We woke up surprisingly rested given that we had to sleep with our windows open (no hookups of any kind in the Lizard Creek campsite). After a quick yogurt breakfast (we like Silk yogurt and the Trader Joe’s cashew yogurt) we left on our first hike to Taggart and Bradley Lakes!
Despite the fact that we left at 7 am so we could get to the trails at 7:30 am, there was still a considerable amount of people, although this decreased as we got in further inland.
The trails were rated moderate in the All Trails, with some challenging climbs but appropriate for families. On our way back, a group told us they saw a black bear but we didn’t see it, despite being alert. To be fair, we make such a racket than any bear probably vanishes before we come around the bend.
The views all along were stunning, with crystal clear lakes – and I mean you can literally see the bottom of the lake and the fish swimming around.
The boys really enjoyed the views of the lakes, the Grand Tetons and even of the different rivers we crossed, which were roaring thanks to raining the night before.
Now, don’t let the gorgeous views fool you into thinking the boys are delighted to have to huff and puff up these mountains and that they don’t do their share of complaining. They do. But we ignore them because we hope someday they realize nature is worth protecting. Animals are worth protecting. And that we live in a planet with limited resources and that if we let it, we will continue to lose our wild places and wild creatures that make this Earth the wonderful place it is.
The end of our day consisted of more smores and sleeping with only battery-operated fans and charging our phones with a solar panel Dennis brought. I appreciate this time in Grand Teton, without AC and forced to be thrifty with our water and general resources. Now, if I’m honest, I spent the first night listening for sounds of bears around our site after we had a visit from a bear while backpacking camping with Dennis and the boys a few years back (in Colorado) that left me mentally scarred. I still remember the sounds of its breathing as it came closer in the middle of the night.
But alas, no bears, and the next night I just fell asleep exhausted and without a second through to the bears (who are not waiting for me to fall asleep, while inside a hard sided RV, just to harass me with heavy breathing). If anything, I should be deathly afraid of the toxic fumes emitted by the boys’ feet once they take their shoes off at night. Now, that’s a real and present danger I am uncomfortably acquainted with, being enclosed in an RV with them. #sendhelp