I had to get an early start today. 4 hour drive to get to the Coulter Bay Campground in Grand Teton NP…and all camping is first-come-first-served. Which really means, show up late and you have no hope of camping anywhere in the park.
So, after reserving a few quiet moments to watch sunrise and have coffee….I made it a quick, pack and go morning.
I drove hard and fast….through the best scenery so far. I saw many places I would want to stop and explore, but I dared not. Good thing….
I got to the campground, well no, I got to the road going into the campground and hit a line of cars, trucks, and RVs. A very, very, long line. Crap.
I crawled along for 30 minutes, several cars ahead of me turned around….waiting, crawling, inching forward…And very nervous. I had NO IDEA where I would go if I didn’t get a spot in this campground. I had picked this one because it was my best shot at getting a spot in the park. Finally, I turned a corner and could see the actual entrance booth for the campground several cars ahead….
Just about that time, a kid in a golf cart comes down the line. I see a wooden sign in the back of his cart, the dreaded “campground full” sign. NO, NO, NO, PLEASE NO!!! Then, he drove past me….clearly counting cars….he stoped and placed the sign in the road 3 cars behind me. WHEW!!! Seriously, that lucky. omg, if I had stopped even once on the drive….if I had left just 5 minutes later….
I felt so relieved and lucky….But I also felt really bad for all the folks that were behind the sign. Most were probably as desperate as me for a spot….I feel bad for them. That said….
I even got a spot near the bathroom!😁
I set up camp…hopped on my bike and rode down into the main area. I joined a ranger guided walk, 3 miles doesn’t count as a hike. I found wifi…called around, and found a place doing a 10 mile guided hike to summit one of the Teton peaks…signed up. Nervous, though, sounds like a very hard hike and the group I joined is 3 people in their 20’s. The hike is 10 miles and 3000 ft in elevation gain. Yikes. I hope 2 things. 1, that I can make it without embarrassing myself. 2, that these young people don’t see me walk up and automatically assume I will drag down the group. I hope I don’t actually drag down the group.
Anyway, after my walk I headed back to camp to get food made and cleaned up before dark. How you camp in Grizzly country is….carefully. You make sure you leave nothing anywhere in you camp to attract them, food, anything that smells like food (dishes, stove, paper towel), and anything that has a smell (toiletries). All that must be in the bear box or locked in the car with windows rolled up.
So, I had a nice dinner of sauteed greens with peppers and chicken roasted over my campfire. I made sure everything was cleaned up and put away…then I relaxed a bit by the fire before going to bed.