Pic: Dammit, granite. Prospectors Mountain from Open Canyon, Grand Teton NP, WY
Jetboiled instant oatmeal consumed, I looped around a finger of Teton granite to reach adjacent Open Canyon. I reached the camping area and was headed deeper when I rounded a corner and encountered a moose cow on the trail. She glared at me with a look that said, “I am much bigger than you and I think you should leave.” I backed away quietly. Satisfied, she went back to munching leaves. Wait, didn’t I just write this?
I knew how this story would end so I retreated to a boulder field I’d passed, startled some marmots back into their dens, and found a nice flat rock to enjoy the view and a sandwich.
About halfway through my turkey and cheese, I heard something moving noisily through the brush 25 yards away. The moose had joined me for lunch! A little presumptuous given how curt she’d been when I interrupted her meal, but I didn’t mind.
After an hour’s rest I bid my lunch date farewell and took a parallel trail back so I could swing past Phelps Lake for a quick view from above. Pretty, but didn’t seem worth the descent to the shoreline so I continued on “home”. Total damage for the day: 7.5 mi, 600′.
I had forgotten how good instant ramen tastes in the backcountry: hot, salty, and delicious — much like myself.
Pic: Backpacking chic. Granite Canyon, Grand Teton NP, WY
Danger Beyond This Point 