Day Thirty Three, Grand Teton National Park, WY: “A 2,000lb Bull Will Ruin Your Car”

I’m back to real-time writing. And again, I find myself sitting next to a campfire on the wonderful Shadow Mountain in the Teton National Forest. My site on Shadow Mountain overlooks the Tetons to the west, across a beautiful plain of multicolored  wildflowers. The site is, being in a forest, generally secluded. Once the sun set behind the Tetons, what few mosquitoes there were disappeared. Furthermore, there is enough of a cell signal for me to briefly connect to the internet and send in this post. In short, this site is a dream.

Unsurprisingly, at least to myself, it took me about two days under a roof in Jackson before I yearned to return to a tent. This is not meant as a sleight against my host or his habitations; rather, a tip of the hat to the freedom, solitude, and space that comes with a secluded camp. The reward of reaching the end of any hike is substantial, often in the form of a beautiful lake ringed by soaring, snow covered mountains. After a four day return to semi-urban life, I found that I missed those experiences. And I was glad to get back on the road to Grand Teton and Yellowstone. (For those of you who may not be familiar with the geography of the area, Grand Teton is about 20 miles directly to the north of Jackson. Yellowstone sits atop of Grand Teton.)

I did go on a short hike today, of perhaps 2.5 miles total, from the new visitors center at the Lawrence S. Rockefeller Preserve – a recent gift to the National Park from its namesake – to Phelp’s Lake. To call the center a visitors center seems a little inappropriate; it is a small building of wide spaces and reminds me more of an old-style sanitarium for nature lovers than a visitor center. Visitor centers are typically very crowded and meant for masses of travelers; the LSR is too new to appear on any map and is infrequently visited.

As usual, I met some great people. Hardly a day has gone by in the weeks since I’ve left Denver – and therefore wondered through the parks and towns on my own – that I have failed to meet someone with whom I exchanged numbers or email addresses. This has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of the trip; meeting people from regions of the country other than my own, gaining their perception on issues and events, and hearing their stories, and it provides an ever-changing context within which I enjoy my own timeline. In this case, I met a CPA from New York City and a couple from Boston on the trail. (I hope to have pictures of this hike, including some Moose I ran into on the road out of the center, up tomorrow.)

Simply because this is far and away the most enjoyable campsite I have encountered, I plan on spending the next night here. Because the road down the mountain is long, that will mean spending the next day here as well. I also plan on waking up early to get some shots of the sun rising across from the Tetons. I’m looking forward to it. (This post’s title comes off a roadway sign alerting motorists of the wildlife crossing that is, essentially, every mile of road in the park.)