My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Jbynum.....always my pleasure.....there's a respectful / kind / small group of people that follow this thread so it's always a pleasure to post here.....

T & N.....you're welcome & I agree.....as I looked at the photograph again it almost looks like Tanner is actually driving.....

ITTOG.....I'm an experienced woodsman / comedian.....and it definitely was the right call.....

Riversdad.....that's a sad looking bear right there. Over the years, I've had many encounters with bears. Early in life when I was a young knucklehead (now I'm an old knucklehead) living & working in the bush of Alaska, I was exposed to bears almost daily. I've never carried a gun and have never felt the need. Even bear spray is now mostly out of the equation for me since I hike with 2 dogs on leash (one leash in each hand). I'm always super attentive (bear aware) when I'm on trail.....not so much around camp. I firmly believe that most bears aren't looking for trouble or to eat me. I'm more likely to have a heart attack on this trip than I am being eaten by a bear.....

A few days later we actually encountered yet another bear.....Tanner kept it at bay.....



We continued south and we next drove into.....



The first views of the Teton Mountains overlooking Jackson Lake are absolutely phenomenal.....





Nothing better than arriving here early when there's still a morning cloud cover.....





We took the park road south stopping often to enjoy the views.....





Originally my plan was not to hang around the Tetons as I still had the Wind River Mountain Range on my mind.....at this point all I was really thinking about was a hot shower in Jackson.....therefore we stuck around for the better part of half a day.....possibly even longer.....

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

I love the Tetons, sure makes me miss home. And I love to visit in the shoulder seasons.

 

[Ace Brown]

Quick story that was based in Wyoming. On the way south on the WYBDR we stopped in the tiny town of Encampment. I asked about buying beer and the clerk pointed across the street to the bar. So over i go. Real quiet and dark in there. So I’m waiting and this young gal walks over behind the bar and asks what i need. For a bit I’m dumbstruck cause she is just stunning. When i finally get my tongue working i tell her a couple of beers to go. So then i ask her what’s a pretty gal like you doing here. She flashes this enchanting smile and says she is from Enchantment. Me knees are getting weak. I ask if she is married. Replies no. We laugh about the slim pickings in this tiny town. On a whim i tell her I’d marry her and take her away. We both laugh at my teasing. But I walked out of that bar floating on a cloud. Still often she her face in my dreams. Best part of that trip.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sm0kyXPLR]

Had to do a name change due to password reset issues...but still here and enjoying every one of your posts Jerry and my fellow supporters.

Glad you avoided a bear encounter. That's one of my primary concerns when I'm able to make it there and start hiking with the dog.

 

[Riversdad]

Jbynum.....always my pleasure.....there's a respectful / kind / small group of people that follow this thread so it's always a pleasure to post here.....

T & N.....you're welcome & I agree.....as I looked at the photograph again it almost looks like Tanner is actually driving.....

ITTOG.....I'm an experienced woodsman / comedian.....and it definitely was the right call.....

Riversdad.....that's a sad looking bear right there. Over the years, I've had many encounters with bears. Early in life when I was a young knucklehead (now I'm an old knucklehead) living & working in the bush of Alaska, I was exposed to bears almost daily. I've never carried a gun and have never felt the need. Even bear spray is now mostly out of the equation for me since I hike with 2 dogs on leash (one leash in each hand). I'm always super attentive (bear aware) when I'm on trail.....not so much around camp. I firmly believe that most bears aren't looking for trouble or to eat me. I'm more likely to have a heart attack on this trip than I am being eaten by a bear.....

A few days later we actually encountered yet another bear.....Tanner kept it at bay.....

View attachment 801664

We continued south and we next drove into.....

View attachment 801665

The first views of the Teton Mountains overlooking Jackson Lake are absolutely phenomenal.....

View attachment 801670

View attachment 801671

Nothing better than arriving here early when there's still a morning cloud cover.....

View attachment 801672

View attachment 801673

We took the park road south stopping often to enjoy the views.....

View attachment 801674

View attachment 801676

Originally my plan was not to hang around the Tetons as I still had the Wind River Mountain Range on my mind.....at this point all I was really thinking about was a hot shower in Jackson.....therefore we stuck around for the better part of half a day.....possibly even longer.....

View attachment 801677

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You either took a photography class or bought a new camera because your pictures seem much clearer. Thanks again for taking us all along on your journeys. Enjoying your trip as always.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

SmOkyXPLR.....I guess it should be a concern, but not a fear. Thousands of people are out hiking in bear country every day, and obviously most aren't attacked by bears. Like they say, just "be bear aware".....

Riversdad.....I purchased a new phone Spring of 2023 (Samsung Galaxy 22S+). I wondered how the pictures looked to readers here (thanks for the feedback) since I only see everything on the tiny screen of a smartphone (I don't own a computer). A lot of my pictures seem distorted to me (like Trappers' nose) and a lot of them seem grainy.....you're welcome and no problem.....



Next stop.....the hot shower.....



We spent the remainder of the day running errands around town and just enjoying the flavors of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.....



An interesting thing about this town, I think, is that people either tend to love it or they tend to hate it.....it's much like Bozeman, Montana.....



I'm neutral on it.....I just don't care. When I left the Recreation Center after my shower, I got into a conversation with a local that said that she hated living there.....I said "yea, I hate it here too".....



Later on in the day I got into a conversation with a tourist that said that she loved it here. I said "yea, I love it here too".....

Sometimes I think it's better not to have an opinion.....probably most of the time.....



We backtracked to the north that evening, watching the sunset over the Teton Mountains as we approached our campsite in the Teton National Forest.....





We nailed what I thought to be a prime spot in the valley right at the base of the Gros Ventre Mountain Range....



And from here we watched the coming of nightfall from the comforts of the truck camper.....



The stars were extraordinary that night.....as they have been every night while living on the road.....

 

[ITTOG]

I am another that loves the Tetons and Jackson hole. It is easy when you are a visitor and don't have to live with all the tourists in your town.

Great pic's as always. I agree that getting into the area and the view from Jackson Lake are amazing and memorable.

 

[wyowandering]

We've been here for 26 years and this is the first time we've seen a bear. He's eating dog food that we put out for the raccoons and possums. My wife, me, and my 130 lb. Newfie mix are about two feet away and as you can see he doesn't seem very concerned. He looks really skinny so we sent a picture to a biologist and he said he was probably about 11/2 years old and had been cut loose by his mother and trying to figure things out.

The quickest way to get that bear killed is to keep feeding it.

 

[Riversdad]

The quickest way to get that bear killed is to keep feeding it.

We weren't feeding the bear. My wife volunteers at an animal sanctuary and we release possums and raccoons here on the property. We have been putting food out for them for the past 26 years and this was the first bear we have seen.
After this initial visit the bear never returned.

 

[ghostdancer]

SmOkyXPLR.....I guess it should be a concern, but not a fear. Thousands of people are out hiking in bear country every day, and obviously most aren't attacked by bears. Like they say, just "be bear aware".....

Riversdad.....I purchased a new phone Spring of 2023 (Samsung Galaxy 22S+). I wondered how the pictures looked to readers here (thanks for the feedback) since I only see everything on the tiny screen of a smartphone (I don't own a computer). A lot of my pictures seem distorted to me (like Trappers' nose) and a lot of them seem grainy.....you're welcome and no problem.....



Next stop.....the hot shower.....

View attachment 801841

We spent the remainder of the day running errands around town and just enjoying the flavors of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.....

View attachment 801842

An interesting thing about this town, I think, is that people either tend to love it or they tend to hate it.....it's much like Bozeman, Montana.....

View attachment 801843

I'm neutral on it.....I just don't care. When I left the Recreation Center after my shower, I got into a conversation with a local that said that she hated living there.....I said "yea, I hate it here too".....

View attachment 801844

Later on in the day I got into a conversation with a tourist that said that she loved it here. I said "yea, I love it here too".....

Sometimes I think it's better not to have an opinion.....probably most of the time.....

View attachment 801849

We backtracked to the north that evening, watching the sunset over the Teton Mountains as we approached our campsite in the Teton National Forest.....

View attachment 801850

View attachment 801851

We nailed what I thought to be a prime spot in the valley right at the base of the Gros Ventre Mountain Range....

View attachment 801853

And from here we watched the coming of nightfall from the comforts of the truck camper.....

View attachment 801854

The stars were extraordinary that night.....as they have been every night while living on the road.....

View attachment 801855

I get the love / hate relationship. I lived in the Florida Keys for 25 years, and prior to that have been going there since I got my drivers license in the early 70s. The Keys have changed from a funky place where fishermen and drinkers hung out, to a place where the uber-wealthy have taken over. I think if it wasn’t for the county’s 28 day rental rule, entire neighborhoods would be turned into Airbn’s. Local workers are now bused in from Miami to do the grunt work that keeps the place functional. My wife and I have come to the conclusion that if we ever return to the US, we’re now in Turkey heading for South East Asia, we’ll have to buy a house in ”fly over” country, middle of nowhere Oklahoma.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Ghostdancer.....I too remember hanging out in the Keys back in the 70's and I recall loving it back then. I had hitchhiked down the east coast, and the Keys were my last stop in the U.S. before flying on to Caracas, Venezuela.....those were those days my friend.....

I'm curious now.....what means of transportation are you guys using ? Do you have any type of social media ? No plans to post your travels on XP ?



Our original plan was to spend a single day & night here, but I surprised myself, and we stayed for four.....the ever changing clouds that passed over the Teton Mountain Range, and the ever changing face of the mountains seemed to have mesmerized me....I became addicted.....and I just couldn't leave.....





We spent our days walking along the forest service roads around camp.....just to stretch our legs and to get our daily exercise.....reading yet another great David Roberts book.....





When we got bored with reading & walking locally, we'd take the Jeep out to explore in the mountains.....









The sunsets were magical.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

It was only the need to explore more places that finally got us to move on.....







We made one last trip in the Jeep to the summit of Shadow Mountain (8,252') .....I didn't bother to take summit pictures here since we drove to the summit, so technically speaking, it really wasn't a true summit.....







A last sunset.....





A last night.....and then we were off to the Wind River Mountain Range.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Next, we backtracked, and headed north, once again passing through Teton National Park and at Moran Junction, we turned east-southeast along Highway 26.....the plan now was to explore the Wind River Mountain Range.....



We met a local lady somewhere close to Dunoir, Wyoming that told us about her secret, favorite spot to hang out along the banks of the Wind River.....so here we set up camp and began our forays up into the mountains.....





Hunting season has started in Wyoming so there's that.....



I still prefer my deer like this.....



The plan for the first day was a drive to Fish Lake and possibly a summit hike to Fish Lake Mountain (10,073'), although the mountain hike was a long shot (hip surgeon said no hiking for at least another month).....I was still hopeful.....





I was constantly on the lookout for Grizzlies since one of the hunters that I'd spoke with said that they had seen quite a few.....the dogs were constantly on the lookout for anything.....



We bounced around in that Jeep for way too many hours.....we explored many of the side roads as we pursued our goal of visiting Fish Lake and possibly more.....

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

How do the dogs do when hearing gunshots? My rescue hates them, enough that I avoid bring her out at specific times of the year.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

PNWY.....my dogs hate them as do I.....I like hunters just fine but hunting is just not my thing.....



There were three distinct activities going on in this region that seemed (no, actually it did) to change with elevation.....down low were the hunters.....there were lots of them.....





Above that were the loggers and there were lots of them.....





And lastly, at the highest elevations.....at the farthest distances from mankind, there was nothing (is nothing really an activity ?).....and of course, nothing is where we were happiest.....





Once we reached the lake, we had planned to continue on to the trailhead in the Jeep but those plans changed quickly as the road conditions deteriorated rapidly.....I drove through some significant stuff (but not real far) and eventually thought that I was being a stubborn idiot.....I needed to turn around.....



So there was no hiking that day.....no doubt good for the body (hip).....bad for the mind.....