“This actually turned out to be a pretty nice hike.”
Larry Zeleznik
Since it’s Father’s Day, I decided to give this blog entry quote to my father, Larry. He probably didn’t think he was handing out Stoic wisdom today, but I recognized it for what it was.
It’s still raining in the Tetons, and the forecast called for continued rain throughout the day, but I still wanted to get something in, no matter how small. My daughter Riley and my parents decided to join as well, and none of us were really looking for a challenge. My parents had done a long hike the day before, Riley has been busy lately and wanted a chill day, and my new smart watch advised me to just rest today. We decided on a 4.8 mile out and back hike from the Willow Flats overlook. It looks easy and flat – a perfect combination for today.
When we arrived at the trailhead though we learned that the trail was closed due to bear activity. The rain had intensified on our trip up to the Park, and no one would have been disappointed to go home and curl up on the couch. However, we ultimately decided to do a quick 2 mile hike in the Colter Bay area of Jackson Lake called the Lakeshore Trail.
I had never heard of this trail, and it’s so small on the Park map, it is easy to miss. The hike essentially leaves from the Colter Bay Visitor Center and forms a figure 8 loop around a small peninsula. Part of this trail was also closed due to bear activity. A sow and three cubs were in the area, so half of the figure 8 loop was closed. With my “you can only control what you can control” Stoic attitude, we intrepidly set out in the rain and decided to make the most of it.
The hike was fantastic. As soon as we started, the rain let up, and the sky brightened considerably. About 50 yards into the walk we saw a deer with the smallest spotted fawn that any of us has ever seen. The walk skirted the shore of Jackson Lake providing beautiful views of the Tetons even though they were partially covered with clouds. We heard and saw Western tanagers and my mom schooled us on some of the local flowers.
As we approached the end of the trail my dad said, “this actually turned out to be a pretty nice hike.” He was right. It was a nice hike. I thought about the words he chose…”actually” and “turned out” like he didn’t expect it to be good at all. I honestly didn’t expect much either. And we almost didn’t do it. We had to scrap our original plan, the weather sucked, it was chilly, the views were partially obscured, some of the trail was closed, etc. But, it turned out perfectly. We had a great time, and I got to spend time with my dad and Riley on Father’s Day. It’s hard to beat that.
Plus, we saw a grizzly bear on the side of the road on the way home, so that was an added bonus. If we had just gone home, that wouldn’t have happened either. So, when having to pivot, change plans, get past an obstacle just accept it and move on. Everything will turn out how it’s going to anyway, so you might as well embrace it, and even better, enjoy it.
Mileage – 2.38
Time – 1 hour 4 minutes
BGAS – 2 deer, 1 grizzly bear from the car
PS – many
Dads pushing strollers – 1
We had done this hike several years ago but had forgotten how very nice it is. Time together with family is the best!
You are so right about things turning out better than expected. Mom
The interesting thing to think about is that even if the sky hadn’t brightened, we hadn’t seen the wildlife, the rain had increased, and we had returned to our car wet and bedraggled, it still would have been a great time because we had time together with loved ones. Isn’t that really all that matters? Dad
Sounds like an awesome day, so glad you didn’t listen to your new smart watch!