We went on another organized hiking expedition in August, this time in the US to the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in Wyoming. We flew from sea level to Jackson, Wyoming to have a couple of days to adapt to the altitude (6000 feet plus) before the hiking began. We then went to Yellowstone and stayed at two of the classic old lodges: Old Faithful Inn and Yellowstone Lake Hotel. Our outfitter said these hotels were “basic” and warned us not to expect 5-star accommodations from these vintage hotels, but they were both great. We could actually see the Old Faithful geyser erupting from the window in our hotel room! While in Yellowstone we hiked the Upper Geyser Basin, the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and the trail to Storm Point on Lake Yellowstone.

We then moved to Grand Teton National Park, where we hiked the Two Ocean Lake Trail into Jackson Lake Lodge – another vintage lodge where we stayed the night. It is known for its floor to ceiling window views of the Grand Teton mountains in the dining room. It hosted the Federal Reserve’s Jackson Hole Symposium the week after we were there. The first day we hiked up the valley above Jenny Lake, the Jewel of the Tetons. The second day we hiked around Phelps Lake in the Rockefeller Preserve. The third day we had a scenic float trip down the Snake River.

Bears are a big deal in both of these parks, and each couple had to carry a belt-mounted can of bear spray for defensive purposes. But we only saw one bear and didn’t use the bear spray.

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