Monday was our last day in Grand Tetons and we planned to tackle that Cascade Canyon hike we had gotten rained (monsooned) out of a few days ago with Matt and Jess. We decided to haul the kids out of bed early for one last sunrise shoot at Oxbow Bend so they could hear the elk bugling, pack along breakfast, then hit the trail early before the other hikers arrived to scare off the wildlife. We may as well have frightened it away ourselves for all the photographic evidence we have. You’ll just have to trust us and enjoy the story.
The morning did not disappoint. While the fog obscured Mt. Moran and put a slight downer on sunrise photography, the elk were all calling out in their full glory. If you have never heard elk bugle I will tell you it is an amazing experience. That is, assuming, you do know you are listening to elk. Otherwise it sounds like the Nasgoul or perhaps the Dread Pirate Roberts is coming for your soul.
While I was shooting and listening an otter popped its head up above the still water and swam around in my view for a moment. I could not change lenses fast enough so I didn’t capture an image.
While I was shooting and listening an otter popped its head up above the still water and swam around in my view for a moment. I could not change lenses fast enough so I didn’t capture an image.
When we got to the Cascade Canyon trailhead we were indeed the first hikers on the scene. I don’t think we were more than a half mile up the hill when we heard splashing coming from below us and it turned out to be a moose calf cavorting in the pond. His mother was nearby and we scooted around the hill to get a better view as the trees were in our way (pesky trees). However, that put us about 200 yards away so again, no photos. Also, there was a beaver, our first of the trip. As exciting as that was, being another 200 yards away means no photos of him either. While we stood around watching, an irate squirrel chewed pine cones off his tree and chucked them at us. It did not occur to me to try to get a picture.
Much further up the trail and into the canyon we were hiking along happily when we startled a black bear. It was only about five feet from Emily and it locked eyes with her for just a moment then bolted around and down the trail. As it sprinted past me I thought, “WHOA! A WOLF! -- no, that was a bear....!!!” As it passed Joel he thought, “DUDE! A CARIBOU! Wait - no, that was a bear.” I then thought to count all my children and noticed Kristin had bolted ahead for Montana. Once we gathered our pack and confirmed it was not a cub with a mama bear nearby, Kevin got the bear spray at the ready and we continued on, warning every hiker that passed us. No, I don’t have photos of this event. I was just happy to still have on dry pants.
We had been told this particular trail was a great place to spot wildlife, and although we were finding this to be true, we had really been hoping to see a big bull moose. Or I would have settled for a mountain lion from a good distance (because you know, dry pants). We had lunch and hiked a little further before deciding to turn back so we could catch a return boat and shave two miles of hiking. We were not very far down the trail when we came upon a group of hikers who had found a bull moose snoozing (bull dozer) (rimshot) in the bushes. This time we got pictures. Joel used his mad bouldering skills to get to a better vantage point and I handed off the camera for him to do the shooting, because it takes me like twenty minutes to climb up on stuff he can conquer in less than three. Also, he is good with this lens.
After scrambling down and heading on we got to roughly the spot where we had surprised the black bear and we halted in our tracks by an irritating peppery aroma. Other hikers told us someone had deployed their bear spray. If you are unfamiliar with this stuff, let me explain. It has capsacin in it. That’s the same stuff used in some self-defense sprays but this must be super-concentrated because it packs a whallop. A teensy little bit wafting by on the breeze from a puff released several minutes earlier and a good fifty yards away was enough to make us cough mildly and sting our noses for a few minutes. Based on this one very minor and safe contact I am convinced bear spray would also be effective on Balrogs.
So while I did not get many photos of our personal Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Day, I do have some cool shots to share with you from the National Museum of Wildlife Art, where the big game is much easier to shoot, mainly because it is all immortalized in paintings firmly affixed to walls. No bear spray needed. Tune in tomorrow!
-Jenni
So while I did not get many photos of our personal Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Day, I do have some cool shots to share with you from the National Museum of Wildlife Art, where the big game is much easier to shoot, mainly because it is all immortalized in paintings firmly affixed to walls. No bear spray needed. Tune in tomorrow!
-Jenni