Flowers and Fireworks

On Wednesday June 28, a group of us hiked the Slough Creek Trail. I did the first couple miles my first week in the park last year, but I've always wanted to hike in further. The wildflowers have been insane recently, and this trail was no exception. Haileigh and I decided to go take pictures in them, and right as she was about to sit down, I noticed a giant spider right next to where she was going to sit. It was simultaneously horrifying and amazing to see such a huge spider, and that's saying a lot from someone who is used to scorpions and tarantulas. 

Super Spider, Slough Creek Trail, 6/28/17.

Wild Chives on the Slough Creek Trail, 6/28/17. 

About 6.5 miles in, we decided to stop by the creek for a late lunch/fishing break. There had been storm clouds moving around all day, but the storm finally decided to settle in. Right as we got back on the trail to head back, it started raining. A mile or so later, we ran into another group of hikers that said that there was a yearling grizzly up ahead. We pulled out our bear spray only to find that it was just a cinnamon colored black bear. He was pretty far off the trail, so we continued onward. 

Daniel being eaten by the storm, Slough Creek Trail, 6/28/17. 

Not much happened between the Slough Creek hike and the next weekend, which included the Fourth of July. Like typical Yellowstone employees, we decided to go camp on Shadow Mountain for the 4th. A small group of us went down on Monday night to get a good campsite. We put our tents in a giant field that had a great of Mount Moran, which is my favorite mountain in the Teton Range. The next day, we went to String Lake to hang out. On the way there, we came across a fox. Luckily, she was close enough to the car that I could get some awesome pictures from the window of my car. At the lake, I hung my hammock over a little inlet and laid there for about 2 hours while the rest of the group sunbathed and swam in the freezing cold water. That night, we went to watch the fireworks in Jackson. I ended up moving my tent when we got back, because most of the group had migrated to the next camp which had a less obstructed view of the mountains. A group of us stayed awake until 5:30 to watch the sunrise onto the mountains, which was a pretty incredible way to end the holiday. 

My little tent with Mount Moran, Shadow Mountain, 7/3/17. 

Lady fox, Shadow Mountain, 7/4/17. 

Learning to shoot fireworks, Jackson, WY, 7/4/17. 

Jackson, WY, 7/4/17.

The crew, Shadow Mountain, 7/5/17

The next morning, we went into Jackson to get brunch. Then we went to Phelps Lake to go cliff jumping. We ended up taking the wrong trail, so we missed the rocks that people use to jump off of, but we still were able to get in a good hike. The rest of the group swam, but I knew that I would turn into an instant popsicle in that water considering that I'm used to swimming pools when it's 100 degrees outside. On the way back down the trail, while once again trying to outrun a storm, we nearly ran into a female moose that was off the side of the trail. She kept eating, and it was clear that she was used to people. We stayed for a while, then left to give her some privacy. When we were leaving the Moose-Wilson Road, we saw another moose with a baby off of the road. We parked and got out, but decided not to take pictures since she was fairly hidden in the trees. 

The girls at Phelps Lake, 7/5/17. 

Moose Friend, Death Canyon Trail, 7/5/17. 

This week has been exhausting and it has been raining a lot, so I haven't gotten in much hiking. This weekend, a group of us is going to hike Skyrim, which is about 18 miles, so we'll see how that goes! 

My animal count is now up to 6 grizzlies (two female, two male, and two cubs), sixteen black bears (three separate moms with two cubs each, one adult in the distance, four separate yearlings, and two cinnamon ones), one fox, 7 bighorn sheep (one male, six females), a bull moose, two female moose and one baby, two swans, two ospreys with hatchlings, and two bald eagles.