As We Travel: Teton National Park, Wyoming

We're on our way home now, for real this time, only about three days to go! We thought that Craters of the Moon would be our last big stop, but then we met a couple on a hike at Craters who were work camping at Teton NP. They had a couple of days off, so they came over to visit Craters of the Moon. They told us that the Gros Ventre campground in Teton NP doesn't usually fill up, so we'd be able to get a campsite if we wanted one. We decided that since we were so close, we might as well. So off we went!

I hadn't been to the Tetons since 1982, and I remember how in awe I was when seeing them for the first time. In my opinion, they are one of the most beautiful parts of the Rockies. Lee had skied in Jackson Hole a number of times in the past, but this was the first time he had actually entered the park and seen the mountains from the valley in the summer.

As predicted, we were able to get a campsite that afternoon. After we set up, we headed out to explore some of the side roads and trails nearby. This particular trail was along the Snake River. There were several beaver dams along the river, so parts of the river looked more like ponds.

We took another side road back to the campground and stopped to admire this scene.

The campground is located along the Gros Ventre River. After dinner we took a walk down to the river and were surprised to spy this moose sitting in the brush. At first we only saw the antlers. For such large animals it's amazing how well they camouflage themselves. He sat there for quite awhile while several campers joined us to take photos. It was hard to see him clearly with all the brush in the way, but we didn't dare get too close. They can be very aggressive.

He finally stood up and wandered off. The show was over!

Day 2: Hiking String Lake Trail to Paintbrush Canyon and Bears! When we entered the trail, there was a warning sign to watch out for a bear with a yellow ear tag and light fur on his back that had been causing problems in the area. We had been used to watching out for bears for most of our trip, so we knew the drill...make noise, carry bear spray, don't run, and don't get too close. So on we went.

The first mile and a half followed the lakeshore and crossed a stream.

Then we got into the forest where the huckleberry bushes were plentiful. We got to the point where the trail split off to go to Paintbrush Canyon. We stopped to rest for a few minutes and chat with some other hikers, when another group of hikers called our attention to a bear below the trail feasting on huckleberries. As soon as we saw him we knew he was THE ONE. There were several hikers, so there was safety in numbers. The bear was pretty well hidden by the bushes, but we stayed and watched him for awhile before everyone continued on their way.

Lee and I continued up the Paintbrush Canyon trail. We started to get to spots where we could begin to see the canyon walls, but we didn't get as far as we wanted because the weather turned gray and it started to sprinkle. Afternoon storms are common there, so we decided to head back. As we walked back, we passed a few groups of hikers who alerted us that they had seen a bear beside the trail. We thought it might be the same one, so since he ignored us the first time, we weren't too concerned. We just kept our eyes open.

When we got to the spot where we thought he might be, we spotted him. The same bear. He had worked his way up the hill from the last place we saw him. He was still busy eating huckleberries. We stopped to take a couple of photos then started to move on.

Lee stopped to take one more photo when all of a sudden he heard the bear huff and start heading toward us. The bear disappeared into the bushes at that point and could be heard but not seen. Lee turned quickly to put some distance between he and the bear, not realizing that I was standing right beside him. As he turned, he body-blocked me so hard that I was horizontal and crashing to the ground before I knew what happened. As Lee describes it, Lawrence Taylor would have been impressed with the hit. Fortunately, the bear was just showing us a bluff charge and moved in the other direction as quickly as he had come toward us. We lived to tell the story and will probably embellish it in years to come.

The rest of the hike was uneventful. We continued the loop around String Lake and got back to our car without incident.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped at Jenny Lake, one of the more popular and scenic lakes in the park to take some photos.

Day 3: Inspiration Point Hike Inspiration Point is probably one of the most popular hikes in the park. I remember doing it back in 1982 with my kids when they were 7 and 10 years old. There were spots that definitely looked familiar. The main difference this time was that Lee and I took the shuttle across the lake to start the hike, which cuts out about a mile or so. I don't remember that being an option back then. But it offered a different perspective on the mountains.

On the way up to Inspiration Point, we passed beautiful streams and waterfalls.

Some sections were steep and narrow.

We made it! Great view of Jenny Lake!

On the return shuttle we could look back to where we had just been. The ridge line halfway up the mountain is where we stood at Inspiration Point.

Day 4: Biking, Hiking, and more Moose! We were only planning to stay for three nights, but when Lee watched so many cyclists riding along the bike path with the spectacular view of the mountains, he just had to do it too. So....

Later that afternoon, we drove to another area of the park to the Laurence S. Rockefeller Preserve for another hike. We hiked out to Phelps Lake on a loop trail past mountain vistas, streams, assorted colors of columbines, and a ground squirrel munching on a pine cone.

On the way back to the campground we spotted a couple of moose in a field by the road, so we pulled over to get a few shots. They were aware of their audience, but were too busy eating to care.