Proposed Title: The Spirit Bear of Taggart Lake
My friend Jim and I were hiking in Grand Teton National Park years ago when an elderly couple hid in a bunch of trees and jumped out at us growling like bears. It scared the-you-know-what out of us and at the same time it was hilarious. I thought it was great that they were still having fun, at our expense, at their age. They meant no harm and we talked with them for awhile until a lady, who was as white as a ghost, came running down the trail. All she mumbled as she ran by was that she just saw a bear.
This was ironic indeed. Jim and I decided to go check it out. We scanned the hillsides up and down as we carefully hiked in the direction the lady had just come. Just as I was thinking this lady was also pulling our leg, a cinnamon colored black bear walked down the hill in front of us and proceeded to walk away from us down the trail. I could hardly contain myself as I yelled to Jim to get his camera out and for us to follow it. He looked at me like I was crazy. Follow it?
All I was thinking at the time was that we’ll be careful, keep our distance and watch it. We did just that. The bear made a nice comfy spot in a huckleberry patch and proceeded to enjoy an afternoon snack. Jim and I had binoculars and watched the bear for several minutes. Other hikers walked by and asked what we were looking at. We said, “Oh, there’s just a bear over there eating huckleberries.” They said, “A bear? “
We were quite excited with our bear sighting; in fact it was the highlight of our trip. We decided to call it “The Spirit Bear” as we discussed it that night over beers. Jim and I had backpacked together a decade earlier in Grand Teton and we had returned to relive some memories and make some new ones.
Years later, I took my wife to Jackson Hole to hike in Grand Teton National Park. As we hiked, I told her about all the adventures my friend Jim and I had when we backpacked and hiked in the park. The Spirit Bear came up and I told her that I wished we would catch a glimpse of him or her. As it started to rain, we descended down the Taggart Lake Trail toward the Jenny Lake Ranger Station where there was a store for us to get out of the rain and for her to do a little shopping. As she shopped, I looked around the ranger station where I came upon an article tacked up on the wall. It was an article about the Taggart Lake Bear. This must be the Spirit Bear Jim and I had seen years before.
It was to be one of those stories you wished you never saw. Unfortunately for our spirit bear, it had become too accustomed to humans and had approached some hikers and according to the Park Service had to be euthanized for the safety of the visitors of the park. The rain was not the only thing that dampened my spirit that day.
As I look back on it now, I see a moment frozen in time where a bear sits lazily in the sun munching on huckleberries and I am reminded that life is fragile and we must appreciate the moments of magic to their fullest. The Spirit Bear of Taggart Lake will live on forever in my mind as will that afternoon in the sun so long ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment