The 32.5 mile hike isn’t a full loop, so we dropped one car off at the String Lake parking lot and drove south to Teton Village, the resort town where we took the ski tram to the summit. We hoped that would be enough time for any bears to move on. One was nowhere near our trail, but the second was near Leigh Lake, exactly where we were scheduled to finish our hike three days later. We asked the ranger if there had been any recent bear activity, and she pointed to two spots on the map where bears had been sited. These are small black kegs, which can be carried in a backpack once you fill them with your food and repack. Parties of six or less are assigned to regular campsites, and are issued bear canisters for food storage. Since there were seven of us, we’d be staying in group campsites which came equipped with bear boxes – large metal storage containers built for storing food, toiletries, and anything with a scent.
Bear Habitatīefore strapping on our backpacks, we drove to the unincorporated community of Moose to check in with the park ranger at the visitor center and pick up our backcountry permits. But I was beginning to understand it a little better. There was also a section in the pamphlet titled “IF A BEAR COMES INTO YOUR TENT.” It was only four paragraphs long, but began with the sentence, “This is the worst possible situation,” and ended with “Fight back or die!” I wasn’t regretting our destination. In other words, if you see a bear, all bets are off. Or not show any signs at all, and just drop and charge with no warning.” Lower it’s head and swing it from side to side According to the material, “When a bear is upset it may: But reading the “Bear Safety Tips” brochure that came with the spray on the way up from Salt Lake City didn’t make for the most calming drive.
In preparation, some of my friends had packed bear pepper spray, which I thought a novel precaution – more of a souvenir than a necessity. Friends since middle school, we were all entering our 40s, and had decided a backpacking trip would be the best way to commemorate our lives of fatherhood and plantar fasciitis. I was eating and sleeping in it with six of my best (and undeniably meaty) friends.įor months, we’d been planning to hike the Teton Crest Trail, the 32.5 mile backcountry trek that circles the Grand Tetons in the eponymous national park. Yet recently, I was tromping past sign after sign marked “CAUTION: Bear habitat.” And I wasn’t just hiking through bear country. I’ve been to beaches where signs posted in the sand read, “WARNING: Sharks may be present.” And that was enough to keep me from even wading.
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