Friday, October 16, 2020

Grand Tetons and the Road to Jackson (Mile 1,970, Trail Mile 71.22)

Thursday was an uneventful work day for me, and Rachel and Nathan kept busy puttering around the cabin. But Friday was a big day. We were heading to our next big adventure in Grand Tetons National Park. Honestly, I didn't really know much about Grand Tetons, other than the fact that it was a "companion park" to its big brother, Yellowstone. And, it's next to Jackson, a renowned skiing destination. So, very much unlike Yellowstone, we set out to GT with little in the way of expectations. 

As with any National Park, the NPS does a great job of educating the public. Here, at the first rest stop we made, I learned how to use a toilet!


But, Grand Tetons is about so much more than sanitary education! They also had one of the coolest park signs we'd seen.


Even better, we met a celebrity! Before leaving West Yellowstone, we'd stopped by our go-to coffee spot, where the super-friendly owner advised us to keep an eye out for Bear 399 - a 24-year old grizzly who, along with her four cubs, had become a local sensation. She and her family apparently had no qualms about hanging with the humans and was frequently seen frequenting roadside stops. And, believe it or not, she made an appearance almost as soon as we entered the park! When we saw the standard wildlife jam along the side of the road, we pulled over and were immediately rewarded with a view of the five massive grizzlies frolicking in the meadow.


You can't see much from the photo, but believe me, it was enchanting! And all of this against the amazing backdrop of the Tetons.


And, let me point out that this is now four major National Parks, and we've seen at least one bear in every park. I'm dying to see how long we can keep this streak going. I doubt they'll have many bears at Indiana Dunes.

We tried a couple of trailheads, only to find that they were closed for the season or due to bear activity. But, we persevered and eventually found a fine-looking hike near the Coulter Bay visitor center. It started as a pleasant stroll along a couple of mountain lakes.





But, we have a long history of bad trail judgment, and this hike was no different. We decided to take the "extended route" through a little traveled trail that circled the lake. It wasn't long before we were strolling through a grassy wetland, and then through the woods with no discernable trail at all!





We crossed over what appeared to be beaver dams and got ourselves lost in head-high reeds.




At one point, when a bar of cell phone reception showed up on my phone, Rachel called her sister Becky as "and added measure of precaution" and asked her to call the rangers if we didn't check back in by 9 pm. Seriously. Fortunately, with a little perseverance and some cross-country trailblazing, we eventually made it back to familiar territory. The hike ended up being 6.5 miles instead of 3.1, but we felt great. 

As we drove south toward Jackson, we saw the bear jam around 399 beginning to break up. Then, just a few minutes later, we saw a couple of cars pulled over, and I spied a furry back below the berm at the side of the road. I pulled over quickly, and before we could debate whether getting out of the car was a good idea, one of 399's buddies came strolling across the road in front of us!





We couldn't have been more overjoyed, and I think Rachel even squealed like a little girl. 

Then, as we were nearing Jackson, the only thing that could have made this day better actually happened. We spotted two moose feeding at the side of the road! Life is amazing!

We just arrived at our Jackson condo a couple of hours ago, and it's time to hit the sack. We have another big day in front of us tomorrow. Who knows what we might see!








 



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