“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
Marcus Aurelius
I finished up work early on Friday and didn’t have to be back to town until three for a high school football game, so I had several hours to drive up to the northern section of the Park and knock out this hike. I thought that it would be about eight miles, so I planned to have plenty of time to spare. The loop hike begins north of Jackson Lake Lodge, ascends to a viewpoint, and then circumnavigates Two Ocean Lake before returning on something called the Bug Canyon trail which sounded pretty awful.
To be honest, I’ve not been very excited about doing this hike. Aimee and I did another hike similar a few years ago, and it was pretty lame. In fact, I think that we wound up not even finishing it, so my impression was that this one would be similar – lots of flat walking in the woods around a lake with no views or vistas. It turns out, I was halfway right. Much of this hike is in the woods with no views, but many parts were spectacular and I really enjoyed it.
I always thought that Two Ocean Lake was called Two Ocean Lake because the eastern part of the lake eventually drained into the Atlantic Ocean and the western part of the lake drained into the Pacific. Well, it turns out that the lake is named after Two Ocean Plateau on the Continental Divide in Yellowstone, and all of it drains into the Snake River and then on to the Pacific. This is just another example of how we can think that we know something then come to realize that what we’ve thought has just been a terrible lie all along….
When I arrived at the trailhead I realized that where I was going to park was about a mile further up the trail than where I was allowed to park, so this would add some mileage to my walk, but I wasn’t really sure how much. I started out, and quickly gained some elevation as I headed up to Grand View Point. There were a few cars in the parking lot, so I knew that I wasn’t alone, but still made some intermittent noise as I also knew that this is grizzly territory. After about 2 miles I arrived at the top of Grand View Point, and I must say that the views are pretty grand. It’s essentially a 360 degree view of the Tetons to the west, Two Ocean and Emma Matilda Lakes to the Southeast, and Yellowstone to the north. It was pretty amazing and worth a short hike all on its own.
I continued toward the lake and lost most of the elevation I had gained and eventually reached the western shore of the lake. From this perspective, the lake was pretty and calm, but nothing to write a blog about. I made my way around the south shore of the lake, and passed three people confirming that there were others around, so I relaxed a little. Shortly after however, I did pass a very fresh pile of berry-strewn bear poop reminding me to continue to be vigilant. Ultimately, I made it to the Two Ocean Lake parking lot on the eastern side of the lake. The parking lot and road leading up to it were closed for construction, but if open, would make for a nice picnic spot and easy access to the lake.
The trail continued from here around the north side of the lake an offered some outstanding views of Mount Moran and Grand Teton. I concluded that at some point, I’ll have to bring my family up here for a day of paddleboarding, picnicking, and fishing. It is a really beautifully tranquil spot. I lollygagged and took several pictures until I realized that the hike was longer than I expected and I became concerned that I wouldn’t make it back in time for the start of the game. I picked up the pace, completed my loop around the lake, and then found the Bug Canyon trail. The bugs weren’t bad at all in this canyon, and I cruised back to the trailhead.
After learning the true story of how Two Ocean Lake was named, considering this hike was longer than I expected, and realizing this hike was much better than anticipated I thought about the concept of perception. How I perceive things, and how to control my perceptions. In the book, “The Obstacle is the Way,” Ryan Holiday talks about how controlling our perceptions allows us to find the truth in what we are considering. Obstacles, things, and events are how they are. They are immutable, but it is our perceptions of those things that determines how we react and behave. If our perception is one of disappointment or despair, that’s how we’ll feel about a given situation. If it is one of celebration or greatness, that’s how we’ll feel.
Neither is necessarily correct though. We need to see things just as they are without adding our own bias and our own prejudice. What remains is the truth, and we can act solely on that. In some ways, it reminds me of the story of the Chinese farmer:
A farmer and his son had a beloved horse who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors exclaimed, “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.”
A few days later, the horse returned home, leading a few wild horses back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out, “Your horse has returned, and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.”
Later that week, the farmer’s son was trying to break one of the horses and she threw him to the ground, breaking his leg. The neighbors cried, “Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.”
A few weeks later, soldiers from the national army marched through town, recruiting all boys for the army. They did not take the farmer’s son, because he had a broken leg. The neighbors shouted, “Your boy is spared, what tremendous luck!” To which the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
We don’t know what is going to happen. We don’t know if what has happened is good or bad. We don’t know how what has happened will affect what happens next. We only know what has happened and what is currently happening. That is the truth, and if we can strip away our perceptions of it, we are able to act more calmly, more reasonably, and with greater objectivity. Problems that seem like problems can be solved. Obstacles that stand in our way can become the way.
Mileage – 11.23 miles
Time –3 hours, 22 minutes
Animals – none except lots of startling birds
People – seven