Shoshone National Forest

I recently returned from my annual camping trip enjoying the sights and sounds that the Shoshone National Forest holds. There's no better way to relieve cabin fever then by getting out and enjoying nature. No great adventure to share but it certainly was nice escaping the everyday hustle and bustle.

Teddy Roosevelt once said that this forest's Wapiti Valley is "the most scenic 52 miles in the United States". Apparently he also hunted in the valley. In 1891, Congress authorized the president to set aside forest reserves; Yellowstone Park Timber Reserve (now Shoshone National Forest) in Wyoming was the first (1891) to be established.

We traveled the Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Byway, which follows the North Fork of the Shoshone River through the scenic Wapiti Valley and ends at the East entrance to Yellowstone Park. The Wapiti Valley is abundant with elk, bear, deer and other wildlife as well as many magnificent rock formations.

It wasn't until day 5 of our trip that I encountered a grizzly. This bear, age 3 or so, was a bit shy as the highway became flooded with spectators and he quickly disappeared. Earlier in the week, before we arrived, he had walked across a bridge that crosses the river at the campground. Guess he didn't want to get wet.

According to the campground host, there were other bears in the area but I was unlucky in locating them. Haven't figured out why either. My country cooking should have been a detour directly to my fire grate. I was ready though, armed with pepper spray and hot pads, to rescue my breakfast.

We did have a pesky bird at times. Darn crow would swoop down and land on the fire grate in hopes of finding a lost crumb. He didn't retrieve much from mine. That was the only crow I saw and you could tell he ruled.

Every morning I would rise at 5 am in hopes I might just catch a glimpse of something wild lurking in the shadows. And on the morning we were packing up to leave, I did catch that brown figure sleeking in and out of the trees across the river. Still in my robe, I dashed inside yelling, "we have a bear!". That's when the scrambling began. Boy oh boy was my heart thumping and my knees shaking. Then reality set in...it was just a moose! That's one way to get everyone up and out of bed. It really did look like a bear at that time of morning. And when something "brown" is moving behind trees and bushes, of course you're gonna think it's a bear...right?!

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