GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

AND TETON WILDERNESS - WYOMING

8/2/02 TO 8/7/02

The Tetons - Wyoming                                             Photo © Leo L. Larson, 1997

THIS PAGE COVERS MY PLANS & EVENTUAL COMPLETION OF MY AUGUST 2002 TRIP TO SEE THE MAJESTIC GRIZZLY BEAR, MOOSE, GREY WOLF AND THE GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK.  I UPDATED THE PAGE AS I WENT, CULMINATING WITH THE ACTUAL TRIP.  I HEARTILY INVITE MY WEB PAGE VISITORS TO EMAIL ME WITH THEIR OWN PERSONAL TETONS EXPERIENCES - HikingwithMike@aol.com .

THE DREAM:  This was my first large scale, outside California trip, and it was all about going in search of Grizzly Bear, Moose and the newly re-introduced Grey Wolf, as well as hiking the majestic Tetons.  I was to have been joined by six friends, two of whom I had hiked with before, and who are featured on some of my Great Hikes pages (Tom C. and Jerry L.), as well as Tom's son Tommy, Jerry's sons, Roy and Jeff, and Roy's girlfriend, Rebecca.  Unfortunately, as too often happens, all but Tom C. dropped out, two of them five minutes before I left for Wyoming, requiring plan alterations, gear reconsiderations, etc.  To add to my frustration, I sprained my lower back on 7/12/02, doing absolutely nothing strenuous, and was still suffering when we hit the Death Canyon Trail on 8/2/02.  Perhaps foolishly, I was too committed to this trip to abandon Tom C., so I gritted my teeth, pulled on my pack and began the potentially-uncomfortable task of marching up Death Canyon for our intended campsite 9 miles ahead.  I'm such a martyr, huh?

THE TREK:

• Tom C. and I arrived at the Tetons Thursday night, 8/1/02.  We needed to sort out gear, distribute food, etc., especially since we were now but two, not six as planned. 
    
  CAMPGROUND USED AS STAGING AREA:  

  Gros Ventre Campground  Click at left to go to Campground Web site.

  11.5 miles south and east of Moose, with 360 sites and a trailer dump station. Generally fills in the evening, if at all. The campground lies along the Gros Ventre River with a mix of sites in sagebrush, beneath cottonwoods and adjacent to but a short distance from the river.  Driving north on Hwy. 26/89/191 (John D. Rockefeller Memorial Hwy.), north of Jackson, bear right at the Gros Ventre Junction onto Gros Ventre Road.  The Campground will be on your right along the river a few miles up the road.  We liked this site - the Gros Ventre River provide some good Cutthroat Trout fishing.  Tom C.  insisted that we all pronounce the river as "Grow Von," not "Gross Ventri."

   

• Day 1.  8/2/02 - Departed Death Canyon Trailhead (6,800') and hiked about 8.7 miles up Death Canyon, to the base of Fox Creek Pass (9,100').   We chose this to camp (below the pass), where water was available, though the Shelf above had plenty of water, it turned out.  On the way up the canyon, we passed by Phelps Lake and its overlook, then the Park Ranger's Patrol Cabin (3.8 miles in).  Death Canyon doglegs to the south as it climbs westward, and the ascent is moderate, though one gains about half of the elevation in the first third of the way.  We could tell, as we ventured into the heart of Death Canyon, that this was a special place.  The going was moderately difficult, but certainly not strenuous for avid backpackers.  The wildflowers were glorious, but the best floral displays were yet to come.     
  Our stay in Death Canyon was interrupted by a medical emergency, which led to a helicopter evacuation of a young woman named Jenny, and her son, Alex.  I assisted in dealing with this situation, along with two other backpackers, who had gone to college together, Denise M. and Sara of Chicago and New York.  Jenny (the victim) had flown in from sea level in Florida, then taken the Tram ride to 10,100'.  I first advised that she wait till morning to see how she felt, taking in as much fluid as she could hold down, and then make her way slowly down canyon as she felt able.  As she insisted that she was far more ill than I believed her to be, I left the evacuation decision to her.  She complained of nausea, stomach cramps, inability to keep down water and even a racing heart.  I remain certain that she was suffering from "altitude sickness,"  or "altitude hysteria," as I called it.  The next morning, Denise, quite a plucky lady, hiked to the top of Fox Creek Pass (9,650'), where she successfully reached Idaho 911 with her cellular phone.  Idaho 911 patched Denise into Wyoming 911.  As I had deduced, the odds of reaching Wyoming 911 were remote due to the deep canyon and enormous walls of rock around us, but once atop Fox Creek Pass, the airwaves toward Idaho would be unobstructed.  She read them the notes that I had taken, outlining Jenny's complaints, timeline, etc., and expertly directed them to the location of the ill woman.  Within forty minutes or so, the chopper arrived and carried Jenny and Alex out after treating Jenny's illness.  I know that Jenny was happy for the support that Sara and Denise provided - they camped with Jenny and Alex at a campsite near our own.  There was little that we could do for Jenny as her symptoms didn't give us a clue as to what was wrong, other than altitude sickness.  A lesson here:  even experienced hikers, which Jenny is, can fall victim to altitude sickness, and if you get it bad, you may become too confused and ill to rationally understand what is ailing you.  Jenny went from sea level to 10,100' by plane and tram, with only one day's acclimation, and that's a recipe for disaster.
  Death Canyon is spectacular.  This massive canyon cuts deep into the Tetons, climbing west before ascending to Fox Creek Pass, and the western rim of the Tetons.  We saw Moose, deer and a Marmot in the canyon.  
• Day 2.  8/3/02 - Ascended to Fox Creek Pass, 9,650', where we were passed by two "running" Rangers, enroute to Jenny's campsite; the copter was there at the time.  Earlier in the morning we had seen about ten Moose - see Photo page #1.  We then headed north on Teton Crest Trail onto the Death Canyon Shelf.  The Shelf is a broad extension below the crest of the Meeks Mountain range and above Death Canyon, complete with streams, wondrous expanses of wild flowers, and awesome vistas.  After 3.5 miles of incredible views and fairly level hiking, we reached Mt. Meeks Pass (9,726').  We then hiked 2.2 miles down to Alaska Basin (9,500') and camped there near the Basin Lakes.  We were assaulted by a fierce evening hail storm, but it lasted no more than ten minutes.  Denise reported to me by email that she and Sara saw Elk on the shelf.  
• Day 3.  8/4/02 - Hiked 3.0 miles up and over Hurricane Pass (10,372'), past the interesting Schoolroom Glacier and its moraine on our right, and down into the beautiful South Fork of Cascade Creek, and camped along the creek.  The hike past Sunset Lake (9,608') led us into a spectacular alpine meadow, blanketed with colorful wildflowers.  Total day's distance was about 6.5 miles.  The ascent of Hurricane Pass was a bit grueling, especially near the top - the last 1.1 mile from Sunset Lake gains 800 feet elevation.  The reward was one of the most incredible views I've ever had.  This was a great big WOW!   We stared east with awe at the Grand Teton (13,770'), Middle Teton (12,804') and South Teton (12,514') peaks, as well as Teepe Pillar (12,266'), Nez Perce (11,901'), Cloudveil Dome, Avalanche Divide and The Wall.  The Tetons are quite unlike the Sierras of California.  The Tetons are basically a single range, while the Sierras are a number of ranges wide, some thirty miles apart from east to west.
• Day 4.  8/5/02 - We hiked about 8.2 miles this day, exiting via Cascade Canyon and String Lake trailhead.  We had planned on going over Paintbrush Divide (10,720'), and reaching the Upper Paintbrush camping zone and Holly Lake (est. 9,200'), fishing at beautiful Solitude Lake on the way, but we changed our plans.  The people traffic the last, lower three miles of Cascade Canyon was incredibly heavy and not very enjoyable for a backcountry guy like me.  A volunteer Ranger named Jerry said that they secretly call it Teton Boulevard.  By the way, except for sleeping problems, my back injury never surfaced on the trail - boy was I relieved.  We hit the laundry and shower facility at Coulter Bay, then ate Buffalo Burgers and shopped for gifts before heading north for our Grizzly adventure the next day.
  Moose?  See the photo page.  I parallel-tracked a cow and her calf for nearly a quarter mile before reaching a point where I ambushed her with my lens.  Tom and I were quite excited with our good fortune in getting these photos.  We had first met her and her calf ambling down the trail, but she veered off into the forest, her calf in tow, and descended into the creek bed.  As I've done in the past with a Black Bear, I rushed to stay ahead of her, well to her flank, shielded by the trees and terrain, and "predicting or guessing" where she was headed, took up my position and waited for her.  This was a special moment.  WARNING:  Never approach a Moose, Bear or any other large animal in the wild. To do so courts near certain disaster.  I have had some experience with wild animals, and I know most of their body language, signs and postures.  Even so, I am very careful, deliberate and prepared at all times.  
• Day 5.  8/6/02 - I refer to this next leg as the Grizzly search.  Tom C. and I were to spend three days hiking the northern extent of Grand Teton National Park - Berry Creek, Webb Canyon and Owl Creek marshlands and canyons, which we were to reach by hiking south on the Glade Creek Trail, paralleling the Snake River and western shore of Jackson Lake.  There, we had hoped to see Moose and Grizzly.  These locales are very lightly traveled, and trails are not well maintained.  Compass and Map skills are highly recommended as one hikes deeper into the canyons.  
  This "once-in-a-lifetime" hike turned into a huge disappointment.  The 7.5 mile hike into Berry Creek made us witness to many fresh signs of Grizzly activity.  We found fresh scat, insect mound diggings, paw prints, shaded day beds (depressions in the grassy meadows) and shed hair - all belonging to Grizzlies.  We had little doubt of seeing a Grizzly, and were hopeful of getting some good photos.  The hike took us first through a good quarter mile of tragically, though naturally burnt out forest - a remnant of the massive and controversial Yellowstone fire of 1988.  Soon, after the trail plunged through healthy forest, we entered a long stretch of trail that ran along the wetlands bordering the Snake River and the northern end of Jackson Lake.  The sounds of geese accompanied our march, though we saw no other wildlife, much to our surprise.  We had set out before daybreak, and had expected to see the usual display of wildlife common to mornings.  About five miles into our hike, we began to climb through willows and soon found ourselves crossing splendid grasslands, rife with grasshoppers, the number of which I have never witnessed in my life.  It was in these meadows that we came across most of our Grizzly signs.  After a short hike through more forest, and along a creeklet, we plunged down a steep trail to Berry Creek.  We set up camp, with plans of hiking into a marshy stretch of Owl Creek Canyon that evening, and setting up a blind for viewing wildlife.  The next day we would hike into Berry Creek Canyon for early morning and evening viewing from blinds, as well as day hiking.  I was pumped!  Eighteen months of planning were about to be rewarded - I was sure of it.  I settled in for a short nap at around 2:30 pm.    
  Suddenly, Tom came running into camp, yelling, "Mike!  Bear!  Bear!  Mike!  Bear!"  I leapt to my feet, grabbed my camera and survival kit with bear/pepper spray on the belt.  Tom told me anxiously that he had been just up the trail looking for a good fishing spot when he'd heard what he was sure was a bear "huffing" in the brush above the trail.  We went looking, but found nothing.  I scolded Tom for running from this bear encounter (NEVER, NEVER RUN FROM A BEAR); he said he couldn't get his pepper spray out of its holster, so he ran.  We returned to camp, and I was putting my gear away, when suddenly I heard a loud "POP" and got a healthy dose of pepper spray in my mouth, nose and all over my person.  Fortunately, I averted my eyes from the spray.  Tom had accidentally discharged his canister while trying to force it back into its holster.  The "safety" was possibly not properly inserted, though it had clicked into place when Tom had asked me how to put it back in place.  More likely, the safety had become dislodged as Tom tried to force it back into the holster.  While trying to force the canister into the side-opening in the holster (Tom did not understand that there was a Velcro cover on the holster), he had pressed the trigger and discharged a two second burst into camp.  The canister discharged a second time while I was trying to remove and re-insert the safety, but this time it was pointed away from our gear and ourselves.  We stood stunned.
  I instantly knew that we had bigger problems than might be first apparent.  Pepper spray will stop a bear when in its aerosol form (cloud or stream), but once it becomes inert (settles on gear, ground or person) it can actually attract a bear.  It becomes like a spice or seasoning.  Recognizing our predicament, we immediately broke camp and force-marched the 7.5 miles back to our vehicles, smelling of pepper - have you ever tasted a pepper steak?  We did not wish to become pepper steaks.  Thus ended what was to have been the crowning jewel to my Tetons trip.
  An exhausted Tom slept in his car at the trailhead - we got out of the wilderness at 9:45 pm - while I drove the dirt and gravel Grassy Creek Road a good twenty five miles west into Idaho, where I finally hit pavement.  I saw another Moose cow and calf along the drive through the Targhee National Forest.  Our disastrous incident was totally accidental, but it underscores the need to always know your gear and how to use it.  I had evidently not fully explained the holster and canister system to Tom C., and he had failed to ask me for fuller instruction.    Well, live and learn.
• A Post Script:  I contacted the people at Counterassault in Kalispell, Montana, and they advised that they have had only one other report of a safety not blocking discharge of their pepper spray.  In that case it had been "really forced" in upside down.  In that position, the safety will only partially obstruct trigger use.  This reinforces my feeling that the safety was properly inserted, but dislodged by the force used to improperly force the canister back into the holster.  In fairness to Tom C., I had loaned him the bear spray, so he was not as familiar with its workings as I thought he was.   

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