“It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.”
Marcus Aurelius
Blacktail Butte is a small mountain north of Jackson in the southern part of Grand Teton National Park. I’ve never really considered that it was in the Park, but it is. The map that I’ve been using to accomplish my hiking project was published in 2008, and there isn’t an trail indicated for Blacktail Butte. For my birthday this summer, my parents bought me a new map published in 2021 which shows a 2.8 mile one-way trail on Blacktail Butte. It’s pretty close to town, and relatively short, so I zipped up there between work and before fishing Flat Creek on the National Elk Refuge with my friend, Matt.
The trail begins from a small parking lot on the north end of the butte and there were several cars already parked here, so I initially thought the trail might be crowded. However, this area is a pretty popular spot for climbers as there are a few small granite outcroppings in this area, and it seemed that most of the cars probably belonged to them. As I set out, I passed a woman who said there was a moose a little down the trail that she had to divert around, so I made sure to be extra aware.
The trail skirts around the west side of the butte for about a ½ mile before turning east, entering a forest, and gaining elevation. The elevation gain was reasonably abrupt, and I felt like I was getting a little more than I bargained for. Here the trail meandered through lodgepole pine forest with a (very small) creek running next to it. As I switch backed up the mountain and gained the ridge, I had really great views of the Tetons to the west, and eventually a really cool view of the Gros Ventres and Snow King to the east and south.
There are several trails that crisscross this butte, and I wasn’t exactly sure which one to take. One of the nurses that I work with, Nancy, had warned me that it could be confusing back here, and she was right. I actually don’t think that the trail I hiked is the exact trail marked on my map, but I tried to stick to the one that I thought was heading for the top. I eventually found my way to the summit of Blacktail Butte which was cool, but a little anticlimactic. The actual summit is pretty wooded and the views from lower down are better.
I turned back and made my way back to the trailhead thinking what a great hike this was. It has everything – solitude (I only saw three people), some elevation gain for exercise, not too long, great views of the Tetons, wildlife (I saw a grouse and the moose), and it’s close to town. I decided that if this trail allowed dogs it would be a lot more popular than it seems to be, and I will definitely keep it on my list for future walks.
One of the great things about this walk was that it was very peaceful and quiet, and I didn’t feel like I needed to make noise to keep the bears away. I really enjoyed the stillness (until I surprised a grouse which scared the hell out of me), and for most of the hike thought about how since starting this project and learning about Stoicism I’ve been more at peace. I definitely have been more accepting of things that happen in my daily life and able to shrug my shoulders more at adversity. Hopefully, I’ll be able to continue to refine that characteristic because frankly, I’ve never been good at it.
One aspect that I’d like to work on further that I thought about it is not caring what others think of me. I don’t think I focus on it too much, but it definitely comes up. The other day, I had a tourist yell at me for driving through the intersection when I had a green light, and she was clearly in the wrong. I’m still thinking about this woman calling me a “butthead.” (her exact words) Why? Why do I care what she thinks of me? Why do I want to find her and tell her that she was wrong and I was right? Who cares? I have let the incident go, and actually laughed about it at the time, but the fact that I thought about this woman for more than five seconds, tells me I still have work to do. I need to stop caring what other people say. Stop caring what they do. I will control myself, my thoughts, and actions and ignore everything else.
Mileage – 6.5 miles
Time –1 hour, 57 minutes
Animals – one moose, one soul-snatching grouse encounter
People – three