String lake to paintbrush divide1/8/2023 Once I crested into the North Fork portion of the Cascade Canyon, the wind gusts dropped off significantly. There isn’t any clear trails on the map that take you north into Leigh Canyon. In the pictures below you can see the view of the North Fork of Cascade Canyon, the region to the west and the area north, where Maidenform Peak is as part of Leigh Canyon. The trail was rocky the whole way down to the lake. They likely camped in the North Fork camping area. Along this segment is where I started seeing groups of people make their way up to the Divide. Once you crest the ridgeline you see Lake Solitude the entire way down to it. From Paintbrush Divide, its about 2.4 miles down to Lake Solitude. The rest of the trip from the Divide would predominantly be downhill, as seen in the elevation profile above and the remaining pictures below. You had a great view down Paintbrush Canyon, the range to the north of Mount Woodring (Thor Peak Mount Moran), and the ridgelines west/northwest. The views from Paintbrush Divide were once again amazing. I got to the Paintbrush Divide sign around 9:15 AM. I would guess the gusts ranged in the 10-20mph range. The closer I got to the divide, the more windy it was as the wind crossed the divide and made its way down the canyon. It was a good thing that there were foot steps from the days before, likely made during a warmer time of the day when the snow was soft. I was quite careful about that as well because it was a steep long drop if I wasn’t. There was a patch of iced over snow I had to cross. I just needed to slow my pace a little and work on controlling my breathing. No one was on the trails yet so it was all pretty quite besides the morning chirping of the birds.Īs I continued up to the divide, I got a little more out of breathe here and there as I was trying to maintain my pace. Looking back down Paintbrush Canyon toward Jackson Lake. I figured that would be at least an hours hike, plus time for elevation gain.Īs I gained elevation from where I was camped, I got some good views of the southern canyon ridges and peaks, a lot of which still had snow (most are designated as glaciers). According to the sign, Paintbrush Divide was 2.2 miles. Once I got back to the main Paintbrush Canyon trail, I continued along the rocky trail. This would ensure I got to see the area from a different perspective and experience more of the area besides Holly Lake. Instead of going up to Holly Lake again, I decided to get back on the main trail where I branched off the day before.
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