Claeys Road Diaries
“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt" ~John Muir
Bells and Whistles #nps #grandtetons #roadtrip
07.12.17
The drive through Wyoming to Grand Teton National Park was a mix of prairie and hills and then almost out of nowhere, there were the mountains. The magnificent mountains. Tetons, named after trappers who thought the pointy slopes looked like nipples (theory was they had been away from their wives too long!). We arrived around lunch time on the 12th. And, as usual, we did not have a reservation so we had to scurry through the crowds to the Ranger’s desk to see about finding a place to set up camp but since we had missed the early morning window we weren’t very optimistic. The Ranger’s told us that the only campgrounds with availability were at the north end of the park but that they usually fill up by noon. Luck was on our side; we got a site at Colter Bay Campground on Jackson lake (the significance was lost on Jackson). No hookups but it was perfect. Shaded, across from water and restrooms and private to boot.
Grand Teton park has gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and its own medical center. Crazy. I’ve never been to a park like that (or at least I never knew it). Thursday morning, we continued our tradition of getting up early to beat the crowds. We had to make the 25-mile trek to Jenny Lake on the scooter. Well, at 7:00 am, let me tell you, it was COLD. I hunched down behind Dave as much as I could to hide from the wind and alternated putting my hands between my legs to keep them warm. When we got there our legs and asses were sore – 25 miles is too long on the scooter. We headed out to do the Jenny Lake trail which was a 7.6-mile trek around the lake with elevation. Almost immediately we ran into another couple coming from the opposite direction saying they had just seen a cub and were turning around because they were afraid of running into mamma bear. It figures, of all the times not to be prepared; we left our bear spray back at camp. All we had was one, yes ONE, bell and a whistle. And all the signs clearly say, bells are not enough to detract bears. We kind of shuffled forward although I was hesitating because I thought if we go any further up the trail this will be the end of us. I’m not normally worried about black bears because in places like this they are so used to people that unless you startle them or come across one with cubs they will typically leave you alone (maybe that is naive). But before we could make a decision, the couple, Alan and McKenzie from South Carolina (also traveling for a year – they started in January so were pros by now) proclaimed that we could go together since they both had bear spray and a bell and four people is better than only two. We walked in a line clapping our hands, stomping our feet, jingling our bells and I was playing some kind of awful tune on my whistle. And then, out of the bushes came something none of recognized chasing a chipmunk (turned out to be a martin – a rare sighting). Dave reached for the camera but I stood still listening and watching intently for bear. And then we heard it! Rustling in the woods – scrapping maybe of the trees? And Alan said: “That’s where we saw the cub”. Great! I can see the headlines now: “Couple killed four weeks into a 12-month trip”.
But, we hiked on with our newfound friends, with our bells and whistle, sharing stories about our adventures, the lessons learned, the great places to see. They, too, sold what they owned, quit their jobs, bought a camper, and hit the road! And we thought we were the only ones. We so enjoyed talking with them; we were sorry to have to part ways but they, after six months of hiking, were headed to Cascade Canyon, another 7+ miles further. We didn’t think we could make it that far. We hiked on without them and, still, I was afraid we’d run into a bear. But, there were so many people now on the trail – couples, families, parents carrying infants on their backs, that seemed to be completely unaware that they were in the ‘house’ of wild animals who don’t really appreciate us trespassing, that I felt a sigh of relief. I thought to myself: if there are bears, there are enough people around that the odds are in our favor (I know, bad karma). We never saw any bear that day, just birds and ants. Yes, ants. They are the thing we see the most of. Must be all the wood.
We headed back to Jenny Lake the next day to concur Cascade Canyon (now that we were warmed up). Only this time we took the boat across the lake to cut off about 2 miles of the trek. We came prepared with bear spray and my bell and whistle but we didn’t need it. We hiked up near Lake Solitude where there was a 360-degree panoramic view of the mountains. We found some shade and had lunch – PB&J sandwiches. On our return we made a wrong turn to Inspiration Point and added another 2 miles onto our already taxing journey. All together we did about 10 miles with 1,220 feet in elevation. Back to camp for our reward: BEER.
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Claeys Road Diaries 
Hi You’ll!! Fun time meeting you in Estes Park!!! Enjoy your travel writings & photo’s. You are having a great time, I can see. Sad about the beetles killing all those mountain pines, we saw that as well & have same problem here in Florida. We’ve been home almost two weeks, busy catching up on yard work, etc etc. Watch our for those grizzilies!!!
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