Autumn was late this year in Wyoming. After ten years of driving Hwy 189 to Jackson at about this time of year, the answer is that timing fall colors is impossible. Over the 6 days we were up there, the aspen color bloomed from nothing to brilliant.
Kayaking on Jenny Lake
Driving up Hwy 189 earlier in the morning than usual highlighted the hogbacks south of Kemmerer, the buttes west of La Barge and the Hoback valley. But only the hint of fall in the aspens, none at all in the cottonwoods.
A yellow warbler on the patio rail at Jackson Lake Lodge let someone approach within 3 feet. We saw two male moose demonstrate some threat behavior, astylized walk side-by-side, matching step for step with head tossing and sidelong loooks. Then they faced each other, locked antlers once and the smaller one backed down. The larger followed it for a few yards, just to emphasize the point. Coyote in the willow flat.
Hiked to Emma Matilda on the 20th, at Christian Pond for sunrise, almost the length of Emma Matilda before lunch. Flushed some ruffed grouse, saw Western Grebes out in the middle of the lake. Frost stayed on the ground for a couple of hours past sunrise, sparkly. Still a few harebells, asters, yellow composites and dandelions that opened new flowers during the hike out and back.
We hiked out to Heron Pond for sunset, toting all the gear. Watched, photographed and video'd a family of beaver eating pondlilies and carrying the cuttings back to their lodge. As it got darkened, the smaller ones sat on the lodge. They made big splashes with their tails, and we could hear the munching from the shoreline. Well into darkness, many of the ducks launched. Many stars, Milky Way, and bright huge Mars. Heard one elk while at the pond, but the forest was silent as we walked back with our headlamps. Saw no glowing eyes.
Hiked Bear Paw Lake on the 21st, out early and first on the trail. Camp 17B is the one to reserve for next year. Found an otter on Bear Paw, an osprey nest on Leigh, because it screamed at us. The understory was gorgeous.
Reconnoitered the Potholes and decided we need a better map, but the plant community is very cool - buckwheats, grasses, sage and mosses. Clear, sunny, warmer. Back for a short napthen out to the Oxbow for a pre-dnner paddle, 1 male, 2 female moose. No beaver at the Oxbow lodge, but did see one crossing the Snake at the take-out. Very few mergansers, a number of cormorants & one white pelican sleeping.
The Wildlife Film Festival is in town again. They have the Nature Conservancy photo show up for decor. Overheard an attendee complain that there was nothing to do at night except watch sports in the bar. The prices went up in the restaurant too. These people have a web site - watch it to avoid them.
An easy day, to rest up for the big hike. Paddled Jenny Lake, wind again this year from the NE. Back to Heron Pond to look at the beavers again. Id'd the weird bird we'd seen in the trail - a female Black-headed grosbeak, much brighter and prettier than the pictures in Kaufmann and Sibley. Heron Pond had frosted over since we'd been there, the pondlilies were brown and sagging. Found a Bufflehead on the pond.
We saved the big hike for the last day, and expanded its scope as we went along. The idea was to head up Paintbrush Canyon for an undefined amount of time, and we made it all the way to Holly Lake. Stopped for a half hour to photograph and study a Great Gray Owl which called at us from the top of a dead tree. Then we climbed, climbed, climbed. The conditions were fantastic for hiking, and R carried the tripod all the way to the top. No bears or moose, one female elk crashing through the brush. Three park staff were doing trail maintenance, and had seen a big male moose. Up high the aspens were at full peak color, and it inspired us to keep going, crossed a big scree slide full of pikas, then the switchbacks. I wanted to see the ridgeline further back than I had seen before, so we kept going. Holly Lake is small, delicate, a little jewel hugged by the deep shoulders of the rock. It could be cold up there, seemed the snow had barely melted, but on that day it was clear and warm. The light had changed on the aspens as the sun moved through the afternoon, better for photography, and the descent was as usual, as slow as the ascent. The stretch between Leigh Lake and the String Lake trail was quiet and the light magically soft as clouds started to creep over the peaks. The owl had moved on. We stumbled on two male mule deer feeding on the String Lake trailhead, didn't scare them off, one went and lay down within 15 feet of the trail. After 12.4 miles, dinner was a well-earned treat in the Mural Room.
Never ready to leave, on the last morning after we checked out of JLL we put the boats on String Lake. It's a short paddle, no challenge except avoiding bottoming out on the sand, but always lots to see. Previous years, we've found otters at the inlet. None this year, but on the return R spotted a big bird flying in the trees - the owl. We watched it for a long while, until it launched and stooped on some prey in the field. From boat level, we couldn't see it, but it lifted up onto a branch, turned around by stepping around the branch so we could see all of it, then settled down with his back to us. Time to go. Back again next year, if we at all can.
Trip List
Birds
- Eared Grebe
- Pied-bill Grebe
- Western Grebe
- Bufflehead
- Common Merganser
- Ring-neck Duck
- Mallards
- Lesser Scaup
- Am Widgeons
- Ruddy ducks
- Canada Goose
- Coots
- American Pelican
- DC Cormorant
- Sandpiper (prob Solitary)
- Raven
- Osprey
- Red-tail Hawk
- Bald Eagle
- Ruffled Grouse
- Gray Jay
- Stellars Jay
- Clark's Nutcracker
- BB Magpie
- Black-headed Grosbeak
- Pink-sided Juncos
- Wilsons warbler
- Yellow rumped warbler
- Yellow warbler
- Ruby-crowned kinglet (saw crown!)
- Robin
Mammals
- Moose
- Elk
- Mule Deer
- Otter
- Beaver
- Coyote
- Pronghorn
Blooming
- Harebells
- Dandelions
- Grounsels
- Asters
- Pondlilies
