We continued hiking up the Mt Hunt Trail until we reached the Mt Hunt Divide at 9700 ft. Then we descended on the Open Canyon Trail back to Phelps Lake. The weather remained good, but we still wore our long pants. We kept an eye out for bears, but saw none. We saw a Noah’s ark of other wildlife: 2 moose, 2 grouse, 2 deer, 2 pika, 2 marmots, 2 snakes, and lots of squirrels. The waterfall above Phelps Lake was only a trickle compared to when we hiked in the rain 2 days ago. We passed lots of day hikers in shorts on our way back to the car.

After a snack, we drove to Colter Bay Village and our cabin for 2 nights. It was the height of luxury to have our own bathroom. I photographed the room before we brought all our crap inside. We showered, shaved, and charged our devices. Then we had a large dinner at the Ranch House restaurant, followed by an early night.

It was cold last night (~30F), but Rosalind was nice and warm in her new sleeping bag. Poor Dan was uncomfortable, because his sleeping pad had sprung a leak. Next time we need to pack the repair kit. After a hot breakfast, we continued hiking up Death Canyon to Fox Creek Pass, elevation 9600 ft. A great variety of wild flowers covered the meadows and mountainsides; happy bees were everywhere.

We followed the Teton Crest Trail south to meet with the Granite Canyon Trail. Beautiful views surrounded us. We particularly enjoyed Spearhead Peak, which looks like a mini Devil’s Tower, and Fossil Mountain. As we turned east to descend towards Marian Lake and Granite Canyon, we met several groups heading for the Death Canyon “shelf” on the Teton Crest Trail. We passed along reports from other campers on the shelf who had experienced hail, snow, and horizontal rain the previous day. Fortunately, the forecast was good for the night.

We had a permit to camp in the Granite Canyon/Mt Hunt camping zone, so we found a stream on the topo map to allow us to filter some more water. Unfortunately, when we arrived, tired and thirsty and ready to stop, the stream was dry. No one wanted to backtrack, since we had a long way to go the next day. Dan scouted ahead while Rosalind stayed with the backpacks. Fortunately, he found a spring with an established campsite a short distance ahead. The site was sheltered and peaceful, and the ground was very soft. With the emergency blanket and both of our fleece jackets beneath him, Dan spent a comfortable night.

It started raining (with lightning) soon after we woke up. We tossed everything in the car and headed for the Moose Junction Visitor Center, where we bought a topographical map for the trail (the store at Jenny Lake was out). I rigged the tarp over the back hatch, so that we could re-pack out of the rain. Packing in the rain was stressful and awkward. Next time we should stay in a motel before a backpacking trip.

We finally reached the trailhead around 10:45. Due to the rain, we couldn’t make it all the way up the dirt road, so we had an extra 3/4 mile of hiking. Once we started hiking in the rain, everything was fine. Other hikers told us about 2 bears near the trail, but we only saw a marmot. The weather started to clear up by lunchtime, and there were gorgeous views around every turn. I wonder why it’s called Death Canyon, when it’s green and lush and full of wild flowers. We set up our tent about halfway through the camping zone. After dinner, we took a short walk without our packs.

After breakfast at the Trapper Grille, we rented a kayak and paddled to Donoho Point Island with great views of the mountains. We also saw a bald eagle. Then we drove to the ranger station at the Jenny Lake Visitor Center to pick up our backcountry permits. I had reserved two nights in Death and Granite Canyons. The rangers instructed us on proper food storage, but they also reassured us that no one had ever needed to use their bear spray in the backcountry.

We had a late lunch back at the campground and organized food and supplies for our backpacking trip. Then it was time for our evening float trip. We met our river guide Mark and our fellow floaters for a gentle rafting trip on the Snake River. It was a beautiful evening, with views of the smoky Tetons to the west. Smoke from wildfires in CA and WA created a haze over the mountains and a gorgeous sunset. We also saw lots of wildlife: 2 young bull moose, 3 beavers, 4 bald eagles, several grouse, a herd of bison, and a herd of elk.

On our previous trips to Yosemite, food and toiletries had to be stored in the provided bear boxes when not in use. No food was allowed in cars.

On this trip, food and toiletries were not the only taboo items. In Yellowstone, almost everything (clean or dirty) needed to be securely stored, including water containers, stoves, pots, utensils, buckets, and wash basins. However, we had only one bear box for 3 sites to share. The surplus had to go in the car.

Although somewhat necessary, these storage requirements are rather inconvenient. At every meal, we need to unpack and repack all the above items. It’s enough to make us wish for an RV (more on that subject later).

For backpacking, we purchased a bear-proof bag called an ursack. Food and toiletries go in the bag, which is then tied to a distant tree using a surgeon’s knot. The rangers didn’t say anything about stoves and dishes, but we left them in a backpack away from our tent and the ursack just to be safe.

Campgrounds in the Tetons cannot be reserved in advance; sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The park service recommends arriving between 7:00-8:00 am to obtain a site. However ,we needed to unpack all our food, kitchen supplies, and stove in order to make breakfast (see the entry on “bear safety regulations”), then repack all those items plus our sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tent, clothesline, lawn chairs, backpacks (all 5 of them!) into the car in an organized manner, and then drive 50 miles on winding roads. We arrived at the visitor center at around 10:00 (not bad considering) to find that our first choice campground, Jenny Lake, was full. We proceeded to Signal Mountain Lodge and Campground and discovered that all the tent sites were taken. We selected an electric site, at an extra $20 per night. At least we’re able to charge our devices! Actually, this campground was more pleasant than the one in Yellowstone. We could walk to an espresso bar with wi-fi, grocery, kayak rental, and showers ($6 for 7 minutes, a great argument for showering together!).

After setting up our tent and checking out the local amenities, we set off for a 3-4 mile hike along Jackson Lake. We saw lots of bear warnings, but no bears. It was raining off and on, but the views of the lake and the Tetons were gorgeous.

After our hike, we drove north to look for bears. A mother bear and her three cubs have been hanging around for most of the summer. Soon we saw the volunteer bear trackers with their bright green vests. We caught glimpses of Mama, but she was too far away for a photo.

On our way back, we stopped at Deadman’s Bar for Margaritas and Nachos. The nachos were supposed to be an appetizer, but they were huge. We had no appetite for dinner.

In spite of the 35 degree weather, we left the campground at 7:00 this morning after a hot breakfast. We arrived at Old Faithful Village before 8:00 to beat the crowds. Unfortunately, Old Faithful was slow to awaken. Eruption #1 was pathetic. We toured around the geysers and hot pools until eruption #2, which was very impressive. Next we drove north to the trailhead for the Fairy Falls hike. By now it was 11:00, and the parking lot was full, so we continued north to the next one. Now our hike was a 10 mi. round trip, but we met very few other hikers. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of wildlife, but the falls were nice, and we passed several thermal features with no safety barriers. After dinner, we took another hike through the campground, along the lake, and over a romantic suspension bridge.

After a week of being on the road, we were ready to get out of the car. Dan had a quick run before breakfast, and then we hiked around the West Thumb Geyser Basin, at the edge of the lake. Next we hiked to the Lake Overlook. Finally, we hiked to Riddle Lake, in spite of the threatening skies. The trail was deserted. Before long, we had thunder, lightning, hail (see balls of ice in the photo), and rain. It was very exciting, but we were pretty dry in our rain jackets. After we returned to the car, a real deluge started and the temperature dropped by about 20 degrees. We headed for the cafeteria for a hot drink and a snack. I was disappointed in the lack of wi-fi. Since I couldn’t work on my blog, we had showers and did laundry. It was a cold night with temperatures in the thirties.

We took scenic route 16 to Yellowstone via the town of Cody. It was a beautiful drive through Tensleep Canyon, but there was a lot of nothing in central Wyoming. I saw some pronghorn and deer, but no rest stops-not even a tree! The scenery improved again after we passed Cody: tunnels, mountains, and the Buffalo Bill Dam. After a long, slow drive around Yellowstone Lake, we checked into our campground.

We hiked the inner and outer trail loops around the monument and took tons of pictures. It felt great to move after spending so much time in the car. The drive through Wyoming was beautiful. We crossed Powder River Pass (elev. 9666) on the way to our campground, Lakeview Bighorn (elev. 8500). When checking out our site, I was startled by a female moose who passed several feet away from me. She seemed unconcerned, even with her two babies. Of course, I wasn’t carrying my camera, but I got a photo of her later. We loved this campsite for the peace, privacy, and nearby stream. These amenities made up for the lack of flush toilets and showers.