Eric's Thoughts: Day 10

I am going to keep this post very short. It is late, and I am tired. We continued to explore the Two Medicine Lake area of Glacier Park by hiking to Twin Falls and Upper Medicine Lake. It was absolutely beautiful. Afterwards, we took a drive to a place where mountain goats are known to frequent and watched around a dozen or so goats of varying ages scale up and down sheer cliff sides. They are amazing animals and very cute too, especially the kids.

Reflecting in Glacier

We have had a great first day in Glacier National Park, which Eric has detailed in his post below. Yet all I can think about is the poor man who was killed by a grizzly in Yellowstone today. What happened on that trail? Did he do everything that one is supposed to do when faced with that situation, but it didn't matter anyway? What about his poor wife, who survived the situation but is left with this last memory? A day that was supposedto be filled with exploring the beauty of nature. I guess I'm having such a hard time with this because we did some back country hiking in Yellowstone, have several days of hiking planned here, and in Banff as well. And we will go, because that is what one does when exploring such beautiful and unique terrain. And because that is what Eric and I do. Our first date was hiking Mt. Fuji. We got engaged while on a 15-day rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. We hiked into the crator of Haleakala on our honeymoon. We don't really hike in Texas (because there isn't much hiking in Houston). So we live for opportunities like this. I guess I'm most upset for that man's wife and what she must be feeling right now. It just hits a little too close to home for me. And if you read my very first post on this blog, you know that grizzly encounters while hiking was one of my two fears about this trip. But we will be OK, because as Eric stated in one of his posts, I made him feel silly by talking loudly and clapping hands while hiking. :)

Eric's Thoughts: Day 9

We are now in Glacier National Park, and I have to say that I think I prefer this park over Yellowstone for several reasons. First, the number of people here is much more reasonable. I no longer feel like I am at Disneyland, and the traffic on the roads is much lighter. Second, the food is so much better. There is actual taste to the food here, and I would recommend both of the places we have eaten so far, the Whistle Stop and the Dining Room at the Glacier Lodge. Both were yummy. Third, the views are at least as amazing, and without the crowds considerably more enjoyable. Finally, it seems easier to get decent lodging here. We were unable to get a night in a lodge at Yellowstone even though we planned this trip quite a bit in advance while here at Glacier we have 3 nights in a lodge. We were not able to get all 5 nights that we will be here, but 3 is better than none.

Today, we did a short hike to a beautiful waterfall and then canoed across Two Medicine Lake. The views were breathtaking. The experience was further enhanced by the fact that this was Jenny's first time in a canoe, and she was smiling almost the entire time. Definitely one of those priceless moments. We will go back to that lake area to do some additional hiking. We are both eager to see more of this beautiful area.

Catching Up

Eric's done a great job of summing up our time in Yellowstone in his post below. I will just add that I loved all of the wildlife (except for the mosquitoes, which there were no shortage of! Those buggers were up with the sun and biting till dark!) My favorite moments were spent at an overlook to Hayden Valley, watching for wolves and grizzlies for hours (after a strenous hike earlier in the day.) I especially liked the joy Eric got from spotting something. It was amazing to sit and watch the bison at play, locking horns. Our time there was very memorable. What Eric didn't have a chance to write about was our last day in Jackson and our experiences in the Tetons. We were up at 4 a.m. (yikes!) and to Triangle X Ranch near Grand Teton for a 5:30 a.m. river float. As painful as the early hour sounds, it was one of the highlights of our trip so far. Driving to the ranch in the dark and watching the sunrise was beautiful. Although bitterly cold, our time on the river was filled with amazing vistas of the Tetons and wildlife sitings. The highlight was when we passed a large male bison, who made aggressive movements toward us, and appeared like he was going to charge into the river after us. He didn't, but for a split second, even our river guide was tense. After our time on the river, we drove into Grand Tetons National Park and ate breakfast at a chuckwagon cookout. I don't know if it has something to do with spending time on a river or what, but that breakfast along with the one we had the previous day of rafting were the two best breakfasts of the trip! Bellies full, we explored the park and ended up at Jenny Lake. My parents and brother had visited Jenny Lake years before and always talked about how beautiful it is. To see it in person was spectacular! We did a 3.5 mile hike to Hidden Falls (gorgeous!) and then took a boat ride back across the lake. From there, we took our time driving through Tetons and up into Yellowstone. Both Eric and I agree that our time in Jackson and Grand Tetons has been our favorite so far, and we highly recommend a visit.

Eric's Thoughts: Days 5-8

I wish I could do the past few days justice, but there are three factors working against me. The first is I am exhausted so my brain is fried. The second is that we have seen so much that I would have a hard time remembering everything. And finally, any words I might choose would fail to capture most of the experiences.

That being said I am simply going to list my favorite experiences in no particular order:
1) sharing these experiences with my best friend and love of my life
2) seeing a massive bull elk as we arrive at our first camping area
3) seeing two beavers on the side of the road (I got some cool pictures)
4) seeing three bull bison locking horns with each other for around 10 minutes
5) despite the crowds, seeing Old Faithful erupt from several different vantage points
6) seeing a huge herd of buffalo with several calves mixed in with the herd (the babies are cute)
7) some as above with a herd of elk
8) on our last day in Yellowstone, seeing a total of 9 grizzlies (all at a very safe distance): a very large male, a mother with two cubs (about a year old - these two were very playful), another mother with one cub, and finally one more mother with two little cubs (not sure of their ages). This was a very good day for watching grizzlies.
9) seeing the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, it brought back memories of the Grand Canyon in Arizona
10) watching a lightning storm come into the valley (the accompanying rain was not as much fun because we were camping, but it was a cool experience overall)
11) not the food - we did not have a single memorable meal while in Yellowstone

I think I am done for now. It is getting late. Hopefully, I will add more later, but we will be in Glacier National Park tomorrow.

Eric's Thoughts: Day 4

I know it sounds cliche, but words cannot describe how amazing today was. But I will do my best to hit some of the highlights. Today was our first day to raft on the Snake River. We woke up early to do a combination float followed by some whitewater rafting. The sightings of bald eagles and osprey were fairly common. I think my favorite sighting was of a juvenile bald eagle still in the nest. We floated for a few miles and then stopped for an amazing breakfast. Jenny and I were reminded of our rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. For those of you who don't know, I proposed to Jenny while we were on a 15 day rafting trip. We both realized that this was the first time we had been in a raft since that incredible trip, so our experience was accompanied with a strong feeling of nostalgia.

After breakfast, we got back in the raft to hit some whitewater. It was exhilarating, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We both realized after the fact that we were really spoiled by the trip in the Canyon because while these rapids were enjoyable, it is hard to compare the massive waves that you see at several points in the Canyon. That being said, I still highly recommend fitting a rafting trip in if you are in this area. We went with a company called Barker-Ewing. They were well-organized and professional. One of the highlights for me was when I voluntarily went into the 45 degree water. "That was refreshing" were my exact words when I climbed back onto the raft. My talent for downplaying experiences knows no bounds as it was in fact brutally cold.

The day did not end there. We had an excellent lunch at a place called Sidewinders, and then because the temperatures have been in the mid 70's (I hope that does not upset the Houston crowd too much), we decided to for a little stroll at a place called Cache Creek. It was an amazing walk through a myriad of wildflowers surrounded by majestic snow covered peaks and beautiful pine trees next to a rapidly flowing creek, simply breathtaking. To end our evening, We are going to go out for a nice dinner and watch a gunfight (yes, a staged one) downtown. I hope it will be an amusing end to an already amazing day.

I am not sure when my next post will be as we leave Jackson tomorrow to head into Teton National Park followed by Yellowstone, and I understand cell phone reception is nonexistent, so I will continue with my thoughts when I can.

Hiking in Jackson Hole

Hiking in Jackson Hole is breathtaking, literally. Had we thought this through a little more, we probably would have saved hiking around the summit of Rendevous Mountain for our second hike of the day, after we were better acclimated to the altitude. But we didn't.

Some of you may remember that I have an almost paralytic fear of heights, so just riding the tram to the top was enough to get my heart racing and my palms sweating. The best part was when our tram operator received a walkie-talkie communique about the 50 mph winds and the need for caution. (This, thankfully, was on the ride back down). I had 12 minutes each direction to ponder why the mountain is named Rendevous, and all I kept coming up with was time to meet your maker.

We made it to the top, still covered in snow. One guy said that they have 800 times the amount of snow that is normal for this time of year. (Of course!) And the winds were gusting 20-30 mph. So it was a bit freaky for me. But the views are undeniably gorgeous and
amazing, and I was happy to be up there!

We started hiking on the only accessible trail (other than the tiny loop at the top) and were descending the mountain at a very steep angle. The trail was wide (thankfully!) so I was OK. At some point, we realized if we kept going, we were going to have to commit to hiking all the way to the base, which I didn't want to do because the trail was completely covered in snow and difficult to find and follow. Plus, one of the big draws is to eat fun-flavored waffles at the little cabin at the top of the mountain. So we turned around and proceeded to hike back up. Straight up. My calves were screaming at one point and we were breathing very laboredly. (OK, I was. I'm sure Eric would have had no problem sprinting to the top).

After enjoying our waffle, we took the tram back down, survived the 50 mph wind, and decided we wanted to explore some more. So we followed a beautiful trail up through the trees, across rushing streams of melting snow, and through some grass lands. The trail was steep, but we were hiking at a lower elevation, and the vertical climb was spread out more than at the top! Doh! We should have done this hike first! Oh well, next time!

I will tell you that Jackson Hole and the town of Jackson are beautiful, fun, and must-see. On our drive back to Jackson, we saw giant birds' nests at the tops of the street poles with one juvenile bird in each nest. I think they were eagles. It was completely surprising to see this, and made the day even more magical!