We got up late. Joe said something about being lazy, but I reminded him that on vacation people don't need to get up at the same time they do for work. But he was still thinking "hike!" I said, "Okay, as long as it isn't raining." Nature was really on his side. It spritzed, it misted, it drizzled. But it never really rained.
Destination: Phelps Lake Overlook, 0.9 mi, "moderate." We had tried to get in there earlier in the week with Steve, but it was closed, with that same "bear frequenting area" sign we saw in Yellowstone. On Thursday the barricade was gone but the sign was still there. Undaunted, Joe drove the car back to the Death Canyon trailhead (cheerful name, eh?).
We started up the trail just behind a young couple not dressed for the weather. At the first sign of snow on the ground I hesitated, but Joe assured me we would turn back if we started post-holing. Up hill, but not difficult at all, through the evergreens. Crossed a few streams. Got to the top in less than an hour and that was with some stops for looking at birds, etc.
What a reward, too. The overlook is gorgeous--probably one of the best lake views I've had in the Grand Tetons. And that was with the gray and rain. I have no doubt that in clear weather it's breathtaking. After the overlook, the trail heads down to the lake. We walked part of it, me with one eye behind us to make sure we didn't end up so far down we'd have to climb back up this entire trail. Joe took some pictures of Death Canyon, still very much full of snow. The trail guide says for that one, expect to use an ice axe until August. Yikes! That's not even post-holing!
We got back to the car in maybe half an hour--very easy downhill. And then it started to rain.
(In the midst of our touring, we had to handle a minor problem. We had come out to the car that morning to find a crack in the windshield. We hadn't hit anything all week so we thought it was odd, but we knew the best thing to do was report it to our insurance company. That took a few calls over the course of the day but our agent was very good. The rental company asked us to come into their Jackson Hole office the next day and fill out an incident report since we were dropping the car off early Saturday morning when no one would be at the desk.)
This was to be our last day in the park. We had made full use of our weekly pass and didn't want to pay for another week and only use it one day. We drove back out onto Teton Park Road and headed north to Colter Bay because Joe wanted to see the Indian arts museum. Very nice display of items you don't always find in museums. I would have liked more text, maybe identifying which Native American tribe certain items came from, but it was still very special. The buckskin dresses were gorgeous.
A highlight was the two Native American artists working on jewelry on the ground level. I bought a bear necklace (the artist said bears mean "strength and endurance"--her name is Sally and she's from Idaho but I didn't have my notebook so I don't have her full name). Joe thinks all small museums should feature local artists this way. I have to agree with him.
We left Colter Bay and headed south again, stopping at the Jackson Lake Lodge for one more look and an early dinner. This time we ate in the Pioneer Grill, as we'd done years ago the first time we came to Yellowstone. Our waitress was Sonia from Colombia, now married to an Idahoan (he works in the Mural Room). The room was nearly empty, so all the servers were chatting with the guests. Sonia is still adjusting to snow but she clearly enjoys her work.
We ended the meal with huckleberry pie. (Yes, huckleberries are everywhere.) We looked through the three gift shops at the Lodge but didn't buy much. Friday was still ahead and we knew we could pick up what we wanted in Jackson Hole.
My heart sunk as we left the park. I didn't want to let go. I wasn't ready to relinquish our park to the tourists coming in for the long Memorial Day weekend and the summer to follow. But I had no choice.
Comments