Kim and I recently returned from a vacation trip to Jackson, Wyoming and Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The Tetons are perhaps the most strikingly scenic mountains I have ever seen. I was really impressed with them.
Yellowstone was also very interesting and I would very much like to return sometime during a warmer time of year when the snow has melted and does not hamper hiking. They say that most visitors to the park never leave the paved roads and boardwalk trails. Unfortunately, we could not leave the main paths due to the snow drifts that blocked the trails. Also, some of the roads were still closed.
The geologic features, like Old Faithful and the other geysers, were interesting, but I would like to explore some of the out-of-way places in the park.
We saw lots of wildlife on our journey: lots of pronghorn antelope, elk, moose, as well as coyotes, turkeys, mule deer, white-tailed deer, marmots, prairie dogs, ground squirrels, jackrabbits, a weasel, an eagle, a ruffed grouse, and perhaps the highlight of the trip, a mother grizzly bear and her two cubs.
One day, we set out to hike in the Tetons and decided to take an infrequently used trail past some moose ponds. We walked a mile before the snow drifts that frequently covered the trail became intolerable and so left the trail and bushwhacked our way back to the road. We then took the very popular trail around Jenny Lake. In most places on this trail, the snow had already been broken through making the walking much easier and drier. It was quite scenic and we were able to get very close to a moose cow and her calf that were relaxing drowsily about fifteen yards off the trail.
My only two complaints about the trip were the weather for the second half of the week (it got cold and rained, snowed, and sleeted) and the people. I like to watch people and, like Elizabeth Bennet, pride myself in being a “great connoisseur of human folly”, but there are limits to how much folly I can stand. So here is a list of some of the classes of people that got on my nerves: 1) the young gonzos with their $300 name brand windbreakers and full mountaineering gear that seem more concerned with looking the part of “serious outdoorsperson” than actually enjoying being outside. Why, on a Saturday afternoon, do you find them crowded around a bar instead of actually exploring the woods? It is very amusing to see them with their “technical” outdoor gear and clothing power walking the same paved trail as the grandmother wearing jeans, tennis shoes, and sweater (who, by the way, has enough sense to take her time and enjoy the sights). 2) Parents that seem oblivious to the fact that everyone around them does not find their obnoxious children as adorable as they do. 3) Boisterous trail-walkers that can be heard by every person and wild animal about a quarter of a mile off. 4) Dumb salesman in the local extreme sports store that replied to my statement/question “Yes, but a bear sighting isn’t quite the same thing as a bear attack, is it?” with “well, it’s pretty close.” 5) “Meemaw” and her about-four-year-old grandson Patrick in the hotel whirlpool. 6) Gas prices (not really a class of person, but just as annoying). 7) Fast food workers that do not speak English and who cannot tell you the price of something on the menu board. 8) Mountainman rendezvous participants (not so much annoying as they are frightening, especially the women); I do give them credit for having some very nice tomahawks at the ready in case someone needs a good scalping; I don’t know what they will do, however, with a steak that needs chewing). 9) Pushy saleslady at the top of the Snow King scenic chair lift that tried to convince me that a photo of Kim and me on the chairlift encapsulated everything about our vacation.
Here are a few things that you might find interesting:
Kim spent about $50 on anti-grizzly-attack pepper spray. The bottle, which is the size of a small torpedo, cautions that the contents may cause permanent eye damage. Poor bear. Poor intruder should he be foolish enough to break into our house when Kim is home.
At the Mountainman Rendezvous, a huge horse (draft horse size, probably 16 or 17 hands tall) managed to get out of its stall. No one was around, so I was forced to take matters into my own hands (and I do have considerable experience with horses – you may have read on this website about an incident in which I got my nose broken while breaking some wild mustangs). The horse had no halter or bridle, so I simply held the stall door open and gently coaxed the huge animal back into its stall using every bit of horse-whisperer skill I possessed. The latch on the stall door was broken, so I used the horse’s leadline to tie the door shut. Did I save some lives, maybe even the horse’s? Probably. Am I hero? I don’t know – that’s not for me to say – but yes, I am.
On the ascent up Snow King Mountain via chair lift, Kim kept her eyes closed the entire time. She kept them open on the way back down.
At the Greater Yellowstone vistor’s center Kim and I were witnesses (and really, best man and matron of honor) to a very casual wedding. We didn’t know the happy couple, but they seemed very nice. The groom offered to take me elk hunting sometime.
Our pre-trip souvenir coaster total: 10. Post-trip souvenir coaster total: 20. (When can you come over and enjoy a glass of lemonade or iced tea so we can start to put these coasters to use?)
