It's a bear's, bear's world

We headed to the popular Jenny Lake area for this weekend's hike, but decided to diverge from the crowded path and try a trail called Moose Ponds. It promised views of wildlife. 

Along the way we stopped to marvel at the wildflowers and paused in appreciation of the landscape's diversity. We started on the lake's edges, but ended up trampling through meadows in the hot sun and then shuffling over a pine-needled walkway.

When a stream babbled across our path, we tiptoed across a fallen tree trunk. We thought we were almost home free, and then a sign stopped us in our tracks.

"DANGER: Due to bear activity beyond this sign, CLOSED to all travel."

A metal bear trap reflected the sunlight under a distant tree, so we switched our route and detoured around the bear zone. Rangers regularly trap & relocate bears who repeatedly encroach on campgrounds and trails. Bears learn this behavior when humans feed them or leave food or garbage out for them to eat.

We laughed on the way back because we had just purchased bear spray, a more intense kind of pepper spray. We totally thought we were over-reacting to carry it on all our hikes.  It will remain on our backpack.

Local Flavor

 

Indie rock music blares from the ice cream man's vehicle in Jackson. His treat cart is attached to a bicycle. This is just one example of the active, smalltown everyday lifestyle. 

A person doesn't really need a car in town. The free START bus circles regularly. Many commuters leave their vehicles parked and take the bus to and from work. Bicycle is the most popular form of travel during the summer.

Or, for a different ride, put your inner tube in up north of town and float down Flat Creek, which flows alongside our backyard.

The town hill

On Thursday evening we decided to explore the "town hill". Snow King Mountain rises above Jackson's southern edge and is known as the town hill because of its close proximity and utility for outdoor activities. Here's a view from its base.

The trail leading to the peak of Snow King Mt is a real workout, ascending 1600 vertical feet over just 1.8 miles of switchbacks. It took us about an hour to hike it, and we constantly amazed by other locals who were running and biking the steep, loose-gravel path.

At 7800 feet above sea level T surveys Jackson from an observation deck.

Dramatic views reward the tough hike up Snow King Mt. To the NW are Gros Ventre Buttes (foreground) & the Teton Mts (further off in the haze).

To the NE is the National Elk Refuge, which includes Millers Butte (smaller hill at center). For reference the building where we began the hike is located at the far bottom left, next to the larger building with the white/silver roof.

Instead of slipping and sliding back down the trail, we enjoyed a scenic ride down the mountain on the ski lift, then went grocery shopping. Can't believe it's just another weekday evening!

Working Hard, Too

So, I thought I would devote a little space to the gig that made the move seem a bit more sane, or perhaps stable. 

The Jackson Hole News and Guide might be one of the few remaining successful dailies. 

For the last three years, while teaching and taking courses at the journalism school, I heard how newspapers would have to redefine themselves online. I listened to how reporters would all have to learn multi-media. I discussed all the theories behind plummeting circulations and busted my tail to learn podcasting and blogging. 

But the News and Guide's strategy is to strip off the bells and whistles and provide community journalism in the raw. Not all stories are posted online. Reporters write for daily when needed. And the kicker: offer a subscription to a weekly that digs deeper into issues, holds public officials accountable and provides space for compelling photos and storytelling. 

Last night, on deadline, an editor rearranged two pages to fit in a longer feature I wrote about the town's first bank. It would have been chopped in half somewhere else. Or thrown online only. I'm still kind of in shock. 

It probably comes down to the unique culture. Everyone is well-educated and engaged in town affairs. There's a lot of money for advertising. Plus, the town's location, and constant struggles of human inhabitants living in agreement with wildlife, allow for a thriving local newspaper.

-tma

In a land of black AMEX cards and unaffordable housing, we have found the people of Jackson to be laid back and unassuming, not unlike this humble sign in the middle of town. While Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks to the North & West get all the press (see sign), few realize that Jackson is bordered on the East by an Elk Refuge & to the South by the 3.4 million acre Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Bradley & Taggart Lakes

Taggart Creek rushes out of Taggert Lake as the snow melts in the mountains above. Water levels in local waterways have been murky and rising this week because of the melt. While my wife hiked with a coworker on the opposite end of town I explored Taggart and Bradley Lakes in Grand Teton National Park. 

The glacial lakes among the Tetons are incredibly clear and cool. This photo was taken from a footbridge that crosses Taggart Lake. 

Wildflowers and sagebrush cover the hillsides and meadows in the area, as evidenced by this photo from the Valley Trail, which connects the Bradley and Taggart Lakes.

First Hikes

The photos below are from Leigh, String & Phelps Lakes within Grand Teton National Park.

The Park entrances to these Lakes are about 10 miles from our front door.

Hiking (not to mention fly fishing, floating, camping, white water rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking, etc.) is a major summer attraction of the Jackson Hole area and one of our favorite outdoor activities. There are literally hundreds of miles of trails in all directions that range from grassy meadows to pine forrests to snow-capped mountain peaks. Many large and deep glacial lakes are interspersed among the mountain ranges. 

Varied landscapes require more knowledge and preparation than hikes of the Midwest. The weather can change much faster in and around mountain ranges, thus it is necessary to pack layers of clothes for the most routine hikes. Erratic terrain and significant elevation changes can significantly affect the physical aspect of any outing. 

And then there's the wildlife. Seeing a grizzly and and a mink in one 2.5 mile stretch of fairly well-travelled trail was a surprise. While we have learned much about the bears and moose and how to best avoid conflicts with them in the wild, there is no replacement for seeing these animals in their natural setting.

Bear!

"Get the camera," Jason says, turning around to give Traci access to his backpack.

"Why?" she asks.

"I see a bear," he replies.

Sure enough. Sixth day in the mountains and our second hike, we come across what we believe was a grizzly. (S)he laid quietly in the shade of an evergreen, about 80 yards from the trail leading to Phelps Lake. We stood and watched with our binoculars. Other hikers paused. 

Grizzlies have slowly made their way south from Yellowstone. Teton County is requiring bear-proof trash cans as part of the bear (human) management programs. Black bears are still more prevalent around Jackson, but grizzly populations are growing. One of Traci's new co-workers penned this story about a grizzly mom that achieved "rock star" status because of the clever way she used the human periphery to her advantage.

Neighbors/Wild Life

Neighbors, including canadian geese, mallard ducks & trumpeter swans, gather in the courtyard to chat and watch the creek (and the occasional float trip) go by. 

We often join our neighbors, of the human variety, at the picnic tables below our deck. It's social hour until dark. Everyone brings their own brew, and unique perspective from the place where they grew up. We're mostly all transplants, lured here by a respect for the natural world and an "oh my gosh" marvel at the the towering ivory mounds in the distance. We toast to plate tectonics, glacial lakes and the spirit that led us here.

Seduction of the West

We've fallen hard for Jackson Hole. But can you blame us?