Aspen Ridge - Boulder Ridge Trails

John forgot to set the alarm clock so we got to sleep in this morning. Then it took us until almost lunch time to get our act together to go hiking.

This part of the Grand Teton NP was part of the land that was purchased by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. He wanted to help preserver this land from development but the government and people of Wyoming did not want it to be part of the national park. So in 1927 he started buying up ranches and ended up with 36,000 acres of land. Then in 1949 the National Park Service finally accepted his donation of 33,000 acres to the Grand Teton National Park. The other 3,000 acres around Phelps Lake were kept as a family retreat and passed on to his son, Laurance who donated it to the American people to become a part of the park in 2001.

We chose two trails to hike - Aspen Ridge and Boulder Ridge. Aspen Ridge was 2.5 miles long and ended at Phelps Lake after climbing up to the top of the ridge and going back down to the lake. Boulder Ridge Trail left the lake, climbed up a little shorter ridge and ended back at the parking lot. Of the two, Boulder was the prettier trail with pine, aspen, boulders and wildlife. We heard and then spotted a large bird sitting on a aerie singing to its babies. With its white head we thought it was a bald eagle but found out later that is was most likely an osprey. They look alike when perched but are quite different in flight. The other bird we spotted was a small, brown chicken like fowl which was clucking and pecking its way among the underbrush. The ranger told us that was a rough grouse. We had never seen one before. They are fun to watch and he didn't seem to mind having us around.

After our 6 mile hike, we were thirsty so we stopped in Teton Village and had a beer at the Mangy Moose. By the time we got our hamburgers grilled the storms that had been building over the mountains poured down. Nice cool evening now.