We expected we would be able to sit Jaisal in the kid carrier backpack and hike our days away. We were so foolish. As soon as we mentioned hiking this way, Jaisal repeated one of his favorite phrases of the moment, "I want do it by myself; all by myself." While we were anxious that we'd end up carrying him more than him walking, it worked out wonderfully. We tried to stay on mostly flat hikes and would sometimes have to put him up on our shoulders, but for the most part he was a rock star. He'd wake up most mornings asking to go on a hike. Love this kid.
The weather wasn't ideal for our first day in the park, but Jaisal requested that we hike up Lunch Tree Hill by Jackson Lake Lodge. While the view of the mountains towering over the lake was shrouded in clouds, we had fun teaching Jaisal about staying on the trail, not to hurt the plants, and trying to stay quiet (okay the last one was a total failure, but we were also in bear country so perhaps his noise was a good bear deterrent :).
When we got back down to the lodge, Jaisal got to meet a local friend from the Teton Raptor Center. His budding relationships with birds continued.
On another hike we taught him the fine art of spotting animals. I have no idea if he was really able to see anything, but as soon as we were out and about, he would want the "noculars".
No binoculars were needed to see this guy.
He just happened to be across the street from our car after a hike to check out some moose habitat. It's pretty surreal how seeing wildlife is all about fortuitous timing. Right after this shot, the bear stood up on two feet and started munching on bush/tree and all of his/her 400-600 lbs were completely camouflaged in the tree. Had we not been there seconds earlier, we would have no idea a bear was nearby. Jaisal may have also gotten to learn the meaning of moron during our bear viewing, since Kirk and I used some choice words to describe the tourists who kept creeping closer and closer to the bear to get pictures.
Over the next few days we took Jaisal on hikes in the Rockefeller Preserve and up the Death Canyon trailhead to the Phelps Lake overlook.
Taking a sip from the camelbak.
Avoiding smiling for pictures.
"The waterfall is too loud papa."
Hiking up to Phelps Lake Overlook - nearly 2 miles roundtrip and he did it nearly all by himself.
Enjoying the view of the lake.
Jaisal did want to be carried down from the lake, so we had to find ways to keep him walking himself. It was a perfect time to play follow the leader.
One of Jaisal's favorite activities throughout the whole trip was throwing rocks in the water. There were rocks and bodies of water aplenty for him. Even a puddle formed in the ruts on a dirt road or trail qualified as a body of water. Jaisal lovingly named them "muddles" and would promptly search for the largest rock he could find to throw in.
What's funny about this is that he didn't like having dirt on his hands. After some rock-throwing here, we told him he needed to figure out his own way to get the dirt off of his thumb.
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