SATURDAY
Dude!!! First night in Jackson was magical. I got into town around 5 and did a quick walk around to get my bearings. I stopped in a few photo studios, and wow, so inspiring! I chose to spend my first sunset here at the Elk Refuge. Such a beautiful spot… made another one of those little videos, which you can watch below!
The landscape here is just nuts…
SUNDAY
Hiked up to Hidden Falls from Jenny Lake Trailhead in the Grand Teton National Park. Woah, so so so pretty. I had no idea what the falls would look like, but when I saw them the first time it was jaw dropping. So incredible! I also met a guy named Mike, who is a photographer for the national park system. He travels around in his Vanagon & takes photos of the national parks… dream job. It was great to chat with him
On the way back I saw a moose!!! It was so awesome, they’re SO HUGE. You think you know moose are big, but when you see one in real life, it’s just crazy. I spent about an hour watching him through my 600mm super telephoto lens. He laid there & munched on some grass, it was so awesome. I can’t wait to see more moose & more wildlife here!!
I mean, the falls weren’t bad to look at either 😂
MONDAY
On Monday, after picking up a can of bear spray and a set of binoculars, I did a hike out to Phelps Lake. The road to get to this trailhead had opened recently, so most of the trail was very snowy & looked like not many people had been on it yet this season. The hike was gorgeous, the lake was crystal clear with water from the snow & ice melt. Unreal!
I saw this osprey up in a tree & enjoyed getting some video & photos of it looking around. I was REALLY hoping to spot a bear on this hike (from a safe & respectable distance), but no luck.
TUESDAY
Tuesday was stormy in the evening, so doing a longer hike seemed out of the question. I explored the parks roads & picnic areas, finding good spots to hangout & sit to wait for wildlife. I got my first image of a fox today! Totally unreal, foxes have been on my “wouldn’t that be cool” list… so awesome!!
It was fun to get to know the park a bit more, and to have this experience with the fox while he hunted for mice or gophers underground. Great day!
WEDNESDAY
I took the advice of a few wildlife photographers that I met yesterday & hung out around the Pilgrim Creek area to search for Grizzlies. These bears are my new dream shots… apparently there is a bear here named Bear 399 who is super famous. She has 4 cubs, and tends to roam near the streets to avoid having male grizzlies kill her cubs. It would be awesome to get a photo of her & her cubs…
On my search I did run into another fox, and then on the way out of the park that night saw these 2 moose. They were roaming the fields & munching quietly, so awesome to watch them through the 600mm and binoculars.
THURSDAY
I did about the same thing today, exploring the areas that the grizzlies have been spotted recently. I also hung out a the Jackson Dam for sunset, which was UNBELIEVABLY pink. Such a nice thing to see and watch as it progressed from pinks to oranges. I also saw this moose on the way back to Jackson, and a blue heron fishing for his dinner while at the dam. I shot in burst mode at 7 or 8 frames a second while he got a fish.
FRIDAY
Friday was really stormy and really windy, I used this day after work to shower & do laundry, and then camped over at Shadow Mountain across from the southern park entrance. Had a really nice and cozy night with some wine and my book while the fire burned outside the Jeep & kept it nice and warm inside.
