The Travelling Teacher: USA - We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

July 21

Hello everyone!

I’m now in one of the lesser-known, less populated American states. It is populated by some of these folk, though…

Bears of Jackson, Wyoming

Bald eagle: America's national bird

The fact that I haven’t led with a picture of a real bear shows you that we didn’t actually see one, either black or grizzly. But Wyoming, the US state with the smallest population, certainly has them. We had a few attempts at going on a bear hunt (not a real one, obviously, though it is legal at certain times of the year), starting in the west of ‘The Equality State’.

A key rule here is to not walk alone

State number 8 on this trip so far

Grand Teton is famed for having a collection of large mountains. The name is derived from French-speaking fur trappers who were some of the first Europeans to see them. Definitely not living up to Wyoming’s future nickname, they were named ‘Les Trois Tetons’: the three breasts.

The actual Grand Teton peak in 13,775 feet
above sea level - pretty much 4200 metres

Less than 10 million years old is
'young' in the mountain game

Let’s move on from that. They are actually a relatively young mountain range; the lack of erosion has left them spectacularly jagged at their peaks. Apparently you can’t say that you truly live in this area (not that many do, of course) until you’ve scaled one of the bigger peaks.

The Chapel of the Transfiguration was built in the 1920 - it has a window behind
the altar showing the view of the mountains. Would make it hard to pay attention...

Even in July, there is still some elements of a glacier near the peaks

Grand Teton became a national park in 1929. Other parks are older and more famous, particularly Teton’s neighbour immediately to the north which will be the focus of the next blog. What’s cool about this place is how some of it came to be preserved. John D. Rockefeller Jr., heir to his dad’s immense wealth at that time, used a proxy to secretly buy over 20,000 acres - over 15,000 football pitches - of land. He did it this way to avoid the price being hiked. After that happened, he donated it to the federal government to become part of that national park.

Teton is colourful in summer, but submerged
by snow for much of the year

Evergreen trees are ubiquitous in the park

Land is expensive here, particularly in nearby Jackson. The town is geared towards the rich and occasionally famous: Harrison Ford lives here, for example. It is a place that allows you to explore the stunning scenery and live your best outdoor life.

Anyone got a spare $33 million for me? No?

Wyoming is cowboy country, as you’ll see in a later blog

Slowly meandering near to Jackson is the Snake River, which eventually feeds into the Columbia and heads into the Pacific Ocean. We took an afternoon floating trip down this river to enjoy the peace of the water whilst looking for wildlife.

Owing to wind, our trip was longer
than expected - more time to chill!

Incredible views

One of the first spots was an American icon: the bald eagle. Not bald - they are white-headed - but certainly beautiful. Slightly terrifying, too, with an ability to reach speeds in excess of 100 mph (160 km/h) when diving for prey.

They're known for their sharp eyesight

Bald eagles mate for life

Apparently the Canada goose is also quite scary. Not only Canadian - whoever was in charge of naming animals needs to have a look in the mirror - they can be quite assertive in protecting their territory and their young.

They are known for flying in a V formation

Canada geese can also swim from the moment they're born

Another animal we saw was a marmot. We saw these chubby, squirrel-like creatures, sunning themselves on rocks or scurrying away into gaps of the granite. They hibernate for 6 to 8 months of the year, but were enjoying the heat whilst we floated by.

The black shade is just a phase - they will more than
likely turn yellowish like the one below later on

Yellow-bellied marmot

My group’s float was last, which allowed us to get lucky. We were the only ones to spot a North American beaver. I was surprised by how big it was. They are normally more active in early and late light, meaning what we saw was quite rare. By the time cameras had been whipped out, it had pretty much disappeared into the grass. The question “Can we go back?” slightly misunderstood how rivers work…

Zooming in, you can find the back
end of the beaver in that gap

Later on, we saw a beaver dam,
behind which they create their 'lodges'

No bears, though, and no bears when exploring parts of Grand Teton. There are more than enough warnings that they are around, mind. I wouldn’t have been able to outrun either species when 100% fit, let alone with a dodgy ankle. It was a case of watching my 6 whilst drinking in the stunning lakes in the shadow of the Tetons.

This is Bear 399, a famous bear from the area
who gave birth to 18 cubs during her life

Bear spray available to rent: our guide told us
that a previous tourist thought it was to spray
on yourself, rather than the bear...

Jenny Lake in Grand Teton NP

We’ve got a few days in Wyoming, so plenty more chances to spot the copious wildlife that we’ve yet to see: bear, bison, moose, wolves, prairie dogs, hawks, eagle… There’s a lot here, and a lot to love about Grand Teton National Park.