Arriving back home, we had a list of things to do. On the top of the list was to get the rock shop ready, weed the yard, rake leaves, and the list went on. We procrastinated and after a few days headed back to Grand Teton National Park.
We still hadn’t seen any grizzly bears and of course that’s our number one thing to do. Entering at Moran Junction we drove to a road where we have previously seen bears and glassed the area, but nada.
The next stop was to check out the dam, sometimes the bears like that stretch of the Snake River for an easy crossing but again no luck. Our next stop entailed a place where we sometimes find Grizzly Bear Tracks and Renita identified two small and old grizzly cub tracks, (she is our tracker while I am scanning the nearby brush for any bear.
Leaving we next drove to Pilgrim Creek, where 399 used to show up with her cubs. Other bears also use the area but again no bears were present, No wolves ran out of the forest chasing elk, which we have see twice in that area. We sat for a bit and ate lunch but again no bears, elk, or any other wildlife.
Next on our list, was to head to the North Park entrance but we never got there as we ran into a bear jam! The bear turned out to be the grizzly bear nicknamed Miracle because it’s a miracle, she is still alive.
Last year she showed up with two siblings, and her sow 1063. That sow is a grizzly bear nicknamed Bonita. Shortly after that a male grizzly boar found the cubs and killed two of them. Luckily Miracle survived and was later reunited with her mom, but they were later again separated.
No one knew if she survived the winter until this Spring when she returned to the area. This year Her mother also came out with three new coys, (cubs of the year). Hopefully she learned from last year and will be able to keep the cubs safe from any boar grizzly.
We both took picture after picture, there were lots of watchers, photographers, but she didn’t seem to be bothered by all the people. She worked back and forth moving grass and rocks and eating her fill of grubs.
The cars all slowed down and she ignored them until a semi-truck filled with cattle drove by. The diesel engine scarred her and she ran over the nearest hill until it passed. Several other loud trucks also passed by and again the bear fled but retuned each time. Finally, she ran into the woods and disappeared.
We heard she usually returns but after a while we decided to drive to Leigh Lake and see if we could spot a black bear. It’s early in the season and there were parking spots. After Memorial Day weekend you will be lucky to find one, unless you get there early.
If you ever go there, you can ride the ferrry across the lake and take a hike up to Inspiration Point. If you are fit you can hike around the lake to the Landing where the Inspiration Trail begins.
We still had other places to look but nothing stood out, except for a soaring bald eagle. Tired we decided to call it a day, Besides, we spotted and photographed our first grizzly bear of the year!
Clear skies
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