible year round, though its likely covered in snow during the winter months as well as early summer.
Trail split for Holly Lake Pond just off the trail split
Setting Up Camp
Around 3:50PM, after a quick walk up the trail, I arrived at the Holly Lake group camp site. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was at the right place, because the campsite sign is marked as a horse group site. After a quick recon of the immediate area and referencing the paper I got from the Range, I settled on being in the right spot. I began routine of setting up my sleeping area and stashing my food/smellables in the bear box. Once my pack was striped down to the bare essentials, like water, water filter, camera, maps, bear spray, etc, for a trip up to Holly Lake I headed out. The distance up to Holly Lake was only about 0.2 miles.
Holly Lake
At 4:50PM I arrived at Holly Lake. The lake sits at 9410ft, according to the sign as you approach. The weather was much better this evening than it was the previous at Amphitheater and Surprise Lakes. While staying on the path that surround the lake, I went to a few different spots to observe and reflect on the area. The sun was getting lower but not quite below the Paintbrush Divide ridge line to the west of the lake. The lighting made for catching the details of rock surfaces of Mount Woodring, The Jaw, Mount St John and Rockchuck Peak. As you observe the rock layering, you can kind of get the idea for maybe why its called Paintbrush Canyon.
View NW from the lake View SE from the main lake
Sadly, but also good, while I was at the lake I realized I had taken so many photos, that I ran out of space on my phone. I had about 24hrs left of my trip so I was going to be deleting apps and data caches on my phone to make room for the remaining pictures. This also meant that I would be taking more pictures with my camera, while saving the panoramic pictures for my cellphone camera. Not a bad thing, but the camera often times took more time to start up to take a few pictures than my phone. Pure convenience, that’s all. After about 15 minutes of cleaning up my phone, I finally got back to observing.
Before departing, I took the opportunity to fill up my water reservoir. The water was quite cold and refreshing, though the ambient temperature was beginning to decline. I topped up the reservoir to 3L so I would have plenty of water for dinner, during the night and the hike to Lake Solitude in the morning. Since, my route could take me past Holly Lake again in the morning, I wasn’t concerned with rationing my water.
At about 5:50PM, I headed back to camp.
Dinner
By the time I got back to camp around 6PM and I was feeling pretty hungry. Already I had burned 3500 calories since departing my truck at the Leigh Lake Trailhead parking area. Dinner tonight was going to be Lasagna with meat sauce. One of my favorite meals on and off the trail. Though not as good as freshly made, the freeze dried alternative I brought (Mountain House) wasn’t bad. It was quite tasty and would be something I would definitely get again. This is also a good time to take in a good amount of water to stay hydrated or catch up.
Evening Time
After dinner, I changed to my night clothing, while stashing my day clothes into the bear box. My day clothes tend to get tainted by food and smellables throughout the day. This also helps to begin airing and drying them out for the next day. My night clothing usually consisted of a light thermal top, and regular shorts. I keep my thermal bottoms in my sleeping bag in case the temperature drops during the night to justify dawning for additional warmth. Also I tend to wear a beanie to retain some heat as the evening chill sets in. Comfortably cool.
all smellable items in the bear box sleeping system Typical sleeping attire
I walked around the area a little and came upon a rocky area that provide a good vantage point of the lower portion of the canyon, Leigh Lake and part of Jackson Lake. I decided I would have breakfast at this spot in the morning as the sun rose. I could imagine how the valley would look as the light
Mount Woodring Leigh Lake and Jackson Lake Mount Saint John
Night Time
The night tonight was pleasant, though a bit chilly. The sky was clear so I knew I would be waking up throughout the night to view the starry night sky. The tree canopy left my view not as great as the first night out, but still sufficient from within the warmth of my sleeping bag.
Around this time each night of the trip, I sat in my sleeping bag while taking notes in my notebook to help the reflections from the day and capture the various events. It severed as a better means for taking semi-detailed notes than how I make quick notes on my phone throughout the day. In my notebook, I tend to expand my quick notes and elaborate on what I was thinking during the parts of the day, the conversations, and people I encountered. Some days there are many things that happen that you tend to forget unless you spend some time running through it all.
Still no bears. This is still good since I was quite some distance from whomever might be camping in any of the near by camping areas. I hadn’t noticed any signs of bear activity where I was currently unlike the previous night. This little detail was more relaxing mentally. I still kept my awareness on point and my bear spray at my side. Don’t get complacent!
Daily Stats
Total Miles: 10.8miles
Total Elevation Gain: 2865ft
Total Calories Burned: 4483 calories
Total Time: 8hr 26min
I proposed to my wife on the ridge if the Paintbrush Divide Trail, overlooking Grand Teton.
I then promptly proceeded to catch her jacket on fire when I tipped our alcohol stove over.
Thankfully her engagement bliss kept her from murdering me.
Funny that you mention Paintbrush Divide because I am working on Day 5 right now and it includes that. Great spot for an engagement! and good thing it all worked out