Leigh Lake

I got up and headed straight for Leigh Lake. I was excited to see what the hike had in store for me. There was only one other car at the trailhead lot, so it thrilled me that I really would have some peace and quiet out in the woods. It took a few minutes to pack my backpack. Squirrels and some other fuzzy animals scurried around my car as I packed looking for handouts. Not today, boys.

I found a site about 4 miles in on the east side of the lake. The site came fully equipped with my own beach! The water was quite calm during the day and very clear, but very cold. I could see the downed trees several dozen feet out into (and under) the water. The back-country sites in the area were also equipped with bear boxes (bear proof metal containers to store food and other bear-attracting items) and metal fire pits. I looked forward to utilizing that nice amenity later in the day.

I set up camp, stowed my items in the bear box, and took off to see a couple more lakes, Bearpaw and Trapper, located about 3 miles further down the trail. I hiked along Leigh Lake and through the forest to my destination where I sat and had lunch at the foot of Mt. Moran. The weather was perfect. From Bearpaw, I took a couple of short trail branches to the end of each, then I hiked back to my campsite. It was early afternoon and I thought to myself, "What do I do know?"

I had forgotten my memory card to my camera again in my car, but I had originally decided not to go back for it. Because the scenery was so photo-worthy - and because I had the time - I walked back to the car to get the card. Another 8 miles. By the time I returned to my campsite, I was pretty tired. I started a nice fire, made dinner, and then sat by the lake and read Vince Flynn's latest thriller, "Memorial Day." He hails from Minnesota and writes a killer story. About an hour after supper, a heavy wind started to blow then the rain rolled in from behind the mountains. The rain wasn't hard, but it continued throughout most of the night (at least as far as I could tell when the thunder woke me now and then.)

I really like Grand Teton National Park. It seems to be like Yellowstone, but condensed. The weather has been great. Warm during the days and cool in the evenings so far.