Hike to jumping rock at Phelps Lake today. A 5 mile round trip, relatively flat and mostly shady well-traveled trail to a very popular cliff jumping spot.
(.75 miles to the lake and walk along the clear turquoise lake for almost 2 miles)
Prioritized sleeping in and a relaxing morning instead of getting to Rockefeller preserve
before 9:00 a.m. for parking. Fortunately, when we arrived at 12:30, we didn't have to wait
in line too long. It's a small parking lot and the rangers manage it well so one car can park when another pulls out.
About 5 different groups ran into a mamma bear and cub along the trail and down by the water!
However, we never saw them.
But we did find two piles of fresh scat filled with berries.
Mimi and I looked over the edge but chose not to jump.
After getting hurt in Hawaii a couple years ago (clogging my ears, straining my groin with the skewampus jump and cutting my eyelid which left a scar when my nose-plugging thumbnail couldn't hold on),
I decided my cliff jumping days are over, unless from a lower height.
Jenn and family go all the time so she wasn't worried at all.
We swam for a while in the usually frigid water that was actually lovely,
then Heather decided she wanted to jump.
It took her quite a while to convince herself to go.
And pretty soon she had a support group of 20-something-old strangers up top and down below
encouraging her and cheering her on.
From down below we were shouting, "You can do it! But you don't have to do it if you don't want to!"
And eventually we could hear sounds from up top of "take deep breaths and then I'll count for you..."
"don't think, just jump" and even an offer of Bacardi and Red Bull.
She did it!
Support group who all ran to the edge to cheer!
New friends Brandon and Madi from down below.
Heading back home.
We finally saw a moose in the distance from the car.
Back at the condo we showered, packed up and cleaned then it was time to head home.
Detoured through the park toward Teton Village and so glad we did,
because... we saw lights flashing ahead and cars stopped and...
saw a bear just off the side of the road!!
She was ignoring all the cars, just feeding on bushes and berries.
Hit the road around 7:45 p.m. took a wrong road once but it didn't cost us too much time, just took us on a different route. Listened to a couple of podcasts, sorted through photos and after dropping everyone off and taking a 1:00 a.m. tour of Heather's home, got home at 1:30.
Long drive in the dark but not bad in the company of friends, old and new.
So grateful for a spontaneous getaway, new friends and old friends, filled with laughs, some tears, talking and talking, sharing and learning, trying new things, immersed in nature.
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